I got this great question the other day from one of my readers about whether artists really need to create their own website to sell their art.

Is it really necessary to have a website to sell your art. Isnt it possible to achieve the same thing with other options such as zazzle, imagekind, blogger, foliotwist, fineartstudioonline.com, etc.,? Without all the management challenges of managing your own site?

- Jeremy

There are a ton of services out there that can help artists get a presence online. While they’re all great, I always tell artists to be sure that they keep at least a part of their website presence under their control. Here’s what I wrote back to Jeremy.

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the question!

No, it’s not necessary to have your own website in order to sell online. You can use a service like FolioTwist, Etsy, or Artfire to sell your work and many artists do quite successfully using this route. The advantage of using one of these services is that you can start selling without going through the process of developing your own website.

Plus in most cases, you don’t need to know HTML or web design in order to start selling. You also will avoid dealing with the technical part of maintaining your website, although you still need to maintain your inventory and content yourself just like you would with your own website. Plus, you are still responsible for getting traffic to your site. While many of these services may also have some built-in traffic or marketing services, you are ultimately responsible for getting people to visit your website.

However, there are some distinct advantages to having your own website that’s completely under your control. One advantage of developing your own website is that you have control over all aspects of your website, how it functions, what kind of content you can post, and how it looks. Plus, you don’t run the risk of losing your web presence with little or no warning. Remember that services like FolioTwist, Etsy, or FineArtsStudioOnline can be sold, go out of business, change their fees, or terms of service at anytime. If 100% of your online sales comes from one of these services and they go under, then 100% of your web presence is suddenly gone. Just last year, thousands of eBay sellers were scrambling to find alternatives to eBay because a series of policy and fee changes negatively affected their businesses or put them out of business completely.

A lot of artists who sell online have both a presence on a third-party service and their own website. They use the website strictly for showing their work and directing them to their web store. The third-party service is used strictly for sales as many have a built-in ecommerce component. Some actually sell both places and use the service to direct traffic to their own site. While this can create some more work, there are several advantages to this approach. One, you avoid the risk of having all of your eggs in one basket. You keep a measure of control over your web presence while you’re also taking advantage of using a third-party service. Second, this gives potential visitors multiple places to find you. Those that may not stumble over your FolioTwist site may stumble over your other web presence…and vice versa. So it doesn’t have to be a case of either/or, but rather a case of both/and.

For most newbies, I recommend starting with a service in order to get their presence up as quickly as possible. And it’s also good for getting familiar with mechanics of maintaining a web presence. Once they get their initial presence operating on a web service, they should start building their own web presence that’s completely under their control…whether it be a blog or a simple website that has contact information or a simple gallery of their work. While it can be some extra work, if done correctly, it can greatly pay off in the end.

Do you have a burning question about websites or promoting yourself online? Click on the “Ask a Question” tab at the top of the page and send me your question. I’ll send you an answer to your question personally.

The topic of online jurying for shows is one that comes up every so often in the crafts forums. While a lot of artists are still on the fence when it comes to applying to craft shows online, it seems like more and more shows are going to electronic applications…especially the higher end shows like the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Cherry Creek, and the Smithsonian Craft Show.

If you’re not familiar with online jurying there are two companies, Zapp and Juried Art Services, that offer online craft show application services to show promoters. Basically, the way online jurying works is that you open a free account with one or both of these services (the show promoters pay for the service…it’s free for artists to use it). You then upload photos of your work onto your account. When you’re ready to apply to a show, you simply fill out the application online, choose which photos you want to send with your application and then submit your application. Whatever jurying fees or booth fees that are required with your application are paid for by credit card.

Here are some advantages of jurying online

1. Cuts down on the need for duplicate slides- If you apply to a lot of shows, you probably have an entire library of slides, photos and duplicates to send out with applications. With online jurying, you scan your slide set once and use the same images with every application…without the need to know your photofinisher personally

2. No worries about applications getting lost in the mail- I had this happen to me before. The application came back to me in shredded little pieces in one of those “Sorry we mangled your mail” envelopes that the USPS gives you when they destroy your mail. Minus the slides. Apply online, you won’t have to worry about it.

