Promoting Yourself, Your Art on Squidoo

Links, to your blog, to your website.

Photographs! of yourself and your art. People want to see your work. If that website you're working on just isn't done yet, consider your Squidoo Lens a business card, an answer to the question, "Where can I see your work on line?"

Links to where people can buy your art, either on line, or in galleries.

Remember that it's easy to put a copyright notice right on the face of your images using Photoshop.

Does this feel a little too self-promotional to you? I have two answers for you:

1. To make a living make art, you've got to be self-promotional, and

2. If you really can't stand it, have someone else write a Squidoo Lens about you and your art.

I've gathered some of my favorite sources of Squdioo-How-to in yet another of my Squidoo Lenses. Here's the link to Best Squidoo Tips

Just by following the instructions to Create a Lens, and using all the great tips in Best Squidoo Tips, you'll have all you need to set up your first lens.

If you like, you might want to practice on an easier subject: your favorite book, author, or candy bar. That way you can go through the process without the extra emotional issues that might come from trying to write about yourself.

Here's a link to one of my sillier Squidoo Lenses, I Hate Packing Peanuts.

While you can use html in Squidoo, it's completely optional, so if you don't know how, no need to worry. And, you can still use a little by following the guides written by so many helpful Squidoo Lensmasters.

Would you like a personal invitation to Squidoo? Just click here to receive one from me.

Consider your screen name when you open your Squidoo account. As a professional artist,who wants people to know who you are, I believe you should use your real name. No spaces are allowed in screen names, so you'll have to decide how you want to deal with that.

In the same vein, I believe you should use a professional headshot of yourself. You can see I've followed my own advice.

I'm an artist, writer, blogger and e-commerce retailer. You can visit my blog, All Things Metal Clay.

From my blog you can access all my Squidoo Lenses, my free eBook and more.

Here's my Lensmaster page, which is automatically generated for each lensmaster. If you want to refer someone to all of your lenses, that's the link to use.

Then comes the fun part. Spread the word, take advantage of viral marketing: post your Squidoo lens on Delicious, email the link to friends, blog about it.

Another way to promote your Squidoo Lens within Squidoo, and to help people find you, is to join an appropriate group. If there isn't one, it's easy to start one.

You might like my Squidoo Lens, The Business of Crafts.

Have you seen these? Lots of artists are using services like Lulu.com, Blurb.com and iPhoto to create portfolio books or even catalogs.

If you add your book to their marketplaces, who knows, maybe someone will find you that way. You can sell your catalog at cost, and have an easy way to print and sell catalogs.

Create your portfolio, and buy as many copies as you need to send out.

Why, as a matter of fact, I did. Writing this lens, I made such a good case for creating a lens as a way to promote yourself and your art, that I had to create one about myself.

You can check it out at Squidoo/ElaineLuther

I like this idea so much, I took it even further, and wrote a blog post called How to Get out of Having a website. I then expanded on that idea and created a whole Squidoo Lens on the topic. It's called Promote Yourself online without a Website.

Did you find this lens to be helpful? If so, please help others find it by giving it a star rating up at the top. It's easy! Just click the stars!

And thank you.

(c) 2007 - 2009 Elaine Luther All Rights Reserved