19 Of The Best Content Ideas For Artists To Post Online
Find Creative Content Ideas For Social Media And Beyond
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In today’s world, the demand for content is stronger than ever. With diminishing attention spans, creators and artists are feeling the pressure when it comes to keeping their audience engaged at all times. If you’re searching for some inspiration to get you going – then here are some of our favourite creative content ideas for artists.
What Should Artists Post Online?
As always, the things you decide to post online are completely up to you, but you might want to consider the ways it impacts your online image and brand. For artists, it’s important that their posts generate engagement and provide value to an audience that wants to know more about their work.
So, try to post content that showcases your craft in the best and most interesting way. Keep image quality high and captions engaging, prompting followers to comment, like and share. Provide meaningful and valuable information, whether it be an artist tip or news of your latest sale. This will be especially beneficial for artists selling on Instagram.
After a while, it’s not uncommon for artists to reach a creative block or struggle to know what to post. The nature of social media doesn’t really allow for this – your followers are always going to want more content than you can come up with. If unmonitored, this demand can create unhealthy habits and feelings towards social media. Remember to take breaks and limit the amount of time you’re spending on social apps, to protect your mental health and retain the joy of creating.
19 Content Ideas For Artists
1. WIP (Works In Progress)
As much as followers like to see your finished works – it’s actually the process and progress shots that generate a lot of interest. Posting online allows your audience an inside look at your practice and people like to be nosey. Keep them engaged by sharing points of your process; it could also help track the development of your work.
2. Work details
If you’re got a piece that you’re really excited to share – try launching it with some close up, detailed photos first. This generates anticipation and excitement from your followers who will be dying to see the whole thing. This is also helpful if you’ve got a project that you’re not allowed to show yet. Or, if there’s a certain corner of your painting that you absolutely love, post it!
3. You with your work
Although your work is the star of the show, it’s nice to show the face behind the art every now and again. At your next exhibition, get your friend to take a photo of you beside your work – or set up a camera in your studio. This helps to build a personal connection between you and your audience.
4. Studio photos/tours
A really popular and fun content idea for artists to join in with are studio shots and tours. If you’ve got a really good home studio setup, why not help other budding artists by showing how you put it together. You could also go into detail about where you bought your equipment, for artists searching for first-hand reviews.
5. Share old work in comparison to now
Everyone loves a before and after, so why not demonstrate to your audience how far your practice has come with a throwback to some old work. It’s a good chance to see your improvement and artistic journey whilst sharing your artistic background to those who follow you.
6. Favourite current inspiration
Artists usually have an abundance of inspiration from all walks of life, especially the work of other creatives. If you’re looking for content ideas, you could share some photos from your camera roll that have inspired your latest piece. This gives your followers an insight into your thought processes and methods of making.
7. Demonstrate a technique/process
There’s a high chance that other artists will be following you online, some of them beginners. If there’s a specific technique or skill that you use when making, you could demonstrate how with a video or step by step guide. This kind of content is both helpful and intriguing to both artists and fans alike.
8. Sketchbook tour/supporting material
Nothing is more fascinating than the inside of an artist’s sketchbook, which makes it a perfect content idea for artists, illustrators, designers and more. In most cases, the messiest and scruffiest books are the most exciting – so don’t be put off. Every doodle and sketch holds valuable information that goes on to support the rest of your practice. Posting snippets of your sketchbooks showcases the behind the scenes work that people usually wouldn’t get to see.
9. Time lapse videos
Since the boom of TikTok, time lapse videos have become increasingly popular especially in the art realm. Creatives use them to cover all kinds of artistic endeavours, from the making process to the setting up of exhibitions. They’re a fun content idea if you want to show the progression of something in relation to your art, and work particularly well as TikToks, Reels or on Instagram Stories.
10. Sharing work in situ
As far as content ideas for artists go, posting your work against a white wall is as standard as they come. This isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re looking to spark extra engagement online – why not try something different. This could involve a photo of your work in a customer’s house or taking a finished piece into the garden on a sunny day.
11. Q&A
The best way to engage with your audience is to speak with them directly. A fun and useful way of doing this is hosting a Q&A. Instagram makes this really easy by having a questions feature on their Stories, but your followers could also leave comments under posts and videos. This is a perfect way to let your audience get to know you and your practice on a deeper level.
12. Packing and shipping
Packing and shipping work doesn’t sound like the most glamorous part of being an artist, however, people on the outside still find the process very interesting. If you’re selling work online, a simple content idea could be to film the packaging process. This way, you’re not having to do anything extra to generate the content; just film what you’re already doing.
13. Finished work
It’s worth mentioning that finished photos of work are a classic content idea for artists. You’ll want to execute these photos in the best way possible in order to really highlight your work. This means; having good lighting, using a high quality camera, taking it from the correct angle and even touching up the photo in Photoshop if you need to.
14. Share your artist story
Sharing your artist story can come in a variety of forms, but the content idea essentially focuses on your personal journey as a creative. You could write captions about how you started out, or film a video explaining your history. Either way, it will help your audience relate to you and perhaps find inspiration in terms of their own art careers.
15. Share a recent exhibition trip
Artists are always sharing their own work online, but in terms of content ideas – it can be good to switch up what you’re posting. Try sharing your latest exhibition to share something different that is still art related. You might inspire other art lovers to visit the same exhibition too.
16. Tease an upcoming show/project
Artists can be strategic with what they post. Instead of showing everything you’re working on at once, slowly tease your latest project or piece of work. This could involve posting plans, works in progress, the setting up of an exhibition or small details of the work. You want to show that you’re actively working on something exciting without giving it all away.
17. Link your practice to a season/event
One way to engage your followers is to link your work to the current season. For example, if it’s coming up to Christmas, perhaps you could put on a special Christmas art sale, or make some festive themed work. If you’re not up for that, then photographing your work with some seasonal surroundings will also do the trick.
18. Something about you
Getting personal online is one of the best ways to interact with your audience. It especially helps with your relatability. If you’ve ever had a struggle when it comes to making as an artist, you could share your story in order to help and inspire others. Being personal on your art account shows there’s an actual person behind the screen – and your audience will give more meaningful engagement in response.
19. An artistic goal
Being clear about your artistic goals not only interests those who follow you, but also keeps you in check and accountable. Once you’ve put something out there, you should feel more inclined to achieve it. Your followers may also be able to help you achieve those goals – which makes sharing them a good content idea for artists.
WHAT DO CONTENT IDEAS FOR ARTISTS HAVE YOU USED ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
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Featured Image Source: Pexels.com
Featured Image Source: pexels.com
Five by Five
The use of high-quality images, innovative navigation, and carefully chosen color palettes can make a significant difference in how I perceive and engage with the artwork.