Step-by-Step Tutorial: How To Create A Professional Artist Website (Industry-Approved)

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hello dear readers and subscribers, please use the following link to go to our tutorial starting point at Squarespace: squarespace.syuh.net/75a56A Consult the extensive written article on our platform for more information here: www.contemporaryartissue.com/how-to-create-a-professional-artist-website/ Or read our article on why we advise you to use Squarespace and to discover three other great alternatives: www.contemporaryartissue.com/4-best-website-builders-for-contemporary-artists/ If you would like to see more Squarespace tutorials or tutorials where we use other website builders such as Wix and WordPress to build your website, please let us know in the comments, and we'll get to work for you :-) Chat soon! Julien

[@RenegadePunk-f8w]

This is extremely informative and helpful, best resource I’ve come across on KZbin for artists. I would greatly appreciate if you created a tutorial on how new emerging artists can showcase their work via series or collection. Since I’m a photographer, it’s fairly common to create a collections of images as a cohesive series to showcase my work. I feel this example is difficult to have a photographic body of work with varying concepts being showcased. For me it makes sense to only have 1 series of selected images in the selected works tabs, however I have multiple series I’ve created of work I’m proud of. Would a gallery section for selected works be a better alternative to showcase the series

[@uniqdzign2]

This is an excellent tutorial on building an artists website. Also, as a retired professional graphic designer, I might add that using a 'san-serif' font that is clean and clear to read no matter what its size, is usually better than using a serif font like Times. (Your own 'CAI' font, being a good example.)

[@veronicavleck1704]

I cannot thank you enough for this, and your other, marvellous tutorials. I had absolutely no idea how to go about setting up an artists website for myself. Thanks to you, I have done one now, and all my friends think that it is marvellous. I am so grateful to you.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Veronica, that's wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to write these kind words; I appreciate it. Wishing you all the best!

[@leighnelson6083]

As someone who's a Digital Artist, I had my site on SS years ago. I actually switched to Shopify ( personality thinking it'll be better) first thing- it was more $$$. I live in Canada. So my yearly amount isn't cheap, but more $$ then SS. I actually love this video. So simple and I feel like you actually understand how we Artists think. I've saving this viideo and might actually switch back to SS -- and use this theme. Thank you for the simple, yet very understanding video.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there; thank you for watching the video and for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I tested all of the well-known web builders and am convinced that for what artists need, Squarespace is the best option, for sure. Other platforms can do the trick as well, but it goes so swiftly and efficiently wit the SS builder and they feel very fast and high-end as well. Wishing you all the best!

[@KrautartBerlin]

after an artist-coaching I created my artists' website exactly in the way you suggest. with the result that it was not found by the search engines. no wonder: no texts (or not enough at least). meanwhile I have detached my website from this corset. If a gallery is not interested in my art because it doesn't fit this rigid specifications, so be it. But now at least the search engines can find it - and thus interested buyers. I think in this century art resides online as well. and this includes a certain kind of creativity - like in any kind of exhibition - of which artists shouldn't be deprived.

[@contemporaryartissue]

If your website has the domain name of your name and surname, you will be the number one search result (depending on your name slightly) if they search your name-no matter how little text there is on your site. If you call your website "beautifulpaintings.com" and you want to rank for the search query "beautiful paintings" to have organic traffic, then your website is not designed to be an online portfolio and business card (what we are aiming for here) but than you are trying to build an online business about art instead of an artist business in the art world.

[@YogaBlissDance]

@@contemporaryartissue They are wanting to sell direct first and foremost and so perhaps they have "watercolor flowers" for example as there name and search key words. Not considered the best approach, but I think that is the only way to understand the issue they are having of "not being found" they are selling by style or like they paint dogs or pets or somehting that folks search for....

[@TheHungryworm]

This is invaluable, thank you - it is wonderful to have a website up in a few hours without getting sucked down various advertising rabbitholes.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Absolutely, no need to overcomplicate things, especially with an artist website-no need for webshops, email marketing funnels, or expensive software and automations. Have a great day and thank you for tuning in!

