The internet is one of the greatest tools for people of all walks of life. From shopping, to learning, to having fun and expanding the ways we are able to communicate with one another, the internet has made life much easier for many people. It has especially made it easier for artists to reach out to larger audiences.
Just as it was before the era of the internet, it is not enough for artists to have extensive skill. They also have to be able to promote their work and make a name for themselves if they want to get noticed by top bidders. However, the internet has made it very easy for artists to do just that.
Let’s look at some ways artists can use the internet to make them money.
Social Media
This is a perfect place to start as you already have a demographic of people who will be following you. Some artists set up separate Instagram accounts to showcase and sell their art and link those accounts to their personal ones. Using what you already have created is perfect if you aren’t sure where to start.
Craigslist
This is another great place for starting out with making money off of your art in the online world. Craigslist is great because it focuses on local areas. There are no shipping costs, your work can spread through word of mouth, and you can even gain a following of fans of your art and create a claim to fame locally.
Amazon and eBay
These are two of the largest e-commerce sites available. They are available in most countries and are two of the most widely used ecommerce platforms by artists. Do some digging around these sites, find what’s popular, find your niche, make your art, and sell it for a profit.
Etsy
Etsy is like Amazon and eBay except that it cater more towards homemade crafts. If you can make cute and cool knick knacks, you can also make good money selling them on Etsy.
Shopify
Merchants on Shopify make insane amounts of money by selling their art to consumers. Even if you aren’t an artist, you can use this site to be a curator and sell reproduced pieces by artists and make money together.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelance site where you can sign up to sell your services or artistic skills. Artists on Fiverr offer small, often custom, pieces for individuals willing to pay. These gigs start at $5, but you can set up side services for extra cash.
Bandcamp
This one is for the music artists. Musicians don’t need to be touring superstars signed to big record labels in order to make money off of their art. If you have access to good, quality recording, you can sell you music on Bandcamp to your fans.
Teaching Your Skills
Be the next Bob Ross and pass your skills onto the more inexperienced artists. There are tons of video-sharing websites, YouTube being the most popular, where you can film yourself giving lessons and upload them. People make money off their videos through the ads that play before them.
Being a good artist is one thing. But being good at your craft alone isn’t good enough anymore. Artists need to grow with the times in the age of the internet and use these tools to help them get out there in the most efficient way possible.