It can feel a bit like a Catch 22.
You don’t create art to get an audience. Yet if you want to keep creating art you need to develop an audience. But to develop an audience do you need to change how you do your art?
Increasingly profile is becoming more and more important to artists. This isn’t about ego (although in some cases it might be) but about telling more people about your work. The media is one tool in which to engage. There are others like social media, utilising various platforms and mediums but getting your work or name in a paper, respected blog, website or on the radio or TV can help you reach a far wider audience.
Crafting the pitch, knowing what to say and who to contact can be difficult and there are enough consultants out there who will take your money but not teach you how to do it.
Marketing and PR should be a strand at the heart of every arts organisation and artist. No, you shouldn’t change you art for an audience, but you should have some understanding of what that audience wants and might be interested by, be they a buyer, critic, arts editor or presenter.
On Wednesday 27th June I’m delivering a class with dot-art entitled DIY PR. We’ll start with putting a strategy together, drafting a contacts list and press release as well as providing practical, tried and tested skills to help you build relationships with the media, which ultimately helps gain better coverage.
The booking details are here http://creativepr12.eventbrite.com/
I’m passionate about helping professionals develop their own PR skills, rather than dictating to them what they need to do. No one understands your offer better than yourself.
Find out more about dot-art here http://www.dot-art.co.uk/