 If you’re an artist and you don’t have a website yet — or if you want to change the one you have now — it’s never too late to get started!A website is another way for people to find out about you and your artwork. They could be strangers who find you by googling “mosaics in DC,” or people who already know you and want to learn more. Think about it this way: where do you go when you’re making a purchase or doing research? Online. So will your potential customers (and email subscribers, and fans, and so on). Here are some pointers to help you get started. Define your goal: Your goal for your website will determine what features you need. Common goals include:
Terms you’ll want to know that will help make the process easier:
Keep your website up to date. Any obviously out-of-date information is going to lead to visitors leaving your website. A functional, up-to-date website is a must for any artist working today. While it takes some time to maintain — time that you’d rather spend in the studio — it pays dividends in creating a visible, professional presence for your art. I would love to help you re-purpose or build your website. Let's make this happen for you and your art. Contact me to discuss your project: www.bestartistwebsites.com
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 I've enjoyed working on this website and becoming acquainted with Amy Cavaness. She creates stories using beautiful fabrics. "I found the experience of having Pam create my site vastly more pleasant than trying to do it myself and would recommend her wholeheartedly. " If you're ready to have the website your art deserves let me know - I'd love to work with you   During these past few months I've been working on several websites - a couple remain works-in-progress and will be finished up soon - this one I recently finished and want to share it with you.  Of course I have to share her testimonial - makes me very happy to have pleased artists.
"I’d been struggling with my website for some time now. It was messy, cramped, and had limited information. I needed a new theme, organization… I needed someone who could imagine, as I do, my site, and put it all together. Enter Pam Givens. She not only helped me realize an ‘Oh my gosh’ site, she intuitively elevated it to a pictorial narrative about me and my mosaic art. Creative, skilled and balanced, I now have an engaging updated new site. And because it is designed to be flexible, I can update it at any time…with help from Pam when I need it. Thank you Pam Givens for your insight, and your tireless support to my many requests. Pamela Mauseth " Take a look at Pamela's site and enjoy the variety of beautiful mosaics she creates. PamelaMausethMosaics.com If the time is right for you to update your website or if you don't have one and are ready to take that step. I'd love to help you.  Have you read this anyplace on the internet? "Register you domain here and build your website for free'?"
That sounds like a wonderful option, however there might be a catch to that.
The website platform that's offered to you as an incentive to purchase your domain with a particular registry is often the free version of that particular platform. This means that all the features of the platform are limited and to receive more features you'll need to upgrade - costing more money. In one situation, the artist was paying well over $155 for a domain and "free" website however that was the free version of the platform and allowing her only 6 pages and limited images for her site. In order to add any pages or images she would need to upgrade through the registry, increasing her fee. My suggestion is to purchase only your domain from the registry and then to purchase a plan from your choice of web platforms. Don't get trapped into paying more for "free". Always here to help you have a great website: BestArtistWebsites.com What's the most satisfying experience you have when creating a mosaic? Is it the design, the collection of material, the first squirt of adhesive or is it the finish? I've been thinking about this in relationship to creating websites for artists and asking myself "what about this process brings me so much pleasure". There are several things that I enjoy about this process; the main one is that I enjoy a good project that has a beginning and a happy ending. I want to share 3 websites with you that have just been published.  Hresula is a mosaic artists from Baja California Sur. Her work is diverse, colorful and reflects her culture. www.mosaicobyhresula.com Hresulas site is hosted on the Wix platform.  Lisa runs her store from Texas and the variety of wonderful material you can purchase from Lisa is endless - since she will work to create just what you need. This is a Weebly online store website. http://www.boninglassdesigns.com  LeeAnn's beautiful mosaics are now represented with an elegant layout and design. She has an online store, selling prints, note cards and a few of her mosaics. This site was created using Wix. https://www.mosaicartbyla.com/  I have one more to share with you - mine! I decided while working on others sites, that it was time to attend to mine and I created an online store. This site and the store is hosted on Weebly. www.pamgivens.com Take a look at the client testimonies that are posted on BestArtistWebsites.com and let me know if you would like my help to create an awesome site for your art.
Looking forward to working with you. Pam  In the past few months I've been busy working with some outstanding artists helping them get their websites looking great and posted on the web. I've really enjoyed working with each artist and always love seeing their websites come together. There are lots of "easy" do-it-yourself website platforms available now and if you have the time and interest, this is a good way to take charge of all the details of your website. If you prefer to use your time creating mosaics, having lunch with your friends and avoiding technical issues, then let me help you create the website you and your art deserve. I've created a couple of on line stores, a group website and individual artists websites. Each site communicates beautifully the products, the art, the artists story and are easy for you to update. I've used a variety of website platforms to create these websites. I'd love to help you get out from under the frustration of an outdated website, away from the muck and mire of trying to figure out how to update your site, to show you how to create and post pages, and give you a place to keep the community informed about your exhibition, new works and the unique products you have to sell. Let's make it happen. Contact me today - would love to hear from you. BestArtistWebsites.com
 I have enjoyed creating several artist websites in the past few weeks, which I love doing, and as add features to a website, some artists want a blog others don't, which causes me to wonder about the value for artists of having a blog. Here are a few of the reasons I think having a blog are important.
