In order to reach a broader audience with your art you need to successfully get it in front of people. Whether that is getting into galleries, getting your website to show up in Google searches, being a part of markets and juried shows, or getting your content featured on social media, you need to find a way to get people’s eyeballs focused on your creations. The question we all ask is how.

What to do

Well, one way to accomplish this is to simply ask. More often than not, a simple request is all it takes to get someone to recognize your work. Now, as an introvert myself, I fully understand that simply asking someone to feature your work, either in person or online, is more daunting than it sounds. The fear of rejection, the anticipation of waiting for their response, the potential awkwardness of the conversation, and, of course, the risk of them saying something negative about your work.

So, how do you get past that fear. Here are a couple of ways that I do it.

  1. Cast a wide net. If you only reach out to one person or organization to feature your work then you are going to be nervously waiting on that one response for hours, days, weeks, or more. Some places won’t get back at all. That means you’ll be nervously checking your emails or messages constantly looking for a response. Instead, put feelers out to many different people. This way you are more likely to get some feedback fairly quickly, taking away some of that anxiety of waiting for a response.
  2. Prepare yourself for rejection. It is important to have a positive attitude, but at the same time, it is important to be realistic. Not every gallery has space for your work, your work isn’t going to resinate with everyone, and some people are just generally negative. Remind yourself that one person’s opinion is not a reflection on who you are, and maybe the next person is going to have a more positive reaction to your work. Art is subjective.
  3. Be bold. This is not always easy. We can’t all just walk into a gallery and ask the person at the front desk, “How do I go about getting my work up here?”. It takes confidence, and like any skill, confidence is something that takes time to build up. If you can muster up the courage to be bold, the reward can be well worth getting out of your comfort zone. Start by reaching out to some artists that you truly respect and ask them for some feedback. Post your work in a Facebook group or a Reddit subreddit and read the feedback you get. Some of it may be hard to stomach, but a lot of it will be reassuring and uplifting.
  4. Find people to advocate for you. Friends, family members, and people you have met online. Ask them to share your stories, comment on your posts, favorite your reels, and suggest your work to curators on your behalf. Having a strong community backing you up is going to help build your credibility and your confidence.

Being an artist is a tough business and oftentimes, you have to push aside your fears and sell yourself to be successful. You want someone to advocate for you. Tag us @bz_furfur and we’ll gladly share your work. Keep pushing yourself and, as always, stay unique.