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Marketing always seems like such a dirty word when it comes in connection to art.
Why is that?
If we were in any other business besides the arts, probably we would have no problem at all marketing our work.
Whether you are an academic (and you market your research through publications - get acclaim and research offers or teaching positions) or a dentist, lawyer, factory owner, webmaster or butcher - you have to let people know that you are doing what you are doing in order to give them the option to by your work or enjoy your services.
a lot of us cringe at the thought of marketing ourselves and our work, thinking of it maybe, as a form of prostitution (that is a strong word now, but the only one that comes to mind)
So we end up being kind of artistic Rapunzels… waiting for the prince to find us in our tower.
(When I say a lot of us, I do include myself)
Thing is, there are very few princes and a whole lot of towers and if we really want to be doing our favorite thing, and eating as a result - it is probably, about time to pull our hair in from the window, pinned it up in a neat bun, and get around to letting the world know that we are making wonderful work for them to enjoy.
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Amanda,
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while than you’ve likely seen one of my posts about the use of Sex in marketing classical music. I started this year off with “Let’s start the year with a little sex-appeal.” Last year I had three or four posts on the sexy string quartets (mostly all female - but no exclusively) or seductive images for album covers by classical artists.
This type of marketing is nothing new. Pop musicians have been using sex sense the days of Elvis Presley and well before that! Classical music has just been typically more reserved - right? Wrong. There were riots in Paris when Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring was performed (partly because it was a dance done mostly in the nude and portrayed ritualistic sex) - a classical performance. And that’s just one example.
What has changed is the vast options available to artists (and marketing gurus) now. The internet is selling more classical music than ever before, breathing new life into an industry people thought was practically dead 20 years ago. Artists of all sorts can get seen and heard compliments of YouTube, gather a following and end up being famous without signing your soul to some devil record company or (s you put it) prostituting yourself to get a gig. Well… not literally.
However, what you do need to realize is YOU are your biggest fan at the present. IF you don’t believe your worth hearing, than how is someone else going to believe it? And if you do believe it, then you should be excited about getting out there and talking to people (over the internet as well as face to face).
I’m no shinning example. I’m not famous. What I am is determined to get heard (my music will be performed outside my own computer).
Bad news: There are hundreds of really good composers who are published, their pieces have been performed (at least some of them) and yet, we know nothing about them. This is entirely possible too. I may never be famous - and that’s ok. I write music because I love to write music. I want it to be heard because I think it’s worthy of bringing joy to other people too. But the goal (or me) is just to be heard.
Rapunzel wasn’t the one asking to let her hair down. She had to be asked. Don’t wait for someone to notice you. Get out there and make yourself worth being noticed. Scream out the window if you have to - the very act of believing in yourself will make the rest of the artistic passion seem more hopeful.
So True. I never did put much stock in princes :-). I don’t know about shouting out of the window, but I certainly have my hair in a neat bun, and my sleeves rolled up ready to do what it takes to make my art and share it to!