I've followed quite a few mosaic artists websites and blogs over the years and each blogger approaches their blogs in a unique way - there isn't a "right way". Some use their blogs to share a process or technique unique to them, others share their insights, many use their blogs to promote their workshops, and some are personal reflections - there are many ways to create an interesting blog that will keep followers coming back to your website. Blogging gives you an opportunity to communicate your art and your views to the world. The most important thing about blogging is to blog. Having a professional website that communicates who you are, shows your art beautifully and engages the viewer is crucial these days. Not everyone is going to find you on FB, Instagram or other social media sites - it's important to cover all the bases and to utilize your blog and website to reach your goals. It takes time, for sure, to maintain all the social media sites you might be connected to, but the benefit will out weigh the frustration. Here are just a few mosaic artists websites and blogs that I follow you'll note the variety of styles, all great and helpful. Kate Rattray Sandra Bryant Helen Mills Jacqueline Iskander Rachel Sager Gary Drostle Julie Sperling I'd love create a professional, exquisite website and blog for you. Contact me:   The beginning of 2018 has been a busy time for my "little start up web building business". My holiday special was very successful and upon returning from our Christmas trip I've been working on several websites for individual artists and a website for a mosaic association. I'm really enjoying each project, meeting individual artists, amazed at the beauty and variety of the art I'm seeing and being challenged to create websites that artists are love. This quote by Dr. Christopher Dayagdag - fits: "To become successful online, you only need to remember the following : Good Heart + Passion + Web Design + SEO + Digital Marketing + Dedication + Positiveness + Patience = Success” Since I've been working with artists, creating websites for them, I know how important all these aspects are in order to have success (however you defined that). I'd love to create a website for you. Now's the time for you to have the website that your art deserves.
 ...Pam intuitively knew what I needed and provided design elements I did not even think of. She patiently made multiple changes again and again, allowing me to experiment through her. At the end she taught me new skills and how to manage on my own, but knowing she is there for me when I need her is such a gift! Michele Petno  You can reach me through this website or my email.
Love to talk with you about your future website. Happy 2018 Pam  by Kevin Chung
You can be the most talented artist in the world but if you don’t have an audience, you can’t succeed. I’m not saying you have to make a lot of money to be a successful artist. Everyone’s definition of success is different. What I am saying is if you want to make a living off of your art, without having to scrounge around for money, you must connect with your audience. Here are seven reasons why connecting with your audience is vital to selling your art. 1. Your audience gets to know and like you Building your audience is crucial to being a successful artist. As the saying goes, your best customers are your current customers. These are the people who have already fallen in love with your work. They are the ones singing your praises to anyone who will listen. They are the ones who are most likely to buy from you again. If you aren’t staying in touch with your audience, you are missing out on an enormous opportunity. Regularly communicating with your audience allows you to stay in contact with them and keep them up to date on your art and life. They will get to know and like you for who you are. Otherwise, you will fall off their radars. How many times have you forgotten the name of an artist you like? It happens to me all the time. Don’t let it happen to your audience. 2. People help those they like When you build a connection with your audience, they will like you more. In fact, there’s something in psychology called the mere-exposure effect. This effect occurs when people develop a preference for something because they are familiar with it. This is why companies advertise. Just by placing their company and brand in front of you, you will have a bias towards them. Studies have shown that the more often you see someone, the more pleasing and likeable that person seems to be. I’m not saying you should blast your audience with advertisements of your work. That is not the point. You want your audience to know and like you. Talk about your life and experiences and how they relate to your work. Talk about how your audience can relate to your work. Become a helpful and important part of their lives. When you build a connection with your audience instead of blasting them with messages that scream “Look at me!” you are strengthening your bond and becoming more likable. People want to help those they like. 3. The principle of reciprocity There’s another principle in psychology that explains why people want to help you when you provide them with value. It’s called reciprocity. Reciprocity says people will respond to a positive action with another positive reaction. In other words, people want to help those who help them. If you are constantly providing value to your audience, they will want to help you in return. The key here is to give them something of value. That doesn’t mean you need to give away your art for free or sell your art at a discount. This will only de-value your work. It means you need to find problems your audience is having and help them solve those problems. As an artist, you have the unique power to elicit emotions from your audience. When someone is down, you have the power to lift them up. When someone needs inspiration, you can provide that too. The point is, your art helps people feel something. If you can help your audience with your art and your words, they will be eternally grateful. Use your gifts to help people and they will want to help you too. 4. Build a passionate fan base One of the great joys of creating art is being able to share it with other people. I know many artists want to create art for themselves or for the love of it, but art is something that should be shared. If you can create work that moves people, it is selfish to keep it to yourself. It is like withholding an amazing recipe or a life changing product. When your work resonates with another person, you are building a bond with them. You are showing them that there is someone out there who understands them. Then there are artists who do share their work, but they don’t engage with their audience. Art can be the beginning of a wonderful conversation. Why end the conversation when it is just getting started? As an artist, the greatest gift you can give is sharing your work with others AND starting a conversation with them. If you don’t, you are missing out on an opportunity to build relationships with like-minded people. There are no greater examples of this then Austin Kleon and Amanda Palmer. One is a blackout poet and the other is a musician, yet both have built passionate fan bases. Their fans support their projects and are eager to interact with them. Just check their Twitter streams to see what I am talking about. Connecting with your audience can lead to wonderful things. Don’t miss the chance to make those connections. 