There are two categories of artists; professional and hobbyist. Both practice art regularly. Yet both do not take the business of art seriously on an equal level.
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The experience a professional artist has gathered over time from practicing art places them above a hobbyist.
A professional artist is one who is dedicated full time to creating artworks or others from different mediums. To them, art is not a pastime activity or a side hustle.
They have sacrificed time and resources to learn the in and out of what has become their source of survival.
A hobbyist simply does art for art’s sake and recreation. They engage in the creation of art when they are chanced; in their leisure time.
While an art hobbyist does not need to be worried about such things as how they are perceived and the strength of their image and reputation, a professional artist cannot experience the potential of their career if branding is taken lightly.
Especially as an emerging artist looking to attract the attention of reputable art stakeholders locally and internationally.
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Therefore, the following are techniques you can apply in favorably packaging yourself as an artist to attract, and appeal to art stakeholders and lovers in a way that is advantageous to your artistic career.
Be Known for Something
To be known for something you have to discover the uniqueness you possess which you want to be known for.
Figure out what makes you different from every other artist, especially colleagues you create art with from the same area of specialization or medium.
Although what you are known for does not necessarily have to be fresh; it could be a little bit different from the usual or done differently from the normal.
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artbyBello is not the only Nigerian Graffiti artist. But his name is sure to come on the top-three list because he is known for strong graffiti works and even stronger fashion style.
Dotun Poopola is not the first or only scrap metal artist. But he is sure to come up in the list of the top three from Africa because he is known to be consistent for the creation of eyecatching metalworks that break the internet.
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Package Your Presentation
Package everything that has to do with your brand in a way that the art audience can relate to it easily.
People usually have to see a work of art before they can feel it. Most especially when your targets are not in the same location as you or at a farther distance that does not enable them easy access to (your studio to com) view your art.
Therefore, the display style and creative effort put into the exhibition of your artworks on your social media, website, etc go a long way.
Present yourself, your stories, experiences, and your artworks in a way that arouses interest; connects with art lovers and stakeholders on a deeper level.
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Understand your audience
You obviously cannot know how to efficiently package yourself as an artist who attracts visibility and followership if you know but do not understand the people you are attempting to package yourself for.
Do they favor a particular kind of art? Does mystery interest them? Are they curious or highly eccentric?
Understanding their behavior and how they think guides you in line with how to (re)brand yourself.
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Structure a Brand Game Plan
If you may, this can be likened to the art of war.
It includes your general planning of operations and how the branding activities will be directed in solidifying your arts in the domestic and international art scene.
Your brand game plan should include the kind of tone you want to have wherever you are engaging with your targets; funny or serious, silly or intelligent, weird or normal.
Your brand plan of action should not be limited or dependable on a logo, business cards, and social media presence.
It should include how you plan to express who you are as an artist and what your artworks represent.
Your game plan should also include new, creative, and distinctive ways you intend to create (more) publicity around yourself as an artist and your works.
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Your brand game plan should be convincing and believable to have an effect on the targets and yield expected results.
Ensure to consider the emotions or sensitivity of your targets or prospective clients in the creation of a brand game plan.
Be Intentional About Your Public Appearances
Your appearance in the public should always be an avenue to market yourself without actually rubbing it on the face of the public that you are advertising yourself.
Public appearance could be an interview on TV, radio, IG live and live interviews at exhibitions or fairs you attend or are exhibiting on.
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Being intentional can be as simple as saying something that sticks in the mind of the audience, or your dressing.
Overall, never attend public events without giving thoughts into your dressing and probably preparing responses to likely questions you would be asked by fans, art stakeholders, and journalists.
Branding makes it easy to discover you in the stream of artists because effective branding keeps you in the mind of your targets.
Branding yourself as an emerging artist can be as easy as being known with a particular sense of fashion or a weird kind of hair. However, while that would work for a musician or actor, it might not work for an artist as it could distract people from your art to you.
Although that seems good as they will eventually like your art if they are emotionally connected to you. But don’t make it too much about yourself. But the art.
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Branding makes it easy to discover you in the stream of artists because effective branding keeps you in the mind of your targets.
Still, your branding should draw the art community first, strongly, and majorly to your works than to your personality and charms.
Satisfactory branding paints you as a superior artist and your works to be the first class to your targets. Hence it becomes less difficult to think of you when they need an ace artist who can create quality artwork.
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Simply, what branding does to an artist is to make them stand out in the crowd of excellent artists every day expanding in the art scene of Nigeria and Africa.
It is one way to build and sustain a loyal followership irrespective of where they are around the world and how they engage with you from where they are around the world.