logo pinterestI recently joined Pinterest after receiving an invite. I get invitations from social networks all the time, so usually pay no attention to most of them. But, I am so glad I took the time to actually explore the site to discover the incredible networking and art promotional possibilities Pinterest holds for me and my art.

You may be saying “Not another social network!” It’s kind of difficult to be active in all of them. But I think Pinterest may be especially useful for artists, especially when used in conjunction with Google+ and Facebook.

 

Why should artists be excited about joining a new online pinboard website such as Pinterest?

The sheer graphical nature is what attracts most. Simply do a search, and the resulting page is literally filled to the brink with images from Pinterest members representing pins and collections.

Without the users, which this virtual pinboard website does not lack, Pinterest would be a barren wasteland. The only graphics here is the user generated content, and there is plenty of it.  The emphasis certainly is imagery, whereas the focus on other networking sites is often a mix of text, links, graphics, and sometimes video.

There are many reasons for artists to be very excited about Pinterest, besides what I have already mentioned, and I will list them below.

 

The Benefits of Pinterest for Artists

 

pinterest social media

 

  1. Pinterest is FUN
    The great thing about Pinterest is that it is actually FUN to explore and check out other pins. This site is literally filled with artists and others from all walks of life. Browsing the thousands of pinboards can be a very rewarding and inspiring experience for artists. It is certainly a great place to find inspiration for artworks and projects. Pinterest is basically the best the web has to offer. If suffering from creative block, I don’t think you will be for long by spending some time here.

  2. The photos at Pinterest are large and optimally displayed
    Images of art are large and displayed in a very attractive way, surrounded by a neutral light gray color. The focus is the photograph, and not image and text as in Facebook and Google+.

  3. pinterest artistsArt Collections
    Pinterest allows artists to create full collections of artworks. A short message may be included at the bottom, along with a website link.

    To add a pin on the site, click the Add+ button. This brings up a box which includes options for creating a new board, uploading a photo from your computer, or inserting a web address or photo link.

  4. Fill in the pin description
    Include a brief summary. A url may be included here, and also within individual post descriptions. Try to do it discreetly, as Pinterest frowns on shameless self-promotion.

    graham matthews artIf you pin your own websites and profiles, a link is included back. When others share your pin, the link is included as well. This is actually a very effective link building strategy to help your art site achieve higher ranking.

  5. Variety
    A pinboard can be created based on virtually anything. They may be a collection of artworks, recipes, interesting websites, design ideas, bookmarks, etc. Basically, whatever one may think of can be collected and shared. If inspiration is needed, Pinterest is certainly the place to find it!

    I am planning on a few pinboard collections, and you may use the same ideas if you want:

    Facebook pages – artists that I am inspired by on Facebook
    Google+ posts – a collection of my favorite postings there
    Web designing sites – some of my main sources for learning html, css, and general webpage design
    Favourite Youtube videos – Tutorials for video slideshows, art studio tours, and more
    Photoshop tutorials – I am always interested to learning new ways of utilizing Photoshop for web designing and optimizing images of artworks.
    Artist Spotlite Websites – A collection of the websites of artists featured at Artpromotivate!

  6. Sharing Pins
    The pins can be easily shared by liking and repinning.
    The liked images appear under the likes section in the Pinterest profile. Repins are added to a collection, and can be continually repinned, with the source link always remaining intact.

    Touch People with your Art - Click Here! Suggest a pin to another member by including @ in front of their name. Other users can be mentioned in comments or descriptions. They will also be notified when doing so.

    Others may contribute to a board. Find the edit button on a pin-board, and select “Me + Contributors”.

    Then enter the name of any of your followed members, so that they can add their own contributions to the pinboard.

  7. Pin and Follow Buttons
    These can be added to any website, and are included on the Goodies page. A “Pin it” bookmarklet is available for Google Chrome, for instant pinning directly from a web browser.

  8. Artworks can be priced!
    The $ or £ symbols can be placed right before the artwork price. This allows for artists to sell their art directly from Pinterest.

 

Request a Pinterest Invitation

For now, Pinterest is by invitation only. Invites can be requested at the Pinterest site, but this often takes anywhere from a couple days to weeks. I can send you an invite, but because of the sheer volume of Pinterest requests, I have to limit sending invites to subscribers only

Subscribers:  Include your name and email below (in the format "gmatthews9 at gmail dot com” to prevent a spam bot from snatching it)

Non-subscribers: Please subscribe first, then follow the above instructions.

I have more artworks to add to my Pinterest pinboard now.

 

To follow me on Pinterest , please go here:

Follow Me on Pinterest






Post a Comment Blogger

  1. I have been looking at peoples collections on this site for a little while now and it looks like quite a nicely organized and fun sort of site.

    Here is my email:

    leakyla at gmail dot com

    Cheers,
    Kyla

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Kyla Hynes

    Thanks Kyla! I just sent your Pinterest invite... :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Marsha Hamby Savage
    Thanks Marsha!
    I just sent your invite... if you don't receive it right away, try checking your spam folder. Emails often end up there with Yahoo accounts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @JJ Jacobs
    Invitation sent! Looking forward to seeing you there, as well as Marsha and Kyla!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been on Pinterest for about a week now and I'm hooked. I think I missed my calling as an art collector. http://pinterest.com/zacknotes/art-canvas/

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've been on Pinterest for about a week now and I'm hooked. I think I missed my calling as an art collector. http://pinterest.com/zacknotes/art-canvas/

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ZNotes

    I certainly agree! Pinterest is very addictive!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Greetings Graham,

    Please send an invitation to:

    peteco at explodingeye dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Peter

    Thanks Peter! Your Pinterest invite is sent..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post- I'll take the plunge tho I foresee many hours searching pinned albums! Please invite leslie at leslieleeart dot com
    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Unknown Thanks Leslie!

    I just sent your Pinterest invite!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Graham,

    Thanks for all of your helpful tips! I am following you on several social media channels. I don't know how you find the time to do so much!

    Could you please send a Pinterest invitation to:

    artnews at corpnote dot com

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Sarah Miller
    Thanks Sarah!!

    I just sent the Pinterest invite!

    ReplyDelete
  14. @Sharon`s dabbles
    Thanks Sharon, I just sent your Pinterest invite... hope I got it right... :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you for your comment!

 
Top