Creating art is one thing, presenting yourself as an artist online is another. While you might think that your art is the only thing that matters, I’m afraid it’s not. “Looks” matter a lot these days, especially if you want to sell your work or pitch to galleries and magazines. That’s why I’ve put together these 6 tried-and-true tips on how to present yourself as an artist!
You felt a calling to be an artist, and you followed it. Now that you’ve been making art for a while and have built a strong body of work, you’re ready to take things to the next level.
So you're wondering how to present yourself as an artist—like in a more professional way.
And indeed, a professional artist presentation is important, for many reasons. It helps you:
- make a good first impression,
- build trust and credibility,
- showcase and sell your work,
- land exhibitions, grants, and residencies,
- stand out against the crowd.
To help you achieve those goals, I’ve put together this list of hands-on strategies for presenting yourself as an artist. They’re simple, effective, and proven to work. How do I know?
Because I am an artist myself—even a self-taught one with no fancy art school behind me that showed me me everything. Over the years, I’ve figured out what truly works for a strong artist presentation—and what doesn’t.
In this post, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned with you. So let’s get into it!
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How to present yourself as an artist?
Presenting yourself as an artist is about more than just sharing finished pieces. It is also about letting people know who you are, what you do, and how to connect with you.
You cannot do that through just one channel. A good online presentation means having a whole ecosystem to tell your story, showcase your art, promote and sell, build your audience, and connect you with people who can support you, like collectors, galleries, fans, and collaborators.
The sooner you start to work on your artist presentation, the better.
So, whether you’re an emerging artist or have been present in the art world for a while—here are some tried-and-true tips on how you show up as an artist online!
6 Tips on how to present yourself as an artist
STEP 1: Make a website for your art
First and foremost, you’ll need your own website. Why is that so crucial?
Well, imagine you discover a great product you consider buying. Naturally, you do a bit of research to learn more about the company and see what else they offer. Now imagine that company didn’t have a website—would you still feel confident buying their product? Probably not. ´\_(ツ)_/`
A website not only builds credibility and trust; it’s also your own space on the web—a place where you can present yourself as the artist and your work just the way you want.
No limitations on image dimensions or word count. No algorithms restricting your reach. No posts disappearing after a few hours.
For art buyers, galleries, and anyone else interested in your work, your website is often the first thing they’ll look for—and if they can’t find you online, they may simply move on.
Luckily, everyone can build a website today—without any coding skills or previous web design experience. Website builders like Squarespace and Pixpa come with premade templates for artists that you only need to fill with your own content—and your website is ready to go live!
For more a greater selection and more info on those website builders, read my post about the Best Website Hosting For Artists.
Once you’ve got your website up and running, here are some more tips on what to include:
You can also create an artist website with WordPress—which is admittedly more time consuming and requires more technical skills than the above website builders. However, WordPress also offers the greatest flexibility and scalability.
I’ve built my website with WordPress, too, and I have lots of free WordPress tutorials for you to learn from! ʕᴖᴥᴖʔ
STEP 2: Work on a cohesive portfolio
Experimenting with style and medium is totally fine, when you are starting out. After all, none of us is born a master and we all need to find our way in the art world. It’s even okay to learn from copying art.
However, once you’ve been at it for a couple of years, you might want to consider working on a cohesive portfolio. Why do I suggest that?
Well, having a body of work that is connected by a common theme, style, and medium has multiple advantages. Most importantly, people will recognize you as an artist when they recognize your unique voice. That’s how it works in the art scene.
If your portfolio jumps wildly from one style or subject to another with no clear connection, people will think that you’re still an amateur—they may wonder if you’re serious about your art and will hesitate to buy it.
A cohesive portfolio makes it easier to tell your story and convey what matters to you. It gives your work context and meaning—and that is what galleries, buyers, and curators look for!