[@vsadeq]

I thank-you from the bottom of my heart. I did get lost in the middle of the video as my headings didn't always match yours. I also think if I watch it again perhaps I can do better. Things started going sideways when I deleted the content and added my own work. I am grateful there are people like you to try and educate me. Just not much good at it.

[@jonsalmon2352]

Fantastic It's difficult these days to create a simple, professional, and concise website. Thank you for the demonstration and the methodology behind the design.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you for your most kind words, the pleasure is all mine! Have a great day

[@DanielLopes-jt8yl]

Looked at Squarespace when first came out liked the look of it. Here now I’ve got 1200 sq ft w/12 ft ceilings ( live/work space 25 yrs) California living ain’t cheep- Jeez! Always pinching penny’s with commercial/residential zone lease, rent and supplies coming first. I’m in Benicia, CA it’s a art town. Here in the historic Arsenal a art colony of about 75-100 “Benicia Arsenal artist”.; Judy Chicago was here years ago, Robert Arneson (passed away) was born here and too had his studio, Manual Neri (passed away) also had a studio at the Arsenal before moving to a renovated church in town. So word of mouth works with build it they will come- open studios traffic helping. Will revisit and review Squarespace. Money, money, money! My goodness. Thank you CAI!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Daniel, thank you for tuning in. 12 ft ceilings sound great! Very interesting place to live and work. Squarespace is definitely worth its price-which is actually alright for such an easy-to-use website editor. With WordPress, you could be less expensive, but a lot harder to figure things out. I'll possibly create a video later on how to set up your website with other platforms, so stay tuned!

[@christelsharp227]

The information on 'curator' is priceless. Thank you for the top ten (10) curators of the world. The quick bios and inserted links helped define the profession of curator(s), percisely. Thank you very much.

[@contemporaryartissue]

That's wonderful to hear! The pleasure is all mine!

[@Gaunc3R]

Thank you, CAI. Your videos are insightful and enjoyable to watch. I, for one, would appreciate another video on setting up categories, specifically around the timestamp 25:12. Question: How should one label artwork for a private collection? What would the sting of info look like? Is there a common practice for obtaining collector names to display? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. Cheers JG

[@nobodyhereonehundred44000]

Wow , I'm happy you have time to listen to the word 🙏❤️🙏

[@dinorahrivas1799]

Thank you so very much for your help. You are excellent!! I've been struggling for long time to build my website and nobody explain the way you do it. So thanks full!! Really amazing !!

[@janeburan5580]

Love , love this site ,I learn so much It and David Dunlop is my relaxation go to and you have an amazing dog ,so precious.Thanks CAI!! 💯

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Jane, that's great to hear. Greetings from Perrier and myself from Belgium! 🙌

[@DanielLopes-jt8yl]

Wonderful yes looking further into your tutorial. Yes wonderful all explanations perfect and see squarespace’s tutorial in my e-mail- here you. I have been in there and now see you doing what I was practicing there. Yes so now will go back and easier to follow with you here. Going further into this where as before stopped as something came up and took me away. I see in show your work here. Yes wonderful, intent clear so as to allow a comfortable entry not being obtuse. Symbolism engages, connects to me in terms of my idea personally as to the subjects. Grabs. Lots of work speaks volumes. Some artist struggle at that I am one though I have moments of much activity. But you here wow same quality/constancy of vision as you described, put it. Yes drawing the foundation values can evoke spectacular and moving effects! Wish I could see them in person. Shame. Oh well. Again thank you for this tutorial man this is to cool, it really is! All this coming along at the right time. Glad CAI popped up on my UTube feed and that I clicked on it.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Daniel, thank you once again for your most kind words. Indeed, you can simply pause the video at anytime while in a different tab setting up your own website simultaneously. Happy to hear you enjoyed seeing some of my work. Stay in touch! All my best, Julien

[@fooku5508]

Good information. The CV for self taught artists is the 800 lb. guerrilla you ignore often. The absence of art school training, fine art degrees, exhibitions, and representation are impediments that even a perfect CAI compliant artist website cannot overcome the guerrilla. Still, your advice and recommendations are excellent and followed by me. Thank you. Seb

[@vjhreeves]

A similar challenge arises at the CV page for emerging artists. If you have never exhibited or won any awards, the lack of info on this page is very awkward.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi FOOK U; thank you for tuning in and for bringing up this topic. An almost empty artist's resume is not as worrying as one might think-we all started somewhere. We touched on this topic, albeit briefly, in our video on how to become a successful artist and what you should do if you do not have a lot of experience yet. But I believe we could and should dedicate a complete video and article on this topic in the foreseeable future, because there are a few strategies to work on your artist resume. E.g.: Open studio day or renting an exhibition space to improve your exhibition history, or gifting a work of art to the city collection where you live to improve your collections track record, ... To be continued!