5. You can grow your network You may not know it, but you have access to an enormous network of people. Even if you are only friends with a few people, you still have access to dozens of other people. As you get to know more people, your network grows exponentially. That’s because every person you know has connections to other people. If you add one person to your network, your network grows by the number of people that person knows. Someone who has become a master of building networks is Jayson Gaignard, the man behind Mastermind Talks. Jayson went from $250k in debt to becoming one of the biggest connectors in the business world. I highly recommend listening to his story on the Unmistakable Creative. He is an example of what Malcom Gladwell calls connectors. These people have the special gift of bringing people together. If you become a connector or find the connectors in your audience, you can make a tremendous impact on your business. Once you’ve created a strong network of influence, you can accomplish so much more in your business. Even if these people don’t buy your art themselves, they can point you to people who will. You never know which connections will lead to success, so treat each fan with kindness and respect. 6. Become a thought leader When you are looking for advice, where do you turn? If I had to take a guess, I would say you look to the people you know and trust. You seek out guidance from those who have proven they can get you results. Sure you could try finding the answer on Google, but those results come from sources you may not know or trust. Are you willing to put your trust in an entirely new source of information? Trust should be earned not given. It is earned through the relationships we build. It is earned by repeatedly providing value. If you provide enough people with value, you will become a thought leader in your industry. Thought leaders are those who are recognized in their industry. They are sought after for their advice. They command the respect of their peers. The best way to become a thought leader is by connecting with your audience and providing them with value. It is not a quick or easy process, but if you are willing to put in the time, people will look to you for advice. When you are seen as a thought leader, new opportunities come your way. People respect your time and value your thoughts. If you want to grow your business and become a respected for your opinions, become a thought leader. 7. Let your fans inspire your work As artists, we want to believe everyone should like our art. We slaved over it for so long. Why wouldn’t people like our work? I can guarantee you there are people who won’t like your work. And that’s okay. It’s not that your art is bad, or you did something wrong, it’s that everyone has different tastes. No matter how much you want everyone to love your art, it will never happen. Even the most revered works of art like the Mona Lisa aren’t universally loved. So your art won’t be either. Contrary to what you might believe, this is actually a good thing. It is much harder to create art for a general audience than for a specific one. In fact, world renowned architect Frank Gehry’s design for the Disney Hall was inspired by the constraints he had to work with. You might be wondering “How do I find constraints for my work?” That’s easy. Look to your fans. These people already love your work. Giving them a voice in the direction of your work will make them feel even more passionate about your art. If you want to build a more passionate community of supporters, give them a say in your art. Not only will it help strengthen your bond with them, it will also lead to new and differing ideas for your art. Conclusion Connecting with your audience is one of the most important things you can do as an artist. Sure these points apply to business in general, but they are especially true of artists. What artists must realize is, if they want to succeed and make art for a living, they need to learn to become a business. This may have negative connotations but it doesn’t have to. Since the rise of the internet and social media, companies have undergone a massive shift in how they interact with their customers. Instead of just blasting people with coupons and deals to get them to buy, they have begun creating connections. You can only fight on price so long before a customer leaves you forever. That is why connecting with your customers has become so important. Your audience is looking for something that sets you apart from everyone else. You can do this by listening to your audience and providing them with massive value. Start conversations with them. Understand their hopes, dreams, and fears. Make yourself accessible and become an important part of their lives. Kevin Chung is the creator of Marketing Your Art the Right Way, a site dedicated to teaching artists how to market their artwork and build relationships with their audience. Author:Allan Kunigis
The answer is yes. There aren’t many businesses that can survive without a Web presence, and there’s no reason not to have a website. Your company’s website can be a highly effective marketing tool and it can be very cost-efficient. There are quite a few benefits, and very little downside. Ten Things Your Website Can Do (for Starters) There are many things you can do with your website, here are 10 to begin with:
Common Concerns and Questions About Small Business Websites It’s natural to have questions and concerns about setting up a website. Cost is a common one. Beyond an up-front fee to design the website, the ongoing costs can be minimal. And considering the long-term benefits a website will provide, the cost to design a good website should be well worth it. Other concerns often relate to a business not being web-oriented or that it wouldn’t sell goods online. The answer to these and similar concerns is that a business website can provide so many more benefits. Establishing trust, strengthening your brand, forging better customer relations, informing a wider group of people about your business’s capabilities. Another common concern is that you don’t have much content to add for frequent updates or you don’t have time to blog. The short answer is that you don’t need to. Sure, more activity and frequently refreshed content can generate more interest, but any Web presence is probably better than none. Once you have a basic website, as your business and resources grow, you can always add to it. |
Pam Givens
staying creative making awesome websites for artists and others while enjoying life . Archives
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