STEP 3: Be present on social media
I agree, social media is a double-edged sword. You never know where it’s going. Algorithm changes happen overnight, restricting the reach you worked so hard for from one day to the other. On top of that, we’ve already seen entire social networks simply disappear. (>ᴗ<)
One thing is for sure: you should never rely on social media as the only channel to promote your art. You should always use it alongside your own website.
The best thing you can do is select two or three platforms that suit your work and personality (not every network feels right for introverted artists), and use those to present yourself as an artist to your social audience—and, most importantly, to send visitors over to your website.
There’s a myriad of social platforms out there. You don’t have to be on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook if you don’t like them. You can choose Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Bluesky instead.
For me, for example, Pinterest works very well. It’s a network that rewards your efforts and quality content with quick, noticeable results. I was able to make my art go viral on Pinterest in less than a year. (I’m using Tailwind to post on Pinterest.)
50 High-Conversion Pinterest Pin Templates
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I know that posting on social media regularly—even if it’s just on two or three platforms—can be extremely time-consuming. That’s time you’d probably rather spend creating new art!
To save that time, I recommend using a social media scheduler like Post Planner, ContentStudio, or Tailwind (for Pinterest) that will do the work for you.
Here are a few more posts to help you navigate different social platforms:
STEP 4: Build a newsletter / mailing list
A newsletter is more personal than any blog or social media post. Plus, it’s one of the most powerful ways to present yourself as an artist, sell your work, and grow genuine connections—all on your own terms.
Why? Because your mailing list belongs only to you! No algorithm, no middleman. Your messages land directly in your subscribers’ inbox!
And you can be sure that your subscribers are interested in your content—that’s why they signed up in the first place. A newsletter is perfect for sharing new works, studio updates, stories, behind-the-scenes peeks, or special offers—with exactly the people who care about what you do.
To build a mailing list, you’ll need an opt-in form where people can sign up. The best place for that form is your own website, but you can also include it in your Linktree or bio on social media. Some of the best email marketing platforms for artists are AWeber, MailerLite, and ConvertKit.
To encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter, I recommend offering a free incentive—a so-called lead magnet. In other words, the subscriber gets a free resource in exchange for their contact information—and you grow your email list.
To get ideas for what incentives work best for artists, you can download the free PDF with 40+ lead magnet ideas for artists!
STEP 5: Create a consistent artist brand
A consistent brand helps you build recognition in the art world—when people see your art, they know it’s yours.
Presenting yourself as an artist with consistent branding means using the same logo, profile picture, signature, fonts, and color palette across your online presence—as much as possible.
This makes you look professional and helps you become memorable. Whether it’s your website, portfolio, or newsletter—when everything feels unified, it signals to buyers, collectors, and galleries that you’re an artist who knows what they’re doing.
Plus, when you have a consistent look, it’s also easier for you to create posts, design marketing materials, or pitch to galleries—because you know exactly how you want to present yourself!
STEP 6: Forge a compelling artist statement & bio
If you’ve been thinking that your art speaks for itself—sorry, I have to disappoint you. As much as you believe that a work of art conveys your message, people will almost always want an interpretation from the artist. They want to know exactly what you and your work are about.
That’s why artists should explain their art, and publish their bio and an artist statement. People want context. A good statement and bio highlight your story, ideas, themes, materials, and what drives you to create. It’s about what makes you unique and sets you apart from other artists.
Just like a consistent branding, your statement and bio are key parts of how you present yourself as an artist—and how memorable you actually become to people.
When people feel they understand your art and your story, they’re more likely to take an interest, buy your work, ask for an interview, or invite you to exhibit.
Quick tip: Your bio should be short and third-person. It’s mainly for galleries, magazines, and collectors. Your statement, on the other hand, can be more personal and written in the first-person and in your own voice.
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I hope this post gave you some ideas for how to present yourself as an artist online. With what part do you struggle the most? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to sign up for my email list so you don’t miss out on new blog posts and other cool stuff. ♥