[@contemporaryartissue]

@@vjhreeves Hi vjhreeves. Yes, this is very common question. We address it very briefly in our video on artist resumes and in our webinar on how to become a successful self-taught artist. However, as I mentioned to FOOK U, I believe we could and should dedicate a full article and video on this topic in the foreseeable future. So stay tuned :-)

[@vjhreeves]

@@contemporaryartissue yes, I did go back and watch the resume video. Good info, thank you!

[@contemporaryartissue]

@@vjhreeves That's great to hear! 🙌

[@liebingf]

YES !!! I def. would like to have some suggestions from you, how to organize the work by date or subject or else ... THANK YOU !

[@aprilbehnke9611]

Thank you! One thing that's consistent throughout is professional photography.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Absolutely, I agree 100%. Thank you for tuning in, April!

[@AliceShapiroStudio]

That would be great to categorize by projects. Cool art!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you 🙏 Yes, I believe another video in the foreseeable future could be useful to share various strategies to organize and categorize your works on your website. So stay tuned! Wishing you all the best!

[@MarthaGuevara-wl6dv]

Thank you! That was so professional my next step!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Excellent, go for it! 🙌💪

[@monicalopezpinzonart]

Thank you for taking the time to create this tutorial 👍🏻

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Monica, the pleasure is all mine! Thank you for tuning in

[@Kontorgh_art]

This is really helpful. I want to see how to categorize the selected works into projects.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Excellent, thank you for the feedback. Noted!

[@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442]

yes me too please! Is there a video tutorial on this?

[@contemporaryartissue]

@@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442 Excellent, will do!

[@mmallow6481]

Excellent video! Please create a video to show how to categorize the images. Thank You

[@jasonn7192]

Thankyou. I have a shopify site that I set-up but I hate it and have deleted it. I wanted something much more simplified and this is perfect 🙏🙏🙏

[@Lucidity59]

Thank you for posting, straight forward and easy to follow

[@carlobianchini64]

Thank you. Very useful, clear & concise.

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine!

[@ravenkushner]

FYI, if you already have Squarespace, you can't change the template. But I was able to make some adjustments based on your suggestions. Thank you.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you for adding this here! Wishing you all the best 💪

[@LinkSmosh]

Could you do a similar tutorial video for the other big name for website bulding which is Wordpress/ Elementor? Sadly can't seem to find any video concerning the same artistic style you display here for elementor with wordpress

[@avermontlife]

Thank you for showing us how to get to the style tool another way, as the site has changed somewhat. I do worry my customers will not be able to see such a tiny font, but I will try it this way because it does look more compact and clean. I would like to see a video on how to best organize fields of work in a professional manner, if one works in multiple mediums, such as ceramics, watercolor and sculpture.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, thank you for tuning in. We just published a video explaining how to categorize your works professionally so feel free to have a look!

[@bobjohnson-m4m]

Thank you for sharing this. Excellent source!

[@maggiececchin1532]

Thank you ... this is the inspiration/guidance I needed to move my domain name and webside to Squarespace. I am in the priocess of populating the gallery with the simple siide show ... as I have a diverse collection of works they would be so much better presented in series so I am hoping there will be a follow up video to guide this process.

[@contemporaryartissue]

That's great to hear. I will try to make a follow up video later this year. I'll do my very best! Have a great day

[@kin.ovi.]

@@contemporaryartissue Hey I would also really appreciate your advice on sharing work presented as collections / series.

[@spaceswithlight]

This is a great video and I’ve literally been following it to a T because I’m revamping my site to make it simple, as suggested. However, I do have a question: what about for video artists? For my homepage I was using stills, but what about selected works? Should it be Actual video or stills?

