Creative Commentary: Utilizing Social Media for your Creative Career - 6/9/16

Hello Creatives!

With the boom of social media making such an impact in our everyday culture and society, one can imagine how it could be a potentially useful tool for anyone with a creative career. In fact, I recently began working for an agency that does just that by marketing and managing businesses through social spaces.

Before this new beginning in my professional career, I looked to social media as a vehicle for marketing and engaging an audience with my own brand. I had to learn rules and strategies across multiple platforms and apps to work to my advantage to get me business and brand recognition. With this industry constantly growing and changing, I'm still learning and will continue to do so.

 Social Media strategies are different for everyone. For instance, a writer may not have as much of an advantage using Instagram for their business as a visual artist would. For musicians there is Sound Cloud, for videographers Vine might be preferable. It really depends on what kind of business you are, or if you are independent, and what your structure is.

I manage two brands with my boyfriend, Tobias. One of them is my own brand: Emily Bartos and the other is a collaboration between he and I called The Singular Fortean Society. While both are creative businesses/communities--they are very different and therefore have to be managed in social spaces very differently. I also try to have these partnered brands overlap wherever necessary to form a connection (especially because they are owned by the same people). I am going to attempt to describe how I manage these brands on social media in this post on the four apps we use the most as well as some quick go-to strategies for marketing on these platforms.

 

The Social Media Calendar

Developing a social media calendar is something I started doing recently within the last two months and it has been going very well so far. It helps to keep things organized and know what content you are going to put out there. For instance, I blog for Emily Bartos 5 days a week Monday-Friday and keep the weekends for free time. I try to schedule things for every social media platform that we use so we aren't coming up with things on-the-fly in a time crunch and I hate the feeling like I have to be tied to my phone and posting things constantly. The blog breakdown is as follows:

1. Mondays: #MonsterMonday - I produce a digital illustration of a monster to be shared and blogged about with Singular Fortean and Emily Bartos. Singular Fortean also has a "Monster of the Month" so I stick to that theme. On Singular Fortean, we focus on information about the monster whereas on my creative blog I talk about the artistic side of it.
2. Tuesdays: #BoudoirBlog - Since I specialize in Boudoir Photography, I reserve this day for posts about boudoir photography whether it be featured sessions, client resources, event information, question and answer, philosophy, and more. Since I only photograph Boudoir on a very part-time basis, this keeps related content out there that builds momentum and engagement for my services.
3. Wednesdays: #AskEmilytheArtist - Unfortunately, this has been the least successful campaign on my blog. I started it for a few reasons: to engage and communicate with an audience, to use my brand as a vessel for focusing on the art community in our society, to utilize Twitter and SnapChat more (Facebook and Instagram get the most engagement and followers), and to also because I genuinely want to talk to my followers. As a person and business owner, I am very open and happy to talk about anything. I've discovered that getting your audience to interact is very difficult, and honestly, I've been asking close friends to ask these questions to get this campaign started. We'll see where it goes, but I haven't given up on this yet.
4. Thursdays: Creative Commentary - This is what this post is. It's all about being a creative in terms of lifestyle, career, freelancer, and so on.
5. Fridays : Freestyle - I blog about whatever I want. I usually pre-write all my blogs before the week begins so they're ready to go and I can just post them as they are scheduled. Because this day is reserved for whatever content I want, I'll often have an idea and then write about it randomly. This includes shoot features, personal posts, projects I've been working on, etc. There are usually a few drafts of these ready to go.

