Month: June 2023

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Blogging: Your secret tool for creative success

Illustration of beautiful woman sitting in 1960s diner pop art

Given the volatile state of social media today, it’s more important than ever for fine artists and other creatives to have an online presence they can fully curate. Podcast platforms are saturated, foetuses are now posting on TikTok, and YouTube videos are throttled with ads. To make matters worse, many of these platforms suppress the reach of your posts to encourage you to buy ads or ‘boosts’. So how do you get seen?

I was chatting with fiction writers and artists over the past few months, and a surprising number of them rely on third parties to get their work seen. Writers feel that magazine submissions are the holy grail of recognition, and are reluctant to consider other venues for exposure. Most artists I have spoken with over the past two years are still convinced that Twitter is the only place where collectors are buying artwork.

Ice latte with extra whipped cream pop art

One writer I spoke with advised authors to aim for one hundred rejections a year. My response was that if a writer turned each of those submissions into a new blog post, they would have a really awesome blog. Sending in one essay or short story one hundred times seems masochistic. But aiming for one hundred original new stories is definitely an effective way to build a portfolio.

Basically, if you’re a fine artist, photographer, or musician, a blog is where you curate your work. It is where clients can browse your portfolio and get to know you better. Building up a blog is amazing for your SEO because it makes you searchable outside of social media.

What to do with a blog:

Share your work. Showcase your artwork, photography, writing, or any other creative projects. Experiment with different styles, and create a portfolio of work over time. Share your process, behind-the-scenes images or videos, and drafts you feel happy with. In doing so, you will create proof of concept for your work, which your potential clients, collaborators, and supporters will appreciate.

Hamburger with extra cheese, tomatoes and pickles pop art

Connect with other creatives. Blogging is one way to meet people outside your immediate community. If they share your interests, they will comment on your blog, and you can have interesting conversations them. You can learn about opportunities to showcase or exhibit your work, and be invited to publish guest posts on other blogs. From there, you can gain support from a wider audience, and learn from the feedback you receive. This is the first step towards building a dynamic community.

Build your brand presence. Your blog will help you to share more about your creative projects. If there is a style of art or writing that you prefer, you can establish yourself as an expert. Write about the things you know well to position yourself as a thought leader. In this way, you can attract new opportunities.

Most people scrolling through social media feeds may not want to read long captions or threads. They may ask you where else they can see your work. Having a blog gives you a place to present your archives and present extra content for curious supporters.

Hot cherry pie pop art

If you’ve stopped blogging and are on hiatus, now is a great time to get back to it. If you’re a fine artist or other creative, start sharing your work, and if necessary, do a rebrand.

How you can get back to blogging after a break:

Choose a few topics that you really care about. Your interests will change over time, but while you’re focused on something, share your thoughts with your readers. You can write a series of posts on the same topic, and connect the posts in a series. This style will help your audience to connect with your work and understand you better. You can also cycle through topics seasonally and adjust to your readers’ changing interests.

Strawberry soda and ice cream pop art

Be consistent with posting. Try to post something new on a regular basis, even if you only post once a week. Take some time each week to brainstorm ideas for blog posts. They don’t have to be long posts, or epic essays each time. Varying your presentation style will help you to avoid feeling blocked. Try writing lots of posts close together, and schedule them to be published at a later time.

Pop art illustration of good looking couple in 1960s diner

Repurpose your blog posts for social media to promote them. Summaries and quotes from one blog post can be used on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. There are people selling courses on how to repurpose a single post to create social media content for different accounts. But you don’t need to pay.

Create your own graphics with templates and stock images on Adobe Express or Canva. And if you’re adventurous, you can even generate original graphics using Canva Text to Image App, Stable Diffusion, or Bing Image Creator.

The more people know about your blog, the more feedback you’ll get. By resizing and repurposing your posts, you would create a consistent look for your brand across your social media accounts.

Strawberry soda with ice cream pop art

Starting a blog is time consuming but if you already have one, go ahead and dust it off. Rebrand, rename, or update your style if you wish. By blogging about your creative process, your inspirations, and your latest projects, you can connect with other creatives, build an audience, and promote your work. And because blogging is a form of organic SEO, you can also use it to improve your search engine ranking and get your work found by more people.

Transform your blog into your own safe space for showcasing your work. Use it as the launching pad for networking with like-minded creatives. If you’ve been on hiatus as a fine artist, writer or other creative, give blogging a(nother) try, resurrect your archives, and see how you like it.

Good luck.

Postscript: The pop art illustrations in this post were generated with the Bing Image Creator app. My prompts are in the captions. Enjoy playing.