[@paulinaarchambault9115]

Your work is wonderful!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Paulina, thank you so much 🙏 I appreciate it!

[@creativehumanconcept]

Great work Julien, I was wondering about how to proceed for multidisciplinary artist. For example, I paint but also include video projections on the canvas, is it a good idea to include videos in an artist website? Thanks for all your contribution.

[@DominykaCiplyte]

Hi, thank you for sharing such important insights about the unwritten rules of the artworld and giving useful practical advices. I have finnished art academy but these subtle things were not taught. I am sorry if this question was posed before, but I am struggling with whether to share independent contemporary art projects and the commissioned/applicable art (like music videos or devotional art) on the same website. Should I have two separate websites for these things or is it okay to have a different page in the same website, since these works tell a lot about my esthetics and creative potential? Merci🌼

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, thank you for tuning in! Yes, art schools should try to cover these topics as well. Instead, artists often have to learn these things the hard way, potentially losing out on career-changing collaboration. If you aim to make a career as an artist with your independent art projects, then I would advise you to keep things separate. However, if you aim to make a career as an illustrator or artist working on commission, then you can include it. However, if you do so, this will jeopardize your chances for success in the gallery circuit. Hope this might help!

[@DominykaCiplyte]

@@contemporaryartissue makes sense. Thank you for giving your time and sharing your thoughts on that!

[@sophieliard-q1e]

Thank you for this video! Do youknow the cost of the hosting on squaspace after the first year? Can you keep the hosting on an other provider? Thank you!

[@KavionSabio]

I’m a film photographer & I wanted to know if this setup would apply to my work as well. I’m working on a large body of work in the fine art photography world & want to make sure I’m starting off on the professional “right foot”

[@mamakrazmgir]

hi, your tutorial was very good.. I have a question,,, I did all you told in this video, BUT I want to use grade: simple and have lightbox, but the caption does not go to the light box. How can I add caption to the light box?????

[@LuisQuinto-p8g]

thank you for your excellent work!

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine!

[@mohamedbangura6014]

Hi my dear thank you so much for your classes i benefit alot

[@DanielLopes-jt8yl]

I just received a 15 day trial offer by Squarespace. I am exploring the formatting and resulting set-up’s presentation/options. Missed the way to connect so to support CAI will look again for that. I still have 11 days to commit.

[@ewacroning3084]

Thank you for today! Much appreciated 🤩

[@contemporaryartissue]

The pleasure is all mine! Have a great day 🙌

[@ewacroning3084]

@@contemporaryartissue honestly so many useful information for all of as🙏😉

[@VarshaT1]

This is a great help, thanks for the video. Just one question: will this template be equally good for multiple forms of art, like paintings, prints, ceramics, etc?

[@casuallycarla]

Thank you for this video. Any thoughts on the website also becoming an eCommerce platform to sell original work? Is it best practice for purchasers to email the artist directly vs direct purchase from the site?

[@techscribe-tl9fy]

Great video , thank you ! What do you think about setting up the website so that people can pay on the website for the paintings, meaning, putting it in their cart and checking out on the website ? Is this ok or is it not recommended ?

[@ITcanB]

Your charcoal drawing are beautiful.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Thank you so much, I appreciate it 🙏

[@sophieliard-q1e]

Hi! Thank you for this video! Just a question: don't you insert your artist statement in your website?

[@zeinnerdepaula]

Great tools, great insights. Will use. Not personally a fan of how narrow a style it appears to be. Taking risks is part of being an artist. There could be less enforcement in your dialogue on this clean, straight and white type design. Regardless, as said above, great tools and great insights.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there; thank you for tuning in. When it comes to takings risks as an artist, I would say this is true in your studio when it comes to creating art. But beyond the studio walls, it can be an unnecessary risk if we want to get somewhere in the art world. Food for thought!

[@patriciozazzini8302]

Hi, excuse me Do You have a video explaining How to make the website linked to a landing page to collect an email list? and also how do we add a paying system like strype to the website ?

[@grozdavranic6972]

Thank you for sharing...Great information..

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Grozda, the pleasure is all mine! Thank you for tuning in 🙏

[@mijeongjee2153]

Hi, Can I make website with the tool on iPad, not computer? Thank you so much!