 

Instagram

Now, as a visual artist, Instagram is my favorite. I'm addicted, I think it's the best, but that may not be the fact for you. The Singular Fortean Society is both visual and heavy in text, so that brand does not get much of an audience from Instagram like my personal brand does. In addition, the Singular Fortean brand is in a VERY specific niche. I'm working on a schedule with common daily hashtags with both brands to gain followers, an audience, and brand awareness. According to the metrics, both brands do not gain much direct website traffic through instagram, but in terms of engaging an audience--it works very well. I may get a direct message on this app, but then I can usually get them to my website from there. Aside from getting people to our website, Instagram is great for getting people familarized and connected to our brands. I post on @emily_bartos several times a day, but with @singularfortean, my goal is one post a day Monday-Friday, as well as Sunday. Here's the current schedule I use for posting on instagram as @singularfortean:

1. Monday: #MonsterMonday - This brand overlaps with the @emily_bartos brand. I make a monster and this is posted on both accounts.
2. Tuesday - I try to share imagery of the paranormal in popular culture and society. For instance, we found a brand of barley wine called Bigfoot, so I shared a picture of that.
3. Wednesday: #ForteanPhotography - Toby lets me write on the blog! I examine photographs of the paranormal and use my expertise in photography to determine if they are a hoax, explainable, or unexplainable. 
4. Thursday: #TBT - I share all the famous old images of paranormal cases such as the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot footage, the Surgeon's Photo of the Loch Ness Monster, etc.
5. Friday: #FridayFreestyle: I make sure to at least come up with some silly "Hello weekend" or "TGIF" graphic wishing our followers a great weekend.
6. Saturday - I take these days off from posting unless we are doing an investigation and I share photos as we go about those adventures.
7. Sunday: #Sunday Funday - We find a cartoon having to do with the paranormal, and try to keep it themed with the Monster of the Month if we can! It's a nice, easy lighthearted blog entry and post that keeps things fun and then we go enjoy the rest of your weekend.

With Instagram and twitter, it is usually in your best interest to learn trending topics as per day of the week. This blog post had some great examples, and you can learn them and study them and figure out how they best apply to your brand. As you post a hashtag to the caption on instagram, the app will autofill options for that hashtag and it even shows how many posts are tagged with it. If the tag you use is flexible, it might be best to select the option that gives you the most traffic.

Twitter

Aside from Facebook, Twitter is probably the most flexible platform. Any brand can work with it. You can type whatever you want with 140 characters (you do get less if you attach a photo, though). Twitter is very news-heavy and very fast-paced. It's a great way to share little bits of information, but if you want to use it to your advantage it is best to keep up on it. How do we use it?

• Sharing links: If a new blog post or event is up, we link the post and send it out to our followers. It's a quick and easy way to reach out to people and make your content accessible. I try to link our websites as much as possible as our goal is to get as many people there as possible.
• Retweeting: There is an option that lets you share and post another user's tweet to your own feed. It's very similar to sharing on Facebook as the post is not original to you. I often retweet any art-related posts I feel fit with my brand and my voice, especially if I feel my followers may find the content interesting. Toby runs the @singularfortean Twitter, and he always retweets the latest in paranormal news. Also, in following related accounts, he has a constant feed of news that he can research and write about.
• @Reply: An @Reply is when you tag a user in a post. An example of this might be @ylimesotrab: Please check out @singularfortean at www.singularfortean.com or vice versa. This tweet would tag @singularfortean for reasons of communication, credit, and connecting others. These also work with direct public communication. For instance, I could tweet: @singularfortean How are you today? and he could reply: I'm great, @ylimesotrab! How are you? Dumb examples, but you get the picture.
• Connect to other apps: I linked my Twitter account to my Instagram account so I can kill two birds with one stone and have the content posted to both. You can usually do this on any app, and the interfaces make it easy to post everywhere from one app.

Like blogging, I found the best way to not feel like I am constantly tweeting is to pre-write and schedule tweets. Actually, this is how the account managers handle their clients' accounts at the agency I work at. As an example, Toby has knowledge of several greats in the Fortean field and will share their quotes when he can't think of anything to tweet. I personally will tweet addressing my audience asking them to interact with me and checking in with how they are doing. If you want to open the doors to communication, Twitter is one of the best ways.