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art creative writing news women writing

Brand Dilution: A Handbook for Artists

Brand dilution happens when the value of an artist’s work decreases due to its association with less desirable events or behaviour. This can happen when an artist overshares on social media, posts too many selfies, or collaborates with too many different brands. When an artist’s brand becomes diluted, it can be difficult for viewers and potential collectors to understand what the artist stands for.

With the emergence of new social media platforms, artists have plenty of opportunities to reach a wider audience and build their brand presence. And yet, for artists with lots of projects, it can be difficult to plan or even create content for various social media accounts.

Thus, another way to dilute a brand is to maintain no brand presence at all. I’m sure you’ve seen Instagram accounts with one post from 2018, or an abandoned Twitter account that has been taken over by bots. In other words, some exposure is good, while excessive self-promotion can lead to catastrophic results. One of the biggest challenges for artists is therefore building brand presence without diluting it (too much). Read ahead for a summary of three common examples of brand dilution and how to avoid them.

The Unfiltered Diary

This is content created by an artist who shares every intimate detail of their personal life, including relationship troubles, health issues, and emotional struggles, on social media. When Kanye West does it, (like making his new wife, Bianca Censori, wear sheer tights as trousers), we think it’s funny.

But when a regular artist shares a photo of their dog’s bottom at the pet hospital, complete with a caption explaining what was in there, it’s gross. A post like that makes you worry about the artist’s mental health. Of course, ‘mad’ artists are popular, but usually after they left Earth for about one hundred years. And their amazing work outshines any hardship they may have suffered in the past. Think Beethoven or Van Gogh.

While the artist gets attention for raw honesty, over time, they become known for their personal struggles rather than their talent. The constant focus on personal issues overwhelms their work. This leads to dilution because viewers don’t have the energy to separate the artist’s personal life from their creative output. Some sensitive viewers avoid the artist’s social media posts for fear of seeing unpleasant things. This reduces the artist’s reach, influence, and impact.

The Mundane Chronicles

This is content created by an artist who documents every aspect of their daily routine on social media, from waking up, to cooking meals, to running errands. This level of openness is relatable in small amounts. A daily, well-curated reel on Instagram with the right ambient music can be a welcome pick-me-up.

But constant sharing of mundane activities can overtake the artist’s actual artwork. Think Madonna trying to scrub her toilet in lingerie from Dolce & Gabbana. It was funny and grotesque and probably a parody. Sadly, younger people forgot that she used to be a singer and wonder why she simply doesn’t “just stop”.

Similarly, the artist who tweets stray thoughts every ten minutes will grate on the algorithm’s nerves and might see their posts deboosted. That artist’s account becomes associated with trivial aspects of life, and an algorithm might run interference to spare everyone the details. Some artists complaining about “shadowbanning” fall into this category. Unfortunately, rather than sharing their vision or skill, the artist diluted the impact of their own work because they posted (or used) too much filler.

The Constant Self-Promoter

Most artists choose to post about their own achievements so that potential clients can see what they have to offer. These posts are usually accompanied by meaningful insights and engaging commentary. These kinds of updates have value for an engaged audience.

While self-promotion is important, excessive self-centeredness can be a turnoff. This is a tightrope walk because artists need to consistently promote themselves in order to stay visible. Additionally, it’s natural for an artist who is passionate about their newest project to feel excited about sharing their work.

However, showcasing too much can lead to burnout for the artist. They may feel pressured to produce new work in order to stay relevant. Ironically, artists who are worried about this may find it difficult to focus on their work. Think Cardi B showcasing her various collaborations with other rappers even as her fans keep asking her when she’s going to release a new album.

A sign of dilution is when the artist’s audience starts offering advice on how to avoid being distracted. That is an indicator that the artist has shifted to a relentless self-promotional agenda.

For the ordinary artist, sharing important announcements through friends or other third parties is ideal. The Prince and Princess of Wales use their Instagram and YouTube accounts sparingly. They share very short video clips of their projects and rely on mainstream/tabloid media to share the details. Artists can emulate this by creating a separate channel (or account) for showcasing promotional events like media interviews, collabs, and exhibits. On a more personal channel, frequent promotion could potentially alienate viewers and collectors and should be avoided.

Outro: Be Mysterious

There is a fine line between clever promotional ideas and appearing unprofessional. Hyperactivity diminishes uniqueness and relatability. Artists who neglect personal boundaries risk undermining the very qualities that make their work captivating. The best way to maintain intrigue is to leave room for interpretation. By doing this, artists can build a stronger connection with their audiences while protecting their unique vision.

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Andromeda art creative writing opinion science fiction technology women writing

Balancing artificial intelligence and human creativity

Intro: What AI does 

By now, you are aware that I am really into working with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. I use them for various creative projects. And that is why in this post, I want to dig deeper into what these tools can do for artists, musicians, and writers. 