[@karenfreeman1156]

Wonderful tutorial! My name, surname is not available. What do you suggest? Add middle initial? Add “artist” or “fine art” after name and surname?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Karen, thank you for tuning in. The most professional alternative, in this case, is to add "studio" in front of it. studionamesurname.com or studiosurname.com, or studio-name-surname.com I hope this might be helpful and wish you all the best!

[@patriciozazzini8302]

hi, don't we need to have a form of payment to receive payments?How people buys the art online?

[@rd3735]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and information. I have some questions. What, in your opinion, are the best cameras for photgraphing paintings? How to photograph paintings correctly? Thank you.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi r d, thank you for tuning in. Great question. When it comes to taking installation views the quality is better with an actual camera. However, your phone does a terrific job already. So if you have an iPhone (or other brand) from the past five years, you can simply use your phone to document your work.

[@mikesamovarov4054]

I'd add: avoid having your work in high resolution, which could lead to people simply creating own prints for free. Use low resolution or photograph at different angles than perpendicular to your art (stand on the side instead of in front of it). Also, add watermark/branding to prevent theft. Hope it helps 🙂

[@giulias.5104]

Also, if you can borrow/buy a full-frame camera, it is like night or day comparing with the non professional ones. It will look better even if you lower the res after (or you can add watermarks). If you don't have two lights, photograph the painting with the early morning light, better reflected if you can through a white wall or panel, with lowest ASA/ISO as possible (100 or 200) and open lens. (It is not that complicated, ask for help for the settings if you need). 😊🙏

[@jmhatyoutube6283]

Thanks so much for the hands-on walk through! It doesn’t seem nearly as forbidding now. It’s probably too late for questions, but I have one: How is the address for the website you make forumulated? Is Square Space included in the URL?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, the pleasure is all mine. With Squarespace you can create your own domain name and it should look like this: www.namesurname.com Or when this isn't available anymore; www.studionamesurname.com Have a great day!

[@patriciozazzini8302]

hi, do we need to add a landing page to collect emails?also shouldn't we buy a domain first with an email?

[@Raul.Baltazar]

I cannot find this template: Falodu on my Squarespace template choices, what do I do?

[@HadassahJacobs]

Your advice is the best. I do have a question, what are your thoughts of selling your artwork online?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, thank you so much! Selling artwork online can be an alternative source of income but when doing it wrong it can harm your chances in the high-end art world. We briefly discuss this topic in our video on 20 ways how to make money as an artist. Feel free to give it a watch. Have a great day!

[@gs-rc3jz]

Thank you a lot for the great advice. Would you suggest the same minimalist approach for the website of a young painter wanting to focus on portrait commissions?

[@contemporaryartissue]

If your goal is to become a portrait painter looking for new commissions, you can take a different approach and include examples, a price range, or even some feedback from previous clients. This will however reduce your chances for gallery representation. Have a great day!

[@sherryleggett1612]

Why would we not want to enable sales on the site?

[@mollyduggan465]

best video EVER thank!!!!!!!

[@grozdavranic6972]

It is very professional...

[@contemporaryartissue]

Absolutely 🙌

[@carovision]

What is the best size for all my images?

[@royking7298]

QUESTION: Does squarespace websites work the same for everyone all over the world regardless of where it was created?

[@TheJaku.]

That room you are sitting in is brilliant. Strange thing to say i know but really its got such a clean dynamic and the Domino colour scheme with the brown picture is 🔥🔥😂😂😂 ...i feel like I can see any pictures i want or nothing all at the same time blank but clean but modern 😂

[@contemporaryartissue]

Love my office as well. The artwork on the wall is by Tonino Mattu-truly great artist! Thank you for tuning in 🙌

[@aidamarkiw]

What if under ‘selected works’ you needed categories like seascapes, portraits, landscapes,…etc?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Great question, and it possibly requires another tutorial. With Squarespace you can create these subcategories to categorize your work by medium/year/discipline/subject. To be continued!