SnapChat

Of all my apps, this is the one that I have deleted and redownloaded out of annoyance the most. I initially dismissed this app as something for people to send "dumb selfies" on. Recently, I've discovered it is a really fun tool for both of our brands! We use it for Singular Fortean to share live photos and video as we investigate. It's a really cool way for followers to watch and come with us when they watch our SnapChat story. With my personal brand, I show things like unboxing orders, turning the camera on myself to talk about what's going on with projects and events, and behind the scenes of photoshoots and my creative work. 

Facebook

This is easily the most complex and most useful form of social media. It is also more prominent than any other app out there, but that goes without saying. I will give a brief overview of how to use it, but there may have to be a part 2 to this blog to talk about paid reaches and Facebook's ever-changing content share algorithm. How can you use Facebook for your business? I cannot even begin to count the ways:

• Pages: You can make your own page for your business. It lets you share content, advertise, communicate with an audience, market yourself....it's easily how I've gotten most of my business referrals. If you are a creative looking to promote yourself, having a Facebook page is almost a must.
• Groups: Facebook lets you create forum communities! I recently made one for prospective boudoir clients to communicate with each other, ask questions, share resources, etc. You can find various communities based on interests and careers as well. These present great networking opportunities.
• Marketplace: You can sell stuff on Facebook! It'll connect you with friends of friends and make it easy for people to find what you're selling.
• Events: Facebook has its own amazing events calendar that you can create events for and invite people to them. It sends out reminders closer to the day so people can remember that it is happening.

 

Quick Hacks 

Dead air on a social media feed is not good for your business. This world is buzzing and in order to keep your audience engaged, you have to post regularly. The average lifespan of a facebook post is 3 hours. It's possible to have a block on what material to share with your followers.

One thing I do is search my own news feed for relevant content to share on my page. I see a post with a unicorn, I like it and it fits with my brand. I post it to my page to keep up with the momentum of the activity on social. People respond well to user generated content (UGC) because they can relate to it and find it more approachable to interact with.

I also try to think of imagery that would make good clickbait. If I post photos on a blog from a hike with the dog, I will certainly have the link image be of the dog because he is adorable and people are more likely to click on a cute puppy than trees or whatever else. Since I also share sneak peeks of client images, I pay attention to the analytics to figure out which ones people "liked" the most and then use those photos on ads and blogs.

Social media is crazy and out there making an insane impact...we can use this to our advantage! I could write a whole series on social media in this blog (and I probably will) and there are things about it that I haven't even discovered yet. It's a whole (social) world out there, and as it changes and grows with other things on this planet I am going to do whatever it takes to study the technology to keep my brand current and accessible. You should, too!

Thanks for bearing with me through this beastly blog post,

xx emily

Don't forget to follow us!

Emily Bartos

• Facebook: /emilybartosart
• Twitter: @ylime_sotrab
• SnapChat: @ylimesotrab
• Instagram: @emily_bartos

The Singular Fortean Society:

• Facebook: /singularfortean
• Twitter: @singularfortean
• SnapChat: @singularfortean
• Instagram: @singularfortean

#AskEmilytheArtist, Questions from 5/25/16 - 6/1/16

Happy Hump Day!

As long as I get one question a week, I'm going to keep blogging #AskEmilytheArtist! These questions have been super fun to answer and write about so far, and it's always fun to see what you all come up with! This past week, I had my first SnapChat question!

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a maker?

A: There are SO MANY things I like about being a maker. I would have to say that what encapsulates the overall picture of my creative career and creative lifestyle is the fact that in being a maker, I have an imagination that keeps things interesting and allows me to create more possibilities. I never have to do the same thing all the time as new ideas and inspirations come and go. The world seems bigger, more beautiful, more interesting, and magical when you can think of things that are there past what you see in your field of vision. This was a great question, Lauren! Thank you for asking that!


See YOU and your questions NEXT WEEK!

xx emily

#AskEmilytheArtist, Questions from 5/18/16 - 5/25/16

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I've only been at this Q&A thing for two weeks now, but I'm not getting many questions. I expected that, but maybe I should come up with another thing for Wednesdays until I get more questions. I'll consider trying #AskEmilytheArtist for a couple more weeks, but I'm really curious about what you guys want to see from me and my brand. I'm an open book, so please comment here or send me a message on any social media platform if you have any ideas. If you guys like these Q&A's, say so! I'm all about what you guys would like from me as well as keeping a platform of the art community.

