9 years....

2 min read

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RobertAtkins's avatar
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Man I just noticed I've been on deviant art for 9 years. Thats crazy. There was a while that I didnt post anything because it seemed to take page after page of category clarification just to post 1 piece of art. But in the last few years I really made up for it I guess. In that same amount of time I've accumulated over 100K page views. This seems pretty crazy to me, and I think more than half of those came in the last 2 years.

If it proves anything, it's just that much easier to connect online with other artists around the world, and to present your work how you see it. Im glad Deviant art is providing this service. Im sure they all get paid well for the service, but it's taken years of refining and I think they've pretty much nailed it. Im curious to see how this continues to grow in the years to come.

Also, it proves how you can use these tools and websites to promote your work in ways never before possible. I started a sketch blog last July, and in 6-7 months it's generated over 100K page views as well, created job opportunities for me, and sales to support my family. I hope more artists out there start to consider themselves their own small business and take the time to consider how they present their work. Find out who it's reaching, and how your art can support you. Let your art work for you, instead of laboring over your work and not having anything to show for it. That sounds all "pie in the sky" rhetoric, but I've taken the principle and actively thought how I can make the most of the artwork I produce year after year.

This isn't a How-To tutorial, just my thoughts. But if you take each drawing, or each project your working on with this concept in mind..."Does this work show what my full potential is?" and if so..."What am I doing to get people to see it?"...You'd be surprised at how much can come from what you produce.
© 2012 - 2024 RobertAtkins
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SheldonGoh's avatar
I always draw inspiration from you. Your postings and your dogged determination to do your daily sketches no matter what always inspire and amaze me. That story you shared on your blog (or in a journal) of you being on vacation and forgetting to post before you left, then drawing a sketch and using your hand scanner and the hotel wifi to get it posted WHILE ON VACATION is the kind of thing I'm talking about.

I'm struggling to get things going myself and things seem to be moving in fits and starts but it's a constant struggle. Thanks for pointing the way and showing it can be done.