Your artist website is your portfolio these days. It’s usually the first place people go to get a full picture of you and your art.
They might initially find you on Instagram and scroll through the images there, but when their interest is piqued and they want to know more, they’ll click that almighty link in your bio.
Your website is the 1 piece of virtual real estate that you have 100% control over. You select what people see and define how they will navigate the experience.
Are you ready for them?
In this episode of The Art Biz, I have a very focused conversation with Jessica Burko about artist websites.
[ We’re focused on your professional presentation this season in Establish Yourself: Essentials for Artist Success ]
Jessica and I discuss:
- Her philosophy about artist websites.
- What artist websites should and should not include.
- How artist websites can be organized for a better viewer experience.
- How you can use Instagram and Pinterest to organize portfolios of work.
- Why one of your jobs is to educate people.
She says, “What gets people to be very interested in your work, to buy your work or hire you or show your work, and to really tell them the breadth of what you do and to show them all the different aspects of your arts career, your arts business, yourself as an artist” is your website. It’s a much more appropriate place to do that than Instagram.
💁🏼♀️My bonus tip before you listen is to check the footer on your website to see that it has the current copyright date in it. Some websites adjust automatically to a new year, but others do not. Make sure yours is current.
Listen
Mentioned
- The Art Biz ep. 95: What Your Failures Are Teaching You with Laura Petrovich-Cheney
- Carole Calo Gallery, Stonehill College
- Assets for Artists, MASS MoCA
- Analog Forever online photography magazine
- Photographic Resource Center (PRC), Cambridge, MA
Jessica Burko Quotes
“I once had a proposal arrive and it was handwritten in an orange marker. Unbelievable.”
“There is so much overlap [in the variety of work I do]. It all interrelates and feeds me creatively.”
“I think a lot of artists now more than ever think their Instagram feed is their website.”
“You control the narrative [on your website].”
“It’s so much about how you present yourself. People who you are approaching for any kind of opportunity need to know they’re working with someone they can work with. They want to work with someone professional.”
“[Website visitors] get to know the artist, they get to know the context for the work, and they get to know the techniques that the artists are using, which also all those things put together adds value and adds interest.”
“You have to get more bold in talking about your work and being really positive and excited about it because that’s how the person you’re talking to will get positive and excited about it.”
About My Guest
Jessica Burko has been an exhibiting artist since 1985. She is originally from Philadelphia and currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Burko holds a BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA in Imaging Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology.
In addition to being a practicing artist, Burko is the Creative Director at the Photographic Resource Center in Cambridge, MA. Her work in the arts community supports artists through lectures, workshops, and partnerships with organizations such as ArtsWorcester, MA, Mass MoCA’s Assets for Artists Program, North Adams, MA, and the South Shore Arts Center, Cohasset, MA.
Follow her on Instagram @jessicaburko
Watch
Prefer video to audio? Check out our conversation here.
2 thoughts on “The Art Biz ep. 174: Presenting Yourself Professionally on Your Artist Website with Jessica Burko”
Thanks Alyson, for this excellent pod cast. Jessica shared so much wonderful information about website structure and content. I will certainly be reviewing my site and incorporating some of her suggestions.
I am so glad we got connected through Art Biz Success!
Mary: So happy you found this helpful and that you’re with us at Art Biz Success. Jessica is an inspiration!