Why Should Artists Blog?

Why should artists blog? I see three important points as a possible answer to this question:

Artists want their work to be seen and appreciated
Artists seek to understand and evolve their art
Elimination of technical barriers

Seen and appreciated

If you are an artist, why you create is a question you must answer for yourself, but often there is a strong need to communicate or impart a vision or an idea to people. You feel a strong internal drive to this regardless of the consequences. You are compelled to create. It is a very personal thing, and yet there is a very public component to it. You want to reach people, to affect them. If nobody engages with your art, it ceases to exist in a very real way except for only yourself.

The internet is one avenue for creating opportunities for people to engage with your art. In the geographic region where you live, there are only so many people near you who will or can see what you do and appreciate it. On the internet, however, there are thousands of people all across the globe who would love your work, if only they had a chance to see it. A website is the only way that will ever happen.

Understand and evolve

The process of your art is birth, life, and evolution. Art is process, not the finished piece when done. The destination is nothing without the journey. Journaling, keeping notes, capturing ideas and inspirations: these have long been the process tools used by artists to understand and evolve their art. Moving this online, as everything else moves online, is only natural and part of the larger societal evolutionary process. As with other endeavors, the online options exists in addition to the traditional options and doesn’t replace them (yet). Nobody is suggesting you give up your Moleskine. But now you can scan it and upload it to the web to share with others.

While blogging for other uses such as business or news has evolved beyond the “online diary” definition of a blog, it is this first use of a blog that best serves the artist. The artist blogs her process. The artist shares her process with other artists and possibly her buyers. It can be like the great discussions you have with other artists, except online with other artists and appreciators all over the world. You can share the process of creation of your art and document it so that the connection between journey and destination is made even more unbreakable.

Technical barriers have vanished

The technical barriers of creating an internet space for your art and for yourself as an artist have nearly vanished. Creating a blog is quite easy. Making it look like you and into an online space to share your process with others isn’t too hard. It’s something that a more technically-inclined friend can help you with. Of course not all artists are technically disinclined (not by far!), and for those of you who are tech-savvy, it just may not have occurred to you to do have a blog and use it this way.

Examples and inspiration

Jessica Torrant’s Artist Journal
Tsurezuregusa
Aerten Art
Max Magnus
Artist of the Day
Sarah’s Sketch Blog
We Make Money Not Art
Rhizome
Art Backwash
Mary Baker Art-Blog

Begin

Simply begin. Go to WordPress or Blogger and take the leap. Begin the process, and you will be in process.

There will be more posts on art blogging – subscribe so you don’t miss them!

Michael Martine

@Jessica: Thanks so much for that comment. Your experience has completely validated what I feel is the value of blogging for artists. Artist blogs can be public process journals, and are often just as valuable to the blogger/artist as they are interesting for the blog's readers.
Jessica Torrant

Hello and thank you for including my blog in this article! I think you've made a lot of great points about exposure and people being able to peek into the "artist's process".

May I also add that personally I've found it can be difficult to talk about my art. People may ask those common questions such as "What does this mean?" and even though I've had a thousand thoughts and ideas in response to that question, it can be a challenge to come up with an answer I am happy with. By writing about my ideas and reactions to my work, I find it transforms vague ideas into tangible words - words I could someday say again, a little smoother than before. So in this way, it not only serves an artist's fans or other artists, it serves the artist his/herself by connecting their visual creations with a common, spoken language.

Thanks again for linking to my blog! To see other artists I admire that blog, you can click on the links on the right side of my blog.
Paula Stone

You have put across the idea very well. I am sure many artists, who till now prefer the comforatble seclusion of their studios will be urged to try the new media of blogging after going thru ur post.

i especially second ur reasons-

a) blogging removes the geographical barrier

b) it documents the process from start to finish (which makes it more appealing and belieavble)

and c) blogging is simple- technicalities are not complex!
Financial Hack

This could be a blueprint for virtually any topic. There really isn't a good reason why anyone who is doing something shouldn't also create a blog about what they are doing.
Albuq NM Real Estate

Michael - this is great! My 12 year old creates videos and I have been encouraging her to set-up a blog. She already has a list of over 100 "fans" and this would be a great medium for her and something that she can maintain. I am happy to say she is going to let me set her up with one! - Ashley
Michael Martine

Sarah, thanks very much! If you can think of any other examples, please add them in a comment.
Sarah

Hey, Thanks for citing my blog as an inspiration!

I've found a blog a great way of keeping new work out there. I have a website which is good for more in depth information, but websites are kind of static. The blog is much more immediate, less formal and definitely more interactive.
Bunk

I believe that everyone is a generalist in there own right myself. Or rather if not, should strive to be. Good thoughts. Now back to your blog conversation.....
Michael Martine

Thank you, Bunk. I feel it's important to branch out and cover other avenues besides business or "make money" style blogs. This is what is so special to me about blogging: the benefits of successful blogging are accrued by anyone in nearly any endeavor. The term "evangelist" isn't so much in vogue anymore as a job title, but I guess you could say I'm still very much a blog evangelist. Plus, I just like to defy the whole "niche" logic and be a generalist! :)
Bunk

This is a very interesting post Michael. I have certain friends online who view their blogs as a palette. From my own point of view as well as others who feel the same way, blogging can provide a very resourceful outlet for creativity.