I only had one question last week, but it was a fun one!

@ylime_sotrab #AskEmilytheArtist What is your favorite art medium? To view, and to create?

— Clarissa Rodriguez (@clarissarod) May 18, 2016

 Thanks @clarissarod, this is a fun question!  In a way, it's almost like that infamous"What's your favorite movie?" question that is hard to answer because there are so many great movies.

My favorite medium to view is probably painting as there are so many classics from so many masters and getting to see the texture and the paint in real-life, right in front of your eyes is a humbling experience for me. There's so many layers to a painting and it's interesting to think about the materials, the hours, and everything else behind its creation.

As far as creating goes, this is a hard question. I love drawing and painting of course, but I'd probably have to say photography. It's kind of crazy that humans found a way to capture moments instantly. Otherwise, all we'd have are our own memories. The fact that we can immortalize moments in our lives and look back is really awesome. I also love this medium for finding beauty in the everyday. You can paint whatever you want, but can you photograph whatever you want? It's a fun challenge for me.

Thanks for the question! Can't wait for next week, and please let me know if there's something you'd like to read about on the blog or see on all your news feeds. If you have something you'd like to ask, please take to Twitter or SnapChat today and ask me a question to see on next week's blog!

xx emily

Boudoir Unicorn: Boudoir Shoot Flight Plan - 4/25/16

Hello Lovely Unicorns!

So....you've booked a boudoir shoot. You've never done this before. What can you expect? What do you do besides show up and get your pictures taken? Well, I've designed a little guide here to help!
I've written this specific to my Boudoir shoots and the clients that have already booked, but I think that this post will be a great for any prospective clients who are interested in getting a boudoir shoot done with me or another artist. You can never be too prepared!

FAQ....

Here are a few repeat questions I've gotten from clients everytime I've done Boudoir shoots. I'm always happy to answer them, but naturally I'll list a few here for convenience, and as always...if YOU have any questions, just ask! :-)

Do you provide a wardrobe, or do you provide one for us?
Our unicorns dress themselves!
Other photographers may provide wardrobes if they've accumulated a collection, but personally I do not provide anything. Women come in all different shapes and sizes, and keeping your shoot personalized with your style right from your own wardrobe! Some ladies choose to go lingerie shopping for their shoot to treat themselves to something new and pretty, but if you have a budget to keep in mind, I am sure that you have more than enough clothing to work with. We will get into specifics later!

Do you provide digital files?
Usually not, but occasionally I do. As a photographer, I choose to not offer digital files with sessions. I always outline this in all my contracts and emails, but they are always available for purchase. If I include them, it is for a special reason such as a booking incentive, and that will be outlined.

How long does it take to edit a boudoir session?
If I'm editing a Boudoir Day, it can take a few weeks to a month. I always outline this on the individual session contracts. If you have a special request, let me know!

 How many files do you deliver?
Boudoir Day shoots are usually culled to an edit of 15-30 images. Quality over quantity!

How long will this take?
Boudoir sessions typically take 30 minutes to an hour. You'd be surprised with how many shots we get in such a short amount of time! Normal on-location portrait shoots typically take longer because you have to move around from location-to-location!

I bet you didn't know...

You don't need to worry about self-confidence for this shoot! IT IS OKAY TO BE NERVOUS!
You could be second-guessing yourself, shaking, or crying...WE'VE GOT YOU, GIRL! We're here to make you feel gorgeous and look amazing. Just be yourself, and let us do all the hard work! It's natural to feel a certain reluctance in bearing skin. Most of us don't walk around like this everyday, and it's okay to feel vulnerable. I've never had an experience where a client didn't eventually loosen up, relax, and have fun!

