We fine artists died a long time ago with the age of patrons and after cameras rolled in. Advertising and marketing has become the realm of the fine artist. Ask yourself two questions: “When was the last time you were without any sort of media? For how long?” Media, especially advertising, has made a home in our everyday lives to the extent that you and I don’t even notice it even when that annoying ad for shoes pops up in the middle of your world news. And yet, have you stopped to question who put that ad there or who organized those pictures of shoes and text? Neither did I, until I started to market my own art work.
Every company, even non-profits, need marketing staff. These are the people responsible for all the ads we see throughout the day. They design ads, run social media platforms, and develop marketing strategies to promote their respective businesses. In liberal America, both business and advertising have become dirty words, though in reality, even a liberal non-profit like Planned Parenthood has a marketing team.
It’s part of the way our business world works. This constant advertisement has also affected the art world. With so much being created, especially with the widespread use of cameras, it has become increasingly difficult for new artists to set themselves apart from the crowd.
The key for many artists has become social media including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. Artists not only need to be trained in their respective mediums but also need to be genius, hardworking, self-marketers. By the time many of the artists here at SLU graduate, they will most likely not only be trained artists but trained in the world of social media marketing.
So, what does this mean for these artists? Advertising and marketing have become the perfect fall back positions for many artists because by marketing their own art, artists have learned skills applicable to these positions. There is also a need for graphic design skills which also makes artists suitable for the task. It seems that the Mad Men era never ended; it simply morphed.
This advertising phenomenon attracting artists is not a new one. It is also not good or bad, but it is something that people should be aware of because marketing is something that most people will eventually encounter in their careers as it is needed everywhere.
If there are any artistic people reading this article who feel their degree is going to get them nowhere, think about this option. The artist today is not only trained in the arts but in technology and communication as well. By marketing your own art, you have gained experience that is valuable to many different organizations who all need the skills you have.