Artists, Biz Dev, and web3

I listened to a great @buttrfly.lens Spaces discussion this morning on the challenges of being an artist from: @linea_platform.lens @0xtommythomas.lens @jessyjeanne.lens @cmn__.lens @mchx_.lens @datartist.lens

One theme I heard loud and clear throughout was the burden being felt by artists who felt they now have to learn how to operate a business in addition to mastering their artistry and technical skills. While I would always suggest that learning business is better than not, I thought I'd perhaps shed just a little light on why this feels the way it does right now and what we can possibly look forward to.

Art is not created in a vaccuum. It isn't made from nothing (w/rare exceptions). Canvas portraits required the invention of the blank canvas. Photographers required the invention of cameras and film. Music videos required the right combination of tools and broadcast circumstances like MTV. Artists use existing tools to create art. Similarly, web2/Instagram/TikTok/DeviantArt/etc give users tools to create.

web3 is a essentially a blank database. There's nothing here, yet. This space requires artists to come with their already-made creations, to this new place where the primary app is a marketplace and almost zero distribution tools exist. Almost everyone here is creating art using non-web3 tools and then publishing onchain. It follows, then, that the primary skills to being successful in a marketplace is one's ability to market and sell.

There are plenty of artists using Instagram and TikTok who don't know how to market themselves or their work but they know how to create with those tools. It's not hard to create a TikTok video of a beautiful painting with trending music. The app then allows the artist's fans to do most of the work for them. Fans can distribute, collaborate, interact, and spread the word all on an artist's behalf. This is missing in web3, but it's coming!

One of the core benefits to publishing onchain is that anyone can make your data valuable. This means you can leverage the entire user base to help you build. It feels difficult right now because it is! We say it all the time, but it's true: we're early. There are so few apps right now to help, but over time this will resolve itself.

So what's a burdened artist to do? I would encourage anyone who feels overwhelmed at (or turned off by) the thought of learning how to market themselves to do one of two things:

//1: Reach out and be vocal about what you need. Talk to devs, or post your thoughts openly:

"I need an app that lets me create like this..."
"I need an app that lets my fans do this...."

"Hey I see you're building an app/video game/event ticket/music album/gallery/etc, is it possible my work (and others like it) would fit in?"

Find trends like ChatGPT/Dating/Design/Messaging apps and ask devs to help incorporate them into apps which are based on your data's needs: A stable diffusion app which lets fans play with your art and a dating/friend-finding app which utilizes swiping left/right on art are both totally possible.

//2: Sit tight and watch for these apps to emerge. Be open to new tools which use your art, and be open to new tools which create new forms of art. These apps are emerging now ( @lenspostxyz.lens ) and will almost certainly continue to explode in growth. As more apps are able to use your art the easier things will become.

This may feel like one of the hardest times to sell your art onchain, but the truth is it's easier now than it was in 2018 and will likely continue to get easier and easier as more is built. Until then, keep creating and don't get discouraged by "the business"!