[@mariannevandenheuvel-artist]

thank you for this video. It was a great help. I will check out your other video about the artist without resume as I am a 'transgender' in art as a former professional musician. Question: you mention a newsletter. What are your thoughts about creating a newsletter as an artist? Will it add something significant? Thank you and your lovely, though absent studio assistant:-))

[@carmelhill1462]

V helpful thanks. Could you name the site - name surname artist? Love your art work ❤

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Carmel, thank you for tuning in. I-Julien Delagrange-am the artist of the artworks on the Name Surname site. Happy to hear you've enjoyed them. Makes my day 🙏🙌

[@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442]

This video is GREAT! I am wondering, shall I start on my website following this tutorial now and then later add on the different categories (is that possible?) or is it better to wait for your tutorial on adding categories and set it up like that from the beginning? As in: is it possible to adjust the website later and add subcategories or will I have to start all over again? thanks so much!

[@contemporaryartissue]

Yes, an important question! You can set up your website following this tutorial and in our next tutorial we’ll take it from here. 🙂 see you then!

[@joeson7700]

Art industry as said , is an all CONSPIRATORIAL Act between Critics ,GALLERIST, Publicists ,Promoters...etc

[@Athgorahk]

Spoken like a true expert lol

[@emwyzy]

As a musical artist how can I create a website for my self

[@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442]

Me again with another question! Why exactly is it not necessary to have a "shop" on ones website? I did watch the other video on 20 ways how to make money as an artist. I am just wondering how people will know whats for sale, and also, i always find it a bit intimidating to have to ask about the price for something rather than seeing the price straight away. Or would a solution be to have the price showing along with the other artwork infos and for people to get in touch if they are interested? I guess I am trying to figure this out before I program the website as Ill need to know wether to include a shop or not.... thanks again for all your amazing knowledge you share!

[@contemporaryartissue]

First, a portfolio that looks like a shop-or is a shop-is pretty commercially oriented and thus frowned upon. Therefore, having a shop can be harmful to your pursuit of gallery representation and your overall appearance as an artist in the art world. Especially indiscrete pricing (even when priced correctly) is a problem, and the gallery will also fear that the clients that visit the gallery will try to buy directly via your shop. Working with a catalog with available works is the better option, and you should have a button on your portfolio page to request that catalog by email (this is how all the big artists and galleries are selling work). I'll be making a video on this topic as well in the foreseeable future!

[@aleksandramirjanacrossan4442]

@@contemporaryartissue amazing, thanks!!!

[@JessicaLaPrade]

@@contemporaryartissueI've been thoroughly searching the internet for this exact answer as I'm redesigning my website with the intent to appeal to galleries, and I've been wondering if it is frowned upon to sell prints or list pricing for my works. So thank you for providing the exact insight I was looking for. The option for an emailed catalog sounds professional. I just discovered your channel, and I look forward to seeing more of your videos!

[@MichelleKaufmanPaint]

What is your advice for multiple bodies of work. Thanks

[@contemporaryartissue]

I believe you mean how to categorize them on your website? You can have subcategories per medium, per series, or per year. Maybe we'll do a follow-up video in the foreseeable future to tackle this issue. Thank you for tuning in!

[@igaluitchannel6644]

Shouldn't some of these black and white monochromes have a frame to anchor them on the white background?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Not necessarily. I believe without borders, it looks more subtle and professional. Thank you for tuning in!

[@igaluitchannel6644]

@@contemporaryartissue OK. I'll try it.

[@Westairmed]

I like how streamlined it is but what if you are the artist and you do not have any galleries representing you? Where do you have your shop?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, thank you for tuning in! I would answer this question with another question, why do you need to have a shop in the first place? The art galleries who are sale focused don't have one either on their site. So why would the artist need to have one? Think of Lisson Gallery or Marian Goodman Gallery, galleries with millions of turnover every year, including a tremendous amount of online sales, without having a webshop for art (only an online shop for art books). The thing is, in the art world, sales happen by mail, requesting catalogues with available works. I am definitely considering to write an article and video on this topic in the foreseeable future for a more in-depth take on this topic. Hope this might be helpful!