If you're doing this as a gift to a signifigant other, don't forget yourself!
This is SO IMPORTANT. This is why we try to pamper the living daylight out of you at these sessions! Besides, your loved one adores you and wants you to see yourself through the same lens. They see amazing things in you, and if you have the same mindset...it'll show even more in the photographs.

In the end, it doesn't matter how much skin you bear.
Boudoir is not just sexy photography. Boudoir is about the experience. If you are just interested in dancing around in a sundress, that's more thank okay! You do you, girlfriend.

Getting Ready & Prepared!

 Like everything, it's best to plan ahead and not leave things until the last minute, and for a boudoir shoot getting ready is REALLY easy! Procrastinate if you will, I know a lot of us are awesome at that, but in the long run this will go better for you if you take the time to get ready mentally and otherwise.

• Don't worry about your body! No crash diet or last minute hitting the gym will help! It does not matter to us, or ultimately you if you kill yourself over how you look physically. While this may be a weight-loss or fitness reward to yourself, it is important to love the skin you're in. We're here to make you look amazing no matter what. Above all, being okay with yourself is best for YOU!
• Don't worry about a lingerie shopping spree if it's not in your budget or you don't want to! We can work with what you've got! Seriously! I'll list some ideas below, but bring as many things as you wish! We may not use them all, but we are happy to help you with styling! If you have any ideas prior to the shoot, we're happy to discuss them with you.
• Drink lots of water before your shoot! Stay hydrated! Water is also great for your complexion, and occasionally clients will hold some difficult poses for lengthy periods of time (we'll never do anything outside of your comfort zone) and having enough H20 in you will prevent dizzy spells and so on
• Avoid foods that cause bloating! Avoid any excessively fatty, sugary, cheesy, or carbohydrate heavy foods before your shoot if you are concerned about your tummy in the photographs. Stick to fruits and veggies, granola bars, yogurt, cereal, and other healthy foods. We will even have some refreshments on hand that will cater to this. PLEASE DO EAT, before your shoot!
• Bring your foundation or cover up! This will help the makeup artist match her makeup to what you use and best match your complexion. If you have any allergies, please let us know

Wardrobe Ideas:

Below is a list of a few wardrobe ideas and props that are commonly used in the past and also some suggestions. No idea is a bad one, and there are many more possibilities on this list!

• A boyfriend's flannel, button down, jersey, blazer, or hoodie.
• Your favorite bra/panty set
• A slip or nightie
• High heels
• An oversized tshirt or sweater
• Garter belts and tights
• Lace, or textured fabric
• Pajamas
• Bridal jewelry
• Fashion jewelry
• Blanket
• Bridal Accessories/Veil
• Boots
• Hats
• Dress or gown
• Corset or other lingerie set (there are so many kinds!)
• Button down shirt, pencil skirt, "pinup" clothes--props: old rotary telephones, sassy glasses, headscarves, vintage suitcases, perfume bottles, etc!
• Long pearls
• Your favorite things: Books, makeup, your yoga mat, ball (if you play any ball), art, musical instrument, photos, whatever! Sky's the limit here!
• His tie!
• Wine glasses
• Handheld mirrors

Errands to run beforehand!

These aren't required by any means, but if you've got the budget you may want to consider:

1. A haircut, color, or trim! Freshen up those glorious locks! 
2. Brow waxing/threading or waxing in general ... if you do this. 
3. Paint/trim your nails or get a manicure/pedicure--just one of the details to take into account! Fingers and toes occasionally show up! Especially if you're showing off wedding jewelry!
4. Lingerie Shopping--Hit up Victoria's secret or another store that specializes in "pretty little sexy things"- You can find suggestions for online stores here. I am also a big fan of Fredrick's of Hollywood and Aerie!

The Day Of

 You're probably going to be the most nervous this morning or a couple of days before! Take a deep breath, and relax. Take this time for yourself and take care of yourself. Go to the spa, read a book, go for a nice walk, take a bubble bath! EAT SOME PIZZA! We'll do whatever it takes to give you an enyoyable, relaxing, empowering photoshoot (we usually have goodies for you) but you should take care of yourself to! You deserve it!

