An Online Portfolio: How Artists Can Benefit From Showcasing Their Talent Online

Having a creative edge is perfect for success in the digital world. When you discard the algorithms and the deep root of coding that comes with the entire websphere, any and all technical ideas came from a creative source, made by someone who wanted to flex their artistic muscles. 

As an artist yourself, using an online platform to showcase your work and share your talent with the world is the best way to find new opportunities. A refined portfolio could one day lead to an artistic collaboration, or the chance for exhibition, or even help you get into a prestigious school with the best the artistic world has to offer. 

However, it’s easy for a portfolio to get lost amongst the noise. These websites tend to be personal and specific, which can be difficult to optimise for a search engine. Yet, all creatives are in the same boat. You’re not alone in this struggle! 

From new authors to digital artists to graphic designers trying to set up a freelance business, a thousand portfolios can hit the web every single day. If you want yours to be seen and heard, it’s time to work with the digital sphere, rather than rally against it. 

You Decide What Gets Exhibited

Applying to an exhibition isn’t exactly an easy thing. Not only are you in competition with at least a dozen other artists, but the final decision on where your work will be displayed tends to come down to the curator. You’re in the building, but that final decision is out of your hands. As an up and coming artist with a fineline on what you’re trying to say, being misunderstood, or displayed ‘out of order’, could feel like a dart being thrown at your career. 

With an online portfolio, it’s entirely up to you what gets displayed, both where and when. If you want people to follow a certain narrative (whether linear or otherwise) when they first enter your online gallery, you can absolutely force their hand here. 

You can also routinely update your portfolio to reflect your current skills and artistic interests. Nothing you showcase should be outdated; make sure you take a look through your portfolio once a month to ensure it is representative of who you are as a creative. 

You Can Tell a Story

A portfolio can often act as an online exhibition, whether you have a story to tell or you just want to create a cohesive walkthrough of the art you’re displaying. However, this is where creative control really comes into your hands. 

Do you have a sotry to tell? Most artists do. From hazy beginnings to the day you hit your creative stride, to the blue periods where you felt your passion ebbing away to the emotional hits you created once you got back into the swing of things, you have a narrative. 

Or, if you’re a concept artist, you’re going to be telling more of a traditional story. Take those who visit on a journey through the world you’ve created, no matter the tone of the pieces in question. If your story is compelling, it’s going to bring people deeper and deeper into your portfolio. Online ease of access is another tick in our book! 

You Can Supplement Your Art with the Written Word

Have you ever thought about creating a blog to attach to your online portfolio? This is something more and more creatives are doing, and not just traditional artists who prefer the digital medium. 

After all, the more you write and put your own words out there, the more you interact in the community. The more content you create that pushes your own thoughts and opinions forward, the easier it’s going to be for a potential client or contact to understand you. There’s no chance for miscommunication here! 

Of course, you may be worried about the technical side of running a blog. If you’re unused to conveying a story or your emotions through the written word, this is going to be a hard adjustment anyway. However, there’s a lot you can do to ensure your longform content has the ability to stand out. 

First, find your style. You’ve got a particular style when you take to the canvas – that means you can find a similar style when you tap out words on the screen. It doesn’t matter what you want to write about, or what kind of story you’re going to tell, you need to do it in your own voice. 

You can then consider buying backlinks to reputable sites and sources of authority. Be careful with a method like this; don’t skimp, make sure you’re working with a provider worth their salt, and generate organic links in the meantime. 

There’s also a lot of similar techniques you can use to create quality content that’s pretty valuable in the eyes of other artistic spirits, just make sure you know what you’re doing before you invest in them! SEO practices can be difficult to master, but with time, you’ll get there. 

People Get to See You as Well

This is the number one benefit of running an online portfolio. It’s easy for an artist’s name to be forgotten, even when the art they produce becomes popular and receives a lot of shares. 

Indeed, if you don’t have a clearly defined watermark somewhere in your work, you could even be the victim of reposting and someone else taking the credit. Even when you do have a watermark, there are tools out there to remove it! 

However, when you’ve got a website that allows for both your face and name to be clearly displayed alongside your paintings and sketches and concepts, you’re far less likely to be subjected to this. Your work could even become more interesting to the average viewer who just likes looking at watercolour vistas as you’re now part of the attraction. 

This may be a scary idea for some. But don’t forget about it when you’re putting a portfolio together. Let your audience see who you are as well as what you can do; it also helps you to feel more relatable to them. 

It’s Easy to Receive Commissions

Your website can be set up to receive incoming mail, no matter what platform or website builder you decide to use. That’ll make gaining new clients and commissions remarkably easier than ever before. You can set up a contact form with all the questions you’d need to ask right there on the screen, and then you can leave the person on the other side to fill it out. 

You can also give them an option over whether they want further contact, through something like a Zoom or telephone call, or if they’re happy for you to get straight to work. Long gone are the days where you had to awkwardly communicate with potential clients to get all the information you needed, which often felt like dragging blood out of a stone. Automate the process and then think no more of it! 

You Can Sell Straight Through Your Website

Similar to receiving commissions, if you want to sell your artwork in print or merchandise form, your own website is the best place to do so. You keep all the revenue, you don’t pay any fees, and you can even allow clients to debate prices with you, if that’s something you’re up for. 

Selling through your website can be quite intuitive. You simply need to use an ecommerce portal, many of which are available, and you can still run your portfolio on the side. No need for two separate websites when it can all be loaded together. 

Don’t worry, your portfolio will still navigate the same and bring viewers on the same journey you always planned for them. You can just think of your ecommerce portion as the gift shop you visit before you leave the gallery!

Get Started on Your Portfolio Today

When you put together an online portfolio, you give yourself a chance to stand out in the digital world. Seeing as more and more artists are taking to the platform to showcase work on their terms, and we’re all up against the rise of AI art generation, now’s a key time to get involved. 

Make sure you follow tips like these to put your portfolio front and centre of this conversation. You can have plenty of creative control over your art, where it’s displayed, how it’s used, and who it brings in. From new clients looking for personalised commissions to gainful employment in art institutions and corporate positions, an online portfolio can turn the world into your oyster! 

All you need to do now is pick the art you’re proudest of, that also shows off your various skills in the best light, and put it on your homepage. Whilst you’re there, get a blog going to explain your artistic journey and allow your audience to relate to you on a deeper level. The work will pay off!

This is a partnered post.