To write my third novel, I thought I would need to live in Antarctica for a full summer season to experience the unique constraints of living on a remote island in the Southern Ocean. Instead of moving, I used the research on the harsh climate of Antarctica to create the world of the story.

For example, I designed skincare products and clothing for my main character. And after sketching the habitat on paper, I used ChatGPT to render a complete list of corporate partners and their products which would help run the habitat. You may have already seen the visual render of the habitat in a previous post. One tiny detail was that I generated a cleaning task roster after calculating the area of the corridors inside the habitat. It’s a tiny detail which helps events unfold later in the story.

I know that some of you are worried that AI tools will be used to create junk, steal your ideas, and print tons of bad copies. According to the nonprofit, Centre for AI Safety, “While AI has many beneficial applications, it can also be used to perpetuate bias, power autonomous weapons, promote misinformation, and conduct cyberattacks.”

People have been a threat to other people forever, and they won’t stop. The Centre has a free introductory course on machine learning safety. The course can help you understand and mitigate the risks of living in a world that relies more and more on artificial intelligence. However, my belief is that rather than focusing mainly on the risks, you can work to edge junk makers out of relevance by using machine learning software to test ideas. 

Artificial intelligence cannot replace the special feelings and experiences that make your creative projects truly unique. If you are willing to try, you can start by finding a balance. 

Exploring New Frontiers

AI tools are like having a brainy executive assistant who knows all the latest trends. As a fine artist, I appreciate that people will like trends, but I want to express myself in an authentic way. Therefore, I am reluctant to show any new work because I never know what people will like if it’s not on trend. Creating artwork takes lots of time and by the time I am ready to showcase my work, I have invested a lot of energy into creating it. If someone reacts negatively, I will feel that I have wasted a lot of time.  

That’s why I am happy to have access to tools like Bing Image Creator or Stable Diffusion. I can see what my ideas look like before investing the time in starting new projects. Then, to make sure that the artwork has personal relevance, I use it to tell a story. 

Humans have been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible since we crawled out of the sea. And we have been venturing into uncharted territories since we walked across continental ice bridges. My hope for the future is to keep working with emerging technologies to stay on the cutting edge of my craft.

Enhancing Creative Processes

It’s great having a creative assistant that’s always wide awake. On a good day, I will have two or three ideas for new stories, artwork or collaborations. By asking the software (Bard, Bing, ChatGPT) to summarise research articles, news stories, or other information, I can reject ideas faster. This would only feel like failure if I had spent hours writing or creating artwork that I never ended up publishing. I am sure that your “draft” and “private” folders tell a similar story.   

I have already rejected a dozen ideas for blog posts over the past two months. However, for quite a number of them, I went in the opposite direction of what was suggested by the software. My feelings, opinions, intuition, and writing style make a post uniquely mine. And usually, my analysis goes against what the software would suggest or even approve of. 

Machine learning tools aren’t friends or intimate partners. They don’t understand the nuance of passive aggression, nor can they appreciate the protective cover that pettiness provides. I can write subtext into a blog post to send signals to one group of readers while appearing to be neutral to another group. The difference is that now, it takes a shorter time to draft blog posts because I can use the analytical power of language learning models to process vast amounts of data.

Preserving the human touch 

While AI software can generate impressive content, it cannot replicate the essence of being human. Your thoughts, experiences, and emotions are what resonate with your audience. Sure, there will be people out there producing junk, but you can do things differently, and infuse your creations with your unique perspectives and feelings. In this way, you will ensure that the human touch remains at the heart of what you create with AI tools.

The ethos of adaptation 

Hopefully, as machine learning technologies continue to evolve, more creatives will enjoy a better balance between leisure and work. They will have a safe space to explore potential futures. If you’re a creative, it’s perfectly fine to blend your traditional style with new technologies. Take Prada, for example. They combine old-school clothing factories and skilled dressmakers with machine learning software to design and print fabrics. 

In other words, embracing new technologies doesn’t mean you have to change everything. Instead, you can use AI tools to amplify our creative projects. Look around at how businesses, creatives, and brands are embracing innovation, and let their openness inspire you to use advanced tools to amplify your creative ideas.

Outro: Let’s get creative  

The integration of AI tools into traditional creative fields is exciting. By seeking balance between AI and human expression, you can unlock its positive potential. As a creative companion, machine learning tools provide inspiration and enhance efficiency. However, the essence of your creativity lies in your thoughts and emotions which software can’t replicate.

Infuse your creations with your thoughts, opinions, and experiences and what you produce will resonate well with your audience. Embrace artificial intelligence while remaining authentic, and you will feel more confident as a creative. Do you feel that you can safely navigate this intersection? If you do, you will see that the fusion of machine learning software and human creativity is an opportunity, and not a threat. Enjoy it and continue creating impactful work.