Build Your Brand As an Artist

This article will teach you how to build your brand as an artist.

Steps

  1. Define yourself. No matter what genre you are in, you yourself are your brand when it comes to the arts. Companies like Nike or Apple have the advantage of not being people. putting yourself out there as an artist is extremely personal and scary. Ask yourself what your brand identity is. It’s important not only to identify your brand but also to believe in it.
  2. Think about your brand wisely. Ask questions like the following: What are your values? What do your really care about? What’s important to you aside from your art? What’s your look? Is there a certain group of people you like to identify yourself with stylistically? Don’t get too existential about it, but do take some time to sort it out in your own head.
  3. Keep it simple. People are complicated. You are complicated. Your answers to the previous questions prove that. But your brand can’t be. If you’re trying to be all things to all people, you’ll never make anyone happy.
  4. Develop your “elevator pitch.” Imagine you get into an elevator with the biggest agent in your industry. She presses the button for floor 15 – you’ve now got 15 floors to explain what you – your brand is. And this woman has heard every pitch in the book, so you better make it good. The key to a great pitch is putting the unique quality of your work into a context that others will understand.
  5. Sell yourself. Starting out as an artist requires a small amount of an aggressive sales pitch. This means going to shows – whether it’s fashion, art, music, whatever – and bringing those business cards. This also means learning your industry inside-out. Are there people you admire and would like to be one day? Find them on Twitter. Follow. Comment. Retweet. Get in touch with agents, get in touch with people who tried to start in your field and failed, get in touch with artists in your genre that is just starting to make it big, get in touch with gallery owners and see if they’re doing a show for up-and-coming artists soon get in touch. Get your name out there. Ask for help. Ask for reviews. Ask for constructive criticism. This is not easy. It’s pretty hard, actually. But if you never try, you’ll never find those few gems out there who will absolutely be your guardian angels and help you through.
  6. Stay on-brand. Okay. From this point on, everything you do, say, make, think – if it has anything at all to do with your work and your brand, it’s got to be cohesive. So as you continue to create your beautiful masterpieces and fill up your Talenthouse portfolio, remember who you are, remember your elevator pitch, and remember your target audience. The more pieces you have that reinforce your brand, the more opportunities you’ll have to cement yourself into a potential fan’s mind.
  7. Identify your audience. Now that you’ve got yourself figured out, it’s time to define your audience. And be honest you know it’s not “all people everywhere all the time.” Who’s going to respond most enthusiastically to your work? When you’re first starting out, you’re going to want “super-fans”: people who will stick by your side, follow your every movement, and generally be as stalkerish as possible without alerting the police. These are the people who will come to your shows, buy all your merch, and most importantly recommend you to their friends.
  8. Consider how you present yourself. Whether you’re in music, photography or film you’ll need a portfolio. Talenthouse is a pretty amazing resource for this. They’ve got it all laid out for you already, so you won’t have to worry too much about the structure of it. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to also link to your Talenthouse portfolio on your own website that’s branded in your style. Some useful tools for site building include Wordpress and Wix: two great, easy, free options. Just make sure your site is mobile-optimized!
  9. Design a logo for yourself. If you’re a graphic designer, you might already know something about branding identity, but if not, consider inviting a visual artist to help you develop your brand image.
  10. Put your look everywhere – on your site, on business cards, on stickers, on your notebook, your purse.
  11. Be flexible. Building your brand is all well and good, but it won’t do you any favors if it gets you stuck in a rut. A simple revision or update every now and again won’t destroy your hard-won brain real estate forever – and besides, if you’ve done step 1 well, you won’t need sudden massive alterations. But people do change. You and your work will change. You’ll learn what your audience really loves and what they could live without. You’ll discover new sources of inspiration for whole new bodies of work. And that’s great! Just don’t forget to bring your brand along for the ride.
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