After The Shoot 

After the shoot is over, you'll anxiously be waiting for your images! We try to be as efficient as possible with editing, but we want to do a polished, good job too. We'll set up an appointment with you to view the images and talk about products and which ones to order! Coffee's on us! <3

Lastly, don't forget how beautiful you are whether you have seen your images or not. Even when those photos aren't hanging on your wall or in a little discrete book on the nightstand as a reminder, you are amazing, beautiful, and perfect just the way you are. We can only hope that the empowerment you received on this day will last a lifetime.

xx emily

Bleak Mid-Week, Mid-December Adventures - 12/16/15

Everything feels off lately, especially with this 50-60 degree weather going on in what is supposed to be a Wisconsin winter. Instead, it more feels like springtime in Seattle. The landscape is brown, wet, colorless, and lifeless...there's not much to look at.

As a creative, it is vital that I do not let the not-aesthetically environment keep me from being uninspired to make work. If anything, I owe it to myself to stay motivated and find something in these conditions...I need to at least try.

At first we tried the river, the water was torrential but there was no good way to get down the steep hill to the riverbank, it was best to let the water move and be mesmerizing over a still capture. The wind was biting, anyways. Continuing to drive through the rural countryside, we found a quaint chapel in the center of a graveyard surrounded by flat farmland. We decided to stop and step foot in this moldy chapel with a charming old pipe organ that no longer worked. We took a few shots here, and decided to call it a day.

We may not have found much, but we found something.

Favorites from Summer 2015

Not everyone values photography with the same intensity as a person in the field may.  Regardless, I discover the importance of capturing memories in this manner when it's an icy, rainy, gray November day and I'm huddled in my sweatshirt nasty and congested. I think back to summer, taking my camera everywhere from sun-up to sun-down, capturing whatever caught my eye. I miss that presence of sunshine that goes away so early this time of year.

Here are just a few of my favorites I took from this summer.

November Jaunt in New Glarus, WI (11/15)

Once in a while on a Wednesday, I go for a hike with my camera and a friend of mine.

We kept things simple on this ordinary November day. With rumors of rainfall and limited light, we knew this trip wouldn't be any grand excursion. With the thick blanket of gray clouds looming heavily in the sky and the trees bare like skeleton fingers against a brown landscape. When the light isn't beaming down through the leaves in a kaleidoscope of color and nature seems to be at rest--finding captivating images can be a challenge, but we manage to find beauty no matter what time of year.

Besides, there's nothing like stopping at a charming little brewery in New Glarus for a glass of Serendipity.

Introduction & Welcome

It's always difficult to start a new blog. Somehow, I've always managed to figure this out as I've had so many blogs and projects over the years...why should this be any different?

Growing up, I had many neighbors in a small suburb outside of Milwaukee. I remember one of them the most--she happened to be an excellent oil painter hailing from France. I so admired my neighbor lady's works of flowers, the sea, and beloved faces that were layered in dark and vivid layers of color. If you were to touch the surface of the canvas, you would feel more than just paint. I so wanted to figure out what this was. I don't think I'll ever stop trying to figure that out in any piece of art. Perhaps this is why my art degree happened--I want to be that charming, eccentric old lady down the block that still paints her dreams and nightmares. The French accent will of course, be completely falsified and terrible: all my neighbors will have to put up with it and simply laugh.

I finished the graphic design program at the University of Wisconsin this past May, and am now actively looking for a "big-girl" job as a creative professional--ideally advertising, marketing, or design. In the meantime, I pour rosettas on tops of people's lattes. What I wouldn't give to be at a desk making awesome things on Illustrator on a 27-inch iMac screen...

This blog exists so I can share my adventures and artwork with you. Thank you for reading this today, and feel free to check out my portfolio here. I'm excited to share more wonderment with you all.

xx emily