I have a website www.gurgel-segrillo.com since 2004 and use Facebook for several years now but didn’t want to plug my work as a contemporary jewellery designer-maker much as I felt uncomfortable since mine was a personal profile. But as I work with jewellery full-time (and love it!) it was unavoidable not to talk about it every once in a while – consequently got several much-appreciated commissions… (BTW Nooo Farmville or the like for me, thanks, only app I use is Spare-a-Click.)
But then last year I decided to created an ‘artist’ page: Gurgel-Segrillo and being it a page, not a profile, it’s quite different (no pokes :0) and since then I’ve been consistently getting wonderful feedback, which I appreciate immensely. I do not sell much from my workshop, mostly through my representing galleries – it is so encouraging to read people’s feedback, comments and ideas.
Of course, as anything else it involves work- one must keep the page ‘alive’ in order to attract and keep interest.
I can also ‘Like’ other pages to connect with other makers, with galleries, museums etc and get their news via the newsfeed- that’s how I’ve found, to name one great source of info about contemporary jewellery: kit and caboodle. Last but not least, I’ve been getting a steady flow of commissions via Facebook, too.
FB orders are different in that I have interaction with the person commissioning work, even more than through my website. Needless to say, the love and care I pour into making the pieces is the same no matter how the order comes in… I am hugely grateful to be able to make my living through something I adore!
Because I mainly sell through galleries, I have no contact with the customer. To the question why not opening an outlet of some kind: ‘oh, no, selling is another art’ has been my unwavering answer. I highly admire, respect and value the work that the galleries do. It is lovely, though, to get more direct feedback and it is something that could be certainly improved in the artist-gallery relationship, I believe. Just the simple comments on my Facebook page do feed me with much encouragement.
If you are considering Facebook as a tool to reach a potential audience for your art, whatever art it is just be certain you are creating a Page, and not a Profile. Pages have stats and several other features pertinent to a more ‘business’ or ‘institution’ use. And do remember to reciprocate the ‘Likes’ you get from other pages:
~ Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns. ~
Note: Spare a Click ‘is a community of volunteers that click together to help sponsor children around the world. It’s powered by Care2 and Children International.’ It is a Facebook app with a great cause. http://apps.facebook.com/spareaclick/
