Visual artists get more reach by leading with personal stories and human struggles instead of talking about art directly. Starting with relatable values draws non-artist audiences, builds emotional connection, and drives higher engagement and sales.
Here's how artists can reach more people on social media. Stop talking about your art. So before you want to strangle me, here's what I mean. Let's take a quote, for example. Art is an act of courage, something one person does to create change in another. Now, because that quote leads with the word art and talks about what art is, who's going to be the most interested in something like that? Artists. I mean, it totally makes sense. But if we switch one thing, we can still talk about the art, but lead with the things that non-artists, people that maybe just love creativity or have similar values to you, would get drawn in by. Here's what I mean. I believe one of the most important things that I can do as a person is try to create change in another person. And this is one of my biggest values. And I also believe that great art does that. And you can see that a regular person that might watch this video on social media, and if that was the first sentence they heard, they would be interested in that because it's not just about art, it's about the human side of things. And while yes, you are an artist, you are also a human, and people relate to people. So start with the people things and then work your way down to the art. If you do this, I guarantee you will not only reach more non-artists, but you'll also get more engagement, because people are connecting to you as a person, the struggles that you have, the things that you're excited about, and you'll sell more work because they'll start to see how your values, how your stories align with the things that you make. And when their stories align with those things as well, your art takes on a whole new meaning.
