Evidencing traditional promotional techniques for my publication
Flyer/poster:
Handout:
Business cards:
Press release:
This will be emailed to local media outlets.
Evidencing online promotion of my publication
Website and social media screen grabs:
Project specific website –
I have finally completed my project specific website. I am very happy with the layout and design of it! My portfolio looks very effective and I feel that it provides visual impact when contacting galleries and museums in regards to exhibiting work. I consider this website to be an integral part of my publication as it opens the door to a much wider, even international audience. My publication should be viewed as a combination of this new website, my exhibition and a book that will soon be completed and self published. Modern practicing artists appear to combine all three of these things when making a publication of a new body of work. Each one complements the other. It allows the artist to reach the maximum amount of people and allows an audience to view, absorb and even respond to the work in some way.
My project specific website http://www.conflictmemorylandscape.com
My artists website –
A slightly older website but still an effective marketing platform for my work. As a practising artist it is important to stay inspired. I feel that creating multiple bodies of work is an effective way to remain creative. As I worked towards the end of this course all my energies have focused on one body of work and other projects have been sidelined. It is still important to consider my other projects that I have started but not completed. I am very keen to expand on some of my older work in particular Camden Dreamers and Subculture, Identity and the English Landscape. Showing these quite different projects alongside each other on one website reveals to a wider audience how diverse my photographic work is and my willingness to explore artistic concepts that draw upon a multitude of influences. The idea of combining text and photographs to create a stronger narrative is a theme that I keep returning to and ultimately find rewarding. Jim Goldberg’s Rich & Poor, Alec Soth’s Niagara and Chloe Dewe Mathews’ Shot at Dawn have all been key influencers on my work.
Very recently I have been experimenting with older analogue images by cropping them more radically and removing colour. This ‘revisiting’ of older images is proving to be uplifting and enjoyable. One challenge that still keeps me awake at night is the best way of combing text with photographs. The book format does seem the logical path to take although the gallery context allows for a lot of experimentation with presentation. I will continue to expand my artists website and update my blog when possible. Online interation using a website and social media is essential for contemporary artists to promote their work and build a network of professional contacts in the industry.
My blog –
A blog is a very effective way to update followers of my new work or to promote events or new books. I have to admit rembering to update my blog is a bit of challenge sometimes. I find social media sites like Facebook or Instagram (which are really mini blogs) more accessible and bit more fun. My blog is an extension of my website so it should be easy for visitors to my website to click on the the link and find the latest updates on my blog.
http://www.kierenwelch.net/blog
IMag (Yumpu) online digital book presentation software –
IMag is a professional online digital flip page presentation platform. It effectively uses high resolution PDF copies of a book and transforms them into viewable digital flip page presentations. I did this so that I could make all of my books viewable online via my websites. It is also an excellent way for assessors to view my digital book. Another great feature of iMag is the online marketing opportunities. The books that I make using their software go into a vast online library of books which can be viewed on their website. I have only just created my first book and can see that over a hundred people have viewed it online already! Another great feature of the software is the ability to share my digital books on social media and embed them in my websites. It adds another visual element to my websites and makes a change from the standard slideshows.
https://www.yumpu.com/user/kierenwelch209799
Facebook –
Facebook still remains an important online platform for artists to stay in contact with peers, and build social networks with industry professionals like curators, book publishers and editors. Facebook allows you to make a business page where events can be created and promoted. I found this feature very good as it allowed me to instantly invite all my ‘friends’ on Facebook and advertise more widely to non friends. It is easy to see how effective your promotions are as it tracks visitor responses and the number of people reached. You can even view audience demographics though I’m not sure if I capitalised on that feature. I feel that Facebook is not as popular as it once was though. Because of this I regularly update my Instagram and Twitter accounts as well to reach as many people as possible using social media.
http://www.facebook.com/kierenwelchphoto/
Instagram –
Instagram is probably my favourite social media site. It focuses on imagery and short videos so it’s great for photographers and other visual artists. I can share Instagram posts to Facebook which saves me time. A feature I like about Instagram is that images you post can be seen by anyone, it’s not like Facebook where just friends or followers will see your new posts. Instagram is heavily used by artists and it is easy to quickly build up a network of likeminded peers. Curators, publishers, editors and other professionals in the industry regularly use Instagram so it is good way for emerging artists to show their work. A feature on the app allows you to add filters to pictures which I find a bit gimmicky but is fun if you are just uploading personal pictures. I regularly upload new pictures to Instagram and also use it to promote events and anything new I am working on.
http://www.instagram.com/kierenwelch/
Twitter –
Twitter has been around for a long time now but it is still very effective for self promotion. It is not as image friendly as Instagram or Facebook but it’s strength is in how you can tag words or phrases which then can become trends. I found it quite easy to build up a substantial amount of followers. I rarely post directly to twitter instead I normally share Facebook or Instagram posts. The hashtag is king here so it’s important to use it next to key words. You can also direct you comments directly to specific people by simply adding their profile name in the text (startin with @). Twitter is simple and effective. Most posts include a link which then open more detailed information, pictures or videos.
Kickstarter campaign –
I started my Kickstarter campaign as a way to get some money to help find with my publication. The knock on effect of promoting my Kickstarter online was that I ended up promoting my publication more widely as well. That includes on the OCA forums and OCA Facebook groups. This additional promotion led to some helpful feedback from fellow students. It also made me consider more carefully my artists statement and introduction which accompanies my work.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kierenwelchphoto/conflict-memory-and-landscape
Forum and chatroom screen grabs:
OCA chat rooms –
The OCA chat rooms are a good place to get feedback from peers and the occasional tutor. One student called Jennifer found my project particularly interesting! I found the interaction with her to be confidence building and it was nice to know some people found my body of work fascinating.
Facebook groups –
I am a member of two OCA Facebook groups: OCA Photography and OCA Level three students. I found that these two groups are quite active with lots of students posting and commenting on them. I have had some great feedback on these groups. It is my goto place when I’m a bit unsure of something and want to get the point of view from someone else at a similar level.