3. You know if the promoter has received your application- With both online jurying systems, you get confirmation that your application is in the database, which eliminates the waiting and the “Just wondering if you got my application” calls to the promoter.

4. No messy applications!- If you’re like me and your penmanship looks like a doctor’s prescription written in the middle of an earthquake, applying online will save you from having to either having to find a typewriter to fill out the application or from those calls from the promoter asking if that scribble on your app is a “s” or a “5″.

5. You can store your portfolio and past applications online- I’ve always tried to make a copy of all my applications before I send them out…but with online jurying, there’s no need as both systems store both your images and your past applications online. If you want to get a paper copy of your application, you can simply print it out.

But just like anything, online jurying also has some disadvantages

1. You need to have properly prepared digital images- Both services have their own specifications when it comes to what images they accept in their system. If all of your images are on slides, you’ll need to get them scanned and formatted into the proper resolution and dimension. If you have a scanner and are familiar with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, this is not a difficult task. If you aren’t familiar with digital images, you’ll need to have a photographer or graphic artist do it for you. Fortunately, there are a lot of craft and art photographers that also offer this service in addition to traditional slides.

2. You’ll need to have access to the Internet and a computer- If you’re reading this, you no doubt have access to both a computer and the Internet. But not all artists have email, the Internet, or even a computer which will naturally cut those artists out of the running.

3. Easier applications can invite more unqualified applicants- In The Crafts Report forum discussion, an artist was asking if the rejection rate is higher when you apply online. While I don’t know of any direct figures when it comes to the rejection rate, there seems to be some anecdotal evidence of higher rejection rates. Don’t know if this is true, but if it is, a lot of artists theorizes that applying with photos and slides at least weeded out those artists who were only half serious about the show. But now that the application is electronic, and artist can apply to a number of shows within a matter of hours. Which can also have the effect of making the shows easier for unqualified artists to apply.

4. You’ll probably need to open more than one account- Some shows like the Smithsonian Craft Show use Juried Art Services while shows by Artrider uses Zapp. So if you apply to wide variety of shows, not all of them will use the same system. That means that you will have to maintain accounts on both systems.

5. There is a potential for forged or doctored images- This seems like the biggest fear for both artists and show promoters. A lot of artists, especially, are nervous that someone who’s savvy with Photoshop will be able to doctor an image so that a lousy piece of art can be transformed into a nice piece of art. As someone who’s been working with Photoshop 12 years, I can tell you that it’s difficult to simply “make up” a great picture of a piece of art. And why would you want to? It’s easier just to sell the finished product as a piece of digital art. However, it’s much easier to take an existing picture and change colors, the contrast, tone, and to swap elements of an image in and out. What’s more realistic is that it’s easier for an artist to submit images of someone else’s work as their own in a digital application process.

So! Online jurying…it’s here and an increasing number of promoters are using it for their application process. What do you think? Is this a good thing? Are you applauding applying for shows online or are you dreading it? Leave me a comment and let me know!

This week’s artist for Interview Tuesday is Jena Coray, owner and writer of the indie blog and online store, Modish. Jena is a jewelry designer who started Modish (pronounced: m?’d?sh) as a way to help promote her own jewelry and some of her fellow indie artists. As Modish grew, she found herself promoting others work more and more until that became the focus of her blog. Eventually, she opened Modish Handmade Goods Shoppe so that readers could buy the work that she was featuring on the blog. Jena has been featured as a Typepad Featured Blog twice and she was chosen as an Etsy recommended blog. Here is my interview with Jena:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and about Modish.
I’m a curly-headed cat mom who recently moved to Portland, OR with my boyfriend and I’ve been officially “self-employed” since last July, running Modish! Modish is a shopping blog that focuses solely on handmade goods made by indie designers- it’s updated multiple times daily and there’s lots of fun weekly features.

2