Enter; Networking
- emily and the line
- Mar 5, 2019
- 7 min read
I began networking through Instagram, firstly I created my own art based Instagram account. I then searched the hashtags of work that I like such as #lineart #finelinerart. I then found fellow creatives with a similar stylisation as myself, ones I thought would be good influences in the further development of my personal voice. I then began to connect with these by liking and commenting on their pictures. Firstly, I bulk liked a lot of their photos, by selecting the ones that appeal to me most, it allowed to Instagram algorithm to find similar artworks to these to appear in my Instagram discover section, allowing me to find even more creatives who share a stylisation similar to my own. Bulk liking their photos also means they are more likely to click onto my page and see whether they wish to follow me back. I then follow them after liking lots of photos to show them I am interested and will to engage with their page. After doing so I often get follow back which is brilliant as I’ve then met someone with a very similar style as mine. This is important to me as it means I can look how they have taken this stylisation and applied it to win commissions and create products people want.
For example, I found Luke Dixon through Instagram, @thebearhugco. I feel his work is very similar to mine and he has made a very successful business out of this. By following his social media I can see how he develops his business through the means of his Instagram stories, often allowing insights to his development process and mock ups of work to come, posts in which I can see all of his new work and how he has made it relevant and up to date, and finally I can like and comment on his posts allowing him to notice my account. On Facebook for example, I engage with his content so much, I got the rank “top fan” in which there are only 37 of us from a following of over 14,000. Therefore I feel this will make this practitioner more likely to interact with me or offer me any opportunities as he knows I am really engaged with his work. Following him on Instagram and watching his Instagram stories has also opened up opportunities for myself as he was adverting some roles openings for in his screen printing workshop. Which, when I contacted him enquiring about a studio visit, I mentioned in my email I was interested in but am at University full time so asked whether he would consider a summer intern.
Luke Dixons Website
Luke Dixon's business's website
Dixon’s work, left, compared to mine, right. You can see we both have a strong interest in line detail.
Dixon is constantly engaging his audience by keeping his designs relevant to popular culture. Alongside doing this he is also tuning into a particular target audience, teens and young adults. Through incorporating characters from very popular and current TV shows such as Eleven from Stranger Things and Dwight from the Office, he creates a product people would love to wear and that is seen as “on trend”.
Eleven from Stranger Things print by Luke Dixon, Left, Dwight from 'The Office' printed Tee by Dixon, right.
Dixons work, alongside demonstrating how I could market my style also allows me to look at how I could possibly incorporate colour into my style. This is something I struggle with and therefore by following his work and watching his use of colour evolve allows me see various ways in which I could potentially try to do this within my own work.
Two of Dixons colour prints , a wolf, left and a bear complete with his branding, right.
In order to build a following when I post my images I used lots of hashtags that I feel are appropriate to my work. In order to do this I imagine the type of people that would be interested in this work. For example, when posting my drawing of a cat, I tagged things like #cutecats #cuteanimals to tune into a particular market. I also thought back to how I find illustrators I like, by searching hashtags describing my style, therefore I used these hashtags describing my work in order to allow like minded creatives to follow me. I also watching my notifications as like come in and click on the profiles of pages that have liked my page as many likes come from pages that don’t follow me, but have found me through the hashtags. I then look at all of these pages and see if any of their work appeals to me. If it does appeal to me, I will follow that page and most of the time they follow me back as we have a mutual interest in each other’s work. The same works for when they follow me, I will follow them back and like their posts if their style appeals to me.
My social media networking has allowed me several opportunities and I have made some good connections. I have been messaged by several big art account asking if I want my work featured on there pages. I even been messaged by a curator and my photos have been liked by the editor of the Wall Street Journal. This has not only helped my network and build my confidence but has also allowed me to build a potential client base of people who are interested in my work. It could also potentially set me up for collaborations with other arts as I have connected with many fellow creatives. These potential collaborations would allow me to create work with someone who potentially has a bigger following than me. Therefore, when both I and the other person share our work I could gain followers that would become potential clients.