[@magnuskarlsson8655]

Thank you, this is really helpful. Question: If you have a longer artist statement, and you feel it's pretentious to write a long essay on your own work, do you think it would be a good idea to write a kind of "interview-essay" where you basically interview yourself, and where you can - in a sophisticated yet conversational style - expand upon your work in the interview format? Also: Is it okay to have a category of "Press photos" where you have elegant, black and white photos of yourself? I know a lot of writers websites have this, since they don't want the media to use non-authorized images of them when journalists write articles about their work, etc. But I'm not sure if this is the norm on artists websites.

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Magnus, thank you for tuning in and a great question. We want to avoid sharing too much information on your bio/about/info page-it can be overwhelming or come across as too eager. However, an interview is always a great way to talk about your work and a pleasant read for the visitor/reader/gallery/collector. So the best way to offer this is by creating a pdf document of the interview and sharing a link to it on your texts page. My own website uses this strategy, and it works like a charm; juliendelagrange.com/texts/ I hope this might be helpful! When it comes to press photos, you could have one on your About page, but having a separate category with a lot of them is a bit strange, so I would try to avoid this. Wishing you all the best!

[@magnuskarlsson8655]

@@contemporaryartissue Thanks. That's helpful. Can I ask what platform you used to create your own website, It both does and does not look like the one in the video from squarespace?

[@contemporaryartissue]

@@magnuskarlsson8655 My website was created using WordPress via Bluehost and Elementor. Due to the steep learning curve and not being an all-in-one solution/website builder, I believe this is the third-best option overall. But of course, if you are familiar with Wordpress and setting up everything yourself, it can also be a great choice.

[@MetalkeksOne]

Very good video thanks I would appreciate if you can show us how we can make industry accepted instagram channels and posts

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi AronMan, terrific suggestion. I have written it down on my-rather lengthy-to do list with topics to create articles and videos. So hopefully we can tackle this topic in the foreseeable future! Thank you for tuning in

[@mikesamovarov4054]

None of social media pages will look professional. Best focus on actual creation of cohesive collection and your website design. Social media is for amateurs, obviously. Serious galleries and fine art buyers will NEVER look at your social media, it's for kids and "karens" 😂

[@reichhopprivatwatch1406]

do you think it makes sense to start with the local language of my country at the very beginning of things? or both, english and my local language? or only english, because most people, say the average belgian, will understand it without big troubles?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi there, excellent question. English is the main language almost anywhere in the art world. Especially if your country has a decent understanding of English, try to keep things simple and use it as the only language on your site. Hope this might help!

[@reichhopprivatwatch1406]

@@contemporaryartissue yes, it makes perfect sense. thank you very much!

[@mikesamovarov4054]

Determine which language your potential buyer speaks and use that language! Read books on sales and marketing basics, if you're not trained in sales and business. Or outsource website creation to a real professional, so it doesn't look like a child put it together.

[@reichhopprivatwatch1406]

@@mikesamovarov4054 i'm a trained typographer and graphic designer, so i had at least a very tiny stroke, when it says in the video "use times new roman". so this isn't my problem. but the marketing part sure is. thanks for your good answer!

[@neophytosjuliana]

Good morning Julian, would you consider helping me by undertaking to create my website as I find it difficult working with computers??!! Regards Juliana

[@liebingf]

Thanks a lot !

[@artistanilbkrishna7552]

thank you CAI

[@annaarty4656]

like why? why do you need a website that looks like this exactly?

[@avatar_tian9340]

Imagine they screenshot their original art works and they would recreate it by themselves...😂😂😂

[@55camille]

I already have a Squarespace website. Can I easily change it to this format?

[@contemporaryartissue]

Hi Camille, absolutely! You can simply clear your pages and create new ones to obtain our structure, then you can change the site styles to our settings, and to conclude, you can design the new pages following the instructions in this video. Go for it! Thank you for tuning in 🙏

[@mevlidasofic9131]

❤

[@guytiips3906]

Just used Instagram

[@contemporaryartissue]

That's great 🙌

[@mikesamovarov4054]

You're an amateur, obviously. Social media is NOT professional. Website is. You'll never be taken seriously in art circles if you have ZERO websites. Grow up already! Fine art is a luxury product. Do you think, Cartier or Dior only have IG? 😂

[@charlesphillips7731]

Waste of time.

[@manaloola2018]

Thank you for this!