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4 things to know before writing an art blog

4 things to know before writing an art blog on artiful painting demos by Sandrine Pelissier
Art Business / Tips

4 things to know before writing an art blog

Writing a blog can very efficiently help you as an artist get some visibility online and drive traffic to your website.

I have been writing regularly since 2010 and learned a lot during those 7 years. When I started blogging I had no idea in what direction it would get me and the subject and style of the blog evolved organically over time. Looking back, I now see many benefits in writing a blog and I think it helped me a lot in my career.

If you are currently writing a blog, I would be interested to hear about you in the comments and know if you came to the same conclusions I did, or not. If you are just thinking about writing a blog or just started, this might help you take a few shortcuts.

artist blog to sell your art online

I started blogging about 6 years ago. This post is an exemple of what I am trying not to do anymore as I speak a lot in the first person.

You might also be interested in : Should you write a blog?

Here are a few things you can think about when writing an art blog

1-It is not all about yourself

That might sound like a blunt statement but it is perhaps the most important lesson I learned. Once you realize that readers are busy people, that they might not care that much about you (sorry!) .You are basically trading some of their time in exchange for something that should be of value to them, you learned maybe the most valuable lesson about blogging.

Any blog post that has too many sentences in the likes of ” I am doing this” “I feel inspired by this…” “I like this…” “This is what I paint” is interesting mostly for you and maybe your close entourage but could advantageously by replaced by “This is what you can do to…” ” You might like…” ” You could find inspiration in…” In other words, what you share about yourself has to meet your readers needs.

nobody reads my blog

I just finished reading “Nobody wants to read your sh*t” by Steven Pressfield, and really enjoyed that book, I highly recommend it if you are writing any kind of content (books, blog, grants…). Among other interesting elements of the book, Steven stresses out that many writers when they begin think that everyone is waiting to read their writings but this is far from being the case, and most of us learn this the hard way.

2-No-one is going to get upset if you don’t write a post every week

This is one of the most common excuse I hear as a reason not to start writing a blog: The concern that you might not be able to post every week or every two weeks. This doesn’t really matter to your audience as I don’t think anyone will be upset if they don’t hear about you for a while. People usually get upset if they hear too much about you.

You might not want to establish an unrealistic schedule for posting, like one post a day. Starting with one post a week to one post a month might be an easier goal to reach.

Following a regular schedule to post is a good idea I think, because you get into a rhythm and also because you get to know better your blogging interface and therefore are becoming more efficient at using it. You don’t want to forget how everything works in between two posts.

sell your art online document your process

3-Perfection is unattainable

I really believe that you learn while doing and get better at it with practice. So if you are trying to write the perfect post for the perfect blog when you start, you are setting up yourself for disappointment and might never push that “publish” button. Why not start with something small and learn as you go.

Publishing on the internet can be scary, your content can be potentially seen by everyone and stay published forever, but on the other end the amount of content online is exponentially growing and you are just a drop in an ocean of information, so except if you do something tremendously embarrassing you should be safe 🙂

selling your art online take good pictures

4- Great pictures are important

There is really no way around it as you are working in visual art. You need great pictures of your art and you need great pictures of your process to share.

You might also be interested in : How to take good pictures of your paintings  and  Artists: Is it worth the time and hassle to document your process ?

Good pictures are also useful to incorporate into your blog posts, and they will really help with social media, especially picture based social media like Pinterest or Instagram.

Good pictures are also great to share your blog posts on social media

You don’t need to be a professional photographer but just to pay attention to a few important things like light and framing and cropping.

Are there any ideas or challenges you want to share about writing an art blog?

3/5 - (1 vote)

Comments (15)

  1. Johan P. Jonsson

    Isn’t it also about being personal, or even private, to show them who you really are. Or being provocative, that’s always a path to walk….

  2. I may have to put a sticky note on my computer with ‘it’s not all about you!’ on it. To be honest, I did start a blog to help me analyse how I am working and what I am doing – so it was about me and I didn’t really care if anyone read it (though they do!). People ask how I paint, and having written step-by-steps does help me explain more clearly. I don’t use it to drive sales or traffic to my website, but perhaps I should!

    1. Thanks Liz, I think it is totally fine to explain how you are painting because there is an obvious value for your readers in that, I am just saying that you have to meet your readers needs with what you are sharing about yourself.

  3. I have been blogging for a while and just released my fifth newsletter. Apparently I am doing things backwards. There is no time like the present to change things so I will be reassessing what I do and begin again in the new year. Thank you for your helpful tips.

    1. Thanks Karen !
      I just subscribed to your newsletter 🙂
      You did the right thing: The most important step is to get started just as you did, and then adjust things on the go so they work better for you.

  4. Thanks for this thoughtful post – I took the summer off of my regular blogging to rethink what I was doing. I am just starting back up in October and this blog post is really helpful!

    1. Thanks Cindi, good luck with your blog 🙂

  5. I am new to blogging (since April this year), so your comments are very useful. I shall have to remember that bit about “it’s not about you”! By the way, many thanks for linking to my “Ink Resist” blog post – I am sure it has resulted in quite a few visitors.

  6. Eddi Reid

    Thank you for your advice, Sandrine. I have very often thought about blogging and this is very helpful.
    Eddi Reid

  7. Nicole

    Your newsletter is one of the few I read. I always find something inspiring and informative. Thank you !

    1. Thank you Nicole, very nice to hear that 🙂

  8. Adrian

    Sandrine, you posts are so very helpful! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in all things art.

    1. Thanks Adrian !!

  9. Anna Mac

    We are lucky that accomplished artists find the time to collect and share interesting aspects of their lives and art. Thank you!

    1. Thanks Anna for your kind words 🙂

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