Trying to find a practitioner
My search to find a practitioner for a studio visit began with me scrolling through my Instagram followers. I was using the logic that the practitioners that follow me will hopefully like my work so therefore would be open to meeting/ collaborating with me. Next I looked where they were based, as the majority of my followers are from America, Brazil and Greece. Therefore I checked whether it would be possible to visit them. I then looked at their style to see how much it would benefit me through visiting them. I contacted the remaining practitioners.
I chose two to contact first as I didn’t want to contact too many initially encase they got back to me and I had to turn people down. I started contacting the arts with the biggest following. I contacted Luke Dixon, Owner of the Bear Hug, who I had previously discussed. I also contacted Mark Powell, an artist who uses predominantly biro to create realistic portraits either on vintage papers and postcards or he then screen-prints them on vintage items. I have followed both of these artists for a while so therefore felt confident to include lots of personal comments about what I like about their work and how I feel this could further the development of my own personal style.
Once I had no response from either of these practitioners, which I wasn’t expecting as they are both very big in their discipline. I then decided to utilise our Manchester trip to find a practitioner to visit. I searched for arts based in Manchester and didn’t manage to find many people that way. I then decided as this tactic wasn’t working I would search another way. I searched for art studios and each studio had sections introducing their tenants. I found this a particularly fast wat to find artist I liked as many of these pages showed images of their work alongside their name. I found a couple I was interested in and chose to message Ian Morris, a Manchester based illustrator ranked in Vroom’s top 10 image makers in 2017. Instagram, @ianmorris_22. I messaged him through his website and got a reply a couple of hours later! He said I could visit his studio but he was away from his studio most of the day lecturing and wouldn’t return to his studio until 3. Sadly the coach was leaving Manchester at 4 and his studio was the other side of Manchester so I had to ask if he was able to facilitate this another day. Unfortunately, I did not hear back from him after this. I didn’t want to lose this opportunity so I thought I would message one final time. I have had no reply as of yet but believe there is still time.
Networking at my work
I work in a village pub, we have lots of regular customers that I know well and support my artwork and show a keen interest in my work. I have already done a commission for one of the regulars as a gift to his daughter. Thankfully, he aids my networking as he showed it off to all the other regulars and recommended they commission drawing from me as gifts to their families too.
This got me thinking about how I could market my work better being as I know lots of people through this job. After doing this commission, one of the landlords asked me if he could commission me to draw the participants of the 'live lounge' event he runs at the pub and said they would feature on the website which would gain more exposure for myself and possible some of the people I draw would like to buy the draws off me. I will continue to arrange this with him as I feel this is a great opportunity for me and good practise.
Another of the landlords approached me saying he would love some drawings of some of the regular characters to put on the walls, we agreed I would do this in return of my drawings being displaying in the pub and me being credited underneath with all my contact details. Alongside this he would feature my work on their website and social media platforms and link all of my social media platforms alongside this. I aim to get this done over summer if not before.
Action plan
1. Continue regularly updating and posting on my art social media account.
2. Maintain friends with arts I have met on Instagram, continue to like and comment on their photos to increase the likelihood of them agreeing to collaborations or sharing either others work in order to pool our fan bases.
3. Contact more practitioners to secure someone to interview, possibly old art technician from my 6th form that is a part time freelance illustrator.
4. Continue talks with the landlord at my pub job about doing artwork for the pub. Pursue previously discussed idea that I would draw all the regulars to have put on the wall in return for my name and contact details to be provide underneath my work on display and on the pubs website and social media. Enabling me to show the regular customers I serve my work hopefully growing my following and encouraging more commissions.
5. Ask the pub if they would like help in creating a media to advertise event/ redesigning website.
6. Suggest to the leaders of a group that regularly meets at the pub that I print and design their new t shirts I heard they were looking to get made.
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