This article  is by Moshe Mikanovsky, Regular contributing writer for FineArtViews.  An emerging artist searching his way in the art world, he loves to share what he learns.  With over 20 years of technology experience, Moshe combines his technological background and his passion for the arts with the goal of "working his dream".  You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here.

Once I covered the reasons why emerging and professional artists should join a local artists groups, and mentioned so many times the opportunities you will find, here is an idea that I have implemented with one of the groups I belong to - and planning to start with the other. There is a bit of a work involved, but there are benefits as well, which I will list below.

The idea is simple – create and manage a blog for your artists’ group.

A lot has been written about the benefits of writing an art blog but many times it is difficult to come up with new material to write about. And the fluid and dynamic lives we live as creative people tend sometime to send us different directions, something which does not help our blog to be focused and consistent. But what if you had a constant source of ideas to write about, with a goal and a defined focus? That is where the artists’ group comes into the picture.

Here are the things I write about one of the groups I belong to, and these are used as Categories as well as the blog’s main menu:

• Art shows – invitations to all art shows that the group’s members are taking part in. The invite must include the location, date and time. But it usually also includes an image of the evite, a link to the participating artist’s website, and some links to other related articles about the artist and the show.

• Courses and Seminars – details about courses and seminars that our members are teaching, again helping spread the word out there, helping your peer artists promoting their events.

• From our artists – news from the group or the artists, like interesting event we had, a book one of the artists published, congratulations for award won, etc.

• In the media – articles from the media or video clips about the group or about one of our members. Even if the article is not from an official media outlet, but one you write yourself about any of the artists in the group, this can still be part of media coverage.

In addition, the blog’s blogroll include links to all members’ websites – if they have one, that is.

The nice thing is that once I told all the members that I am looking for their news and show invites, I receive them in the mail on a regular basis. So I don’t have to look for material for the blog. The material comes to me.

In addition to a focused and consistent blog, some of the other advantages in building such a blog are:

• Experience and practice in building and maintaining a blog. See firsthand what it means for you. Do you have the skills required or do you need to learn some of them? Do you have the time required to spend in maintaining a blog? Or maybe, this blog will be your only blog out there, replacing the need for your own personal blog?

• Getting to know your group’s members. It can take some long time to know everyone in the group.  Tthis is one great way to put yourself out there and then get to know your fellow artists.
  
  
• Use your name in the posts. My name appears in all the posts as the author. This is another place where my name appears online, helping my SEO efforts.

• Opportunities generator. After all I wrote about the opportunities you can find via your artists’ group, this is just another one. Through searches people will find the blog. And through the blog, people will contact you with opportunities.

• Giving back. The group is a place to give and get. This can be one way for you to give back to the group. Whether you do it as a volunteer or you arrange some agreement with the group for some type of compensation, you giving back to the group will take you farther than you expected.

There are other things that could be written in the blog – such as group’s announcements, members’ bios, articles and instructional posts written by the members, members’ art gallery and much more. You can also join the efforts with other members, sharing in writing and maintaining the site.

I am telling you all of this from my own experience. And I know it works. It does require commitment and patience, but in the long run, the rewards surmount the efforts. You can see the blog I am writing for the Israeli Artists Group of Toronto and see what I am talking about.

Do you manage such a blog? What are you writing about in your art group?

Cheers

Moshe