Why artists should have their own website

I’ll start off by saying my website is created through Faso and while I absolutely love them and highly recommend them, this blog post is about having your own website in general!

Back in the day I created my own website using Dream Weaver, a program for graphic designers. (I’m talking about a time when Macs were huge and candy colored!) Originally created for my illustration portfolio, my site eventually also showcased graphic design and my abstract art. It was so much work to design and I had to do some coding to be able to connect e-commerce. So many headaches and frustration.

Unfortunately when I decided to take a break from working to raise my young girls,  I just let it lapse. (I even lost my domain.. bangs head on wall). When I started painting and selling again I started off on Etsy because I had a shop there in the past, and it was relatively easy to set up. However, I quickly realized all of my marketing and social media efforts were simply pointing potential collectors to a giant market place where they can browse other people’s art!  Was I going to have Etsy on my business cards? Does that look professional? Now, I am not against joining online art marketplaces,  I do get organic sales from Etsy.  But … I don’t want to DEPEND on them.

Now that I have my own website up, it’s been a breeze updating it. When I have work in gallery shows, I can even keep the art up on my website and say “available through x gallery” with a link.  This is something I simply can’t do on Etsy (I just have to deactivate the listing!) I also pay lower fees than selling on other platforms. Another huge benefit to having a website is the ability to collect email addresses for a mailing list rather than only rely on followers of social media.  

In today’s online world it’s easy to have a website. There are so many options whether you hire a designer, use a builder like Square Space, or the art focused Faso service that I use for my own.   While social media is a free and easy way to get your art out there, what happens if Instagram shuts down? Crashes? Kicks you off? Or maybe Etsy does the same if you don’t follow their rules.  As  the old adage goes: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Having your own website gives you the full creative ownership of marketing YOUR unique brand.