YRAC BLOGS

Okay, so you're an artist. You sing, you dance, you paint, you write. Now what? You do all these creative things, but you know there's got to be more to it than unloading paintings to family and friends at festive times, or singing in the shower. Need I go on?

There's always in the back of your mind, the urge to know what "outsiders" think of your talents. Once you pass that threshold your ego kicks in, but with questions. Where do you go? What do you do? How do you do it?

First thing's first - join a like-minded group and learn from them. Hone your skills, ask questions and don't let that ego bite you. Sooner or later you will realize that its not that easy, and not everyone shares your taste in your art form. Don't give in though, because that is the moment when you step it up.

You'll be invited to participate in showcases and exhibits. Keep an open mind and be proud of what you have accomplished. You're here to make the public aware of your existence. Any sales or commissions are merely ways to make you feel ecstatic. What? That's how you want to feel?

Now that you're feeling good about yourself, you succumb to your inner self and tell your friends about your sale on Facebook. Wow, now you realize that there is a bigger audience out there. The Internet.

So a new set of tools to get: a website, a weblog, already have Facebook, oh and Twitter. They pretty much round it out. So now what? You can't do it? You don't know how? This is the beginning of the rest of your "career" as an artist. Self-promotion has taken a giant leap since the dawning of social network marketing. If you know how to do it: good luck and enjoy the ride. If you don't, you have to make a decision to hire a professional. You need funds to make buyers know of your existence. This is the state the arts have gotten into.

For those who have made a profit using the Internet, do you still have the same passion to produce as you did when you started?