31 Mar5 Things Artists Can Blog About

Nose to Nose by Treasure Frey. Etching.

 

Have you thought about blogging to help market your art, but it just seems too daunting? I get questions about blogging a lot from artists and makers. Almost always, the questions start with “do I need to blog?” (no, but it helps a lot) and go straight to “what would I even talk about?”  Almost always that second question isn’t really asking for an answer. But it does have an answer. And so today, I’m going to give that answer to you.

Here are my top 5 things to blog about as an artisan.

 

1. Inspiration – Started working on a new piece? Post up some of your sketches. Talk about where the initial idea sprung from. Show some pictures of your research.

2. Creative Journey – Talk about what you’re going through creatively. Discuss difficulties you might be having or really wonderful soaring periods of creative growth. Both are exciting fodder for creative blogs.

3. Teach – Write how-to posts that teach your readers a new technique. This is also a great way to incorporate a medium that you don’t normally work in. Instead of ignoring that cool woodworking project you took on, you can teach your blog readers how to do it themselves. This type of post also lends itself well to creating your expert persona, making you stand out as a leader in your medium.

4. Behind the Scenes – Show your readers your works-in-progress. Post pictures of your studio space or of you working on a piece. You might not think you’re that interesting, but this is one of the most beloved types of artist blog posts out there. People love to see what you’re doing behind the scenes before the final product gets in their hands.

5. New – New pieces, new shows, new collaborations, new mediums… Announce what’s going on in your creative life. Make sure this is no more than 20% of your blog. Your readers don’t want a laundry list of your newest Etsy listings or the fifteen shows you’re putting work in this summer. But they do like to know what’s going on. So promote only your best stuff or put several promotions into one post.

 

Don’t forget to get a little personal every once in a while. Only you can decide how personal. But your readers do want to know about you, so every once in a while it’s nice to throw in how excited you are that your kid came home with straight A’s or that you’re finally getting a new car.

What do you blog about? Let everyone know in the comments!

Inspiring thoughts,
Laura