Social Media and the Art Community - 4/7/16

It's crazy how much social media has taken over our world. I watch older shows from my lifetime on Netflix, and in the 28 (almost 29) years I've been alive, so much with technology and society has changed, especially how they interact with each other. My first cell phone could probably be in a museum. Beepers are now fossils. I've been in Madison for 6 years now and in that time there were several years where I straight up did not want a smart phone. Now, it is almost considered strange not to have one.

Even though I am a part of a generation that embraces social media, and I've taken online seminars on it...I feel as though I still have a lot to learn. It's such a great marketing tool, and I'm learning that dismissing one platform for any reason is dismissing a potential voice for myself as an artist.

Anyways, one of the things I would like to focus on with my brand and social media is speaking for art as a community. Not only do I want to share my art, I wand to show what a large, creative world there is that we can all be a part of and benefit from each other. I want to see YOUR art.

I have two weekly campaigns that I participate in on social media (occasionally three), and here's what they are and how YOU can be a part of them!

#MonsterMonday

I started #MonsterMonday as a way to start up my idea of creating Emily's Monster Shop. I've always had a love of imagining strange creatures and I wanted to make it a regular part of my art-making. It started with a few sketches, and eventually I rediscovered my childhood love for Sculpey as well as revisiting an old medium (Prismacolors) that I find I have a knack for. This idea is still growing, and I plan on doing so much more with the shop beyond what there is. Of course, these things take time and I know I should at least count on myself to never stop creating. My goal is to make a monster every monday, even if it is a small sketch on a napkin--you never know what can come from your sketches. Above is an example of one of the very first Monday Monsters that I rendered digitally for this past Monday. See how a sketch can evolve? Who knows what's next for this little guy. Ideas are best utilized if at least sketched or written down. You never know when you might revisit that idea for something else later on.

How can you participate in #MonsterMonday? Draw or make your own monsters! I want to see them! OR you can suggest ideas of monsters to me on Twitter or the other platforms of social media my art is on (I'll list them at the end of this post). Just make sure you hashtag your questions, comments, or creations with #MonsterMonday so I can see them!

#SketchbookSaturday

Sticking somewhat with the idea of sketching, writing, and making a creative efforts on the daily, I decided to start #SketchbookSaturday this past weekend as a way to hold myself responsible for sketching at least once a week, and to share said sketches on Saturday. A lot of other artists have done this (I see #SketchbookSunday too) and it's really cool to tap/click the hashtag and see what other people have drawn. This topic of course is more generalized, and no media or subject matter is restricted--no rules, draw whatever you want! The main point of Sketchbook Saturdays is that you are creating something and making an effort. Doodle on a napkin, who cares. You can make time for it, and we all should.

How can you participate in #SketchbookSaturday? Sketch at least ONE thing once-a-week (you don't have to do it ON Saturday) and then share the image on Instagram (or Facebook, or Twitter) with the hashtag #SketchbookSaturday and we can all see what you made, and you can see all of our sketches as well. I don't know about other people, but sketchbook pages are one of my favorite things to see on instagram. If you love sketchbooks, check out the Sketchbook Project. Anyone can participate, and this awesome project is on my to-do list as well!
PS: If any of you are serious about the sketchbook project and want to work on it in-tandem, let me know! I'd consider it, and we can hold each other accountable for filling pages! (Let's not overload ourselves, though. That's a struggle I have as a creative)

#ThrowbackThursday

We all know about #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT as it is now famously-known. I decided to include this one on here because I've often used it to specifically share old artwork (and the occasional childhood photo....because, duh). It's interesting to go through photos of my old work and share it to laugh at, remember an old project I was fond of, and remember that we all start somewhere. I know there are warnings of sharing old work, especially in a portfolio...but it is quite harmless to give a friendly share and get a laugh out of what you once created. It's the same as sharing a photo of yourself in that horrible outfit in high school...we all start somewhere.

How can you participate in #ThrowbackThursday? It's simple, old photos or artwork tagged with #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT on Instagram or Social media. If you want to keep it specific like I do and share old artwork, awesome! I'd love to see it! I don't know if that needs to be more specific or not...*shrug*


Okay, here's my shameless plug for my social media accounts. You may realize that some of them are my name backwards as my name is not terribly uncommon in this country (and clearly, I live to confuse you all...kindding):

• FACEBOOK: facebook.com/emilybartosart 
• INSTAGRAM: @emily_bartos
• TWITTER: @ylime_sotrab
• SNAPCHAT: ylimesotrab

I share all my artwork, specials, and services on these to reach an audience. Warning: I recently used my Snapchat story to share my geeking out over making cold-brewed coffee...occasionally stuff like that will appear on there...#sorrynotsorry ;-)
So follow me, I'll try to follow you back, we'll have fun with it! If you don't feel like participating, at least you have a way to check out some awesome art from myself and others to help you pass the time!

I'll leave you with this #powerpuffyourself I did of myself....for whatever dumb reason. Whatever, I had fun with it. We all need goofy avatars of ourselves to put off doing things like...cleaning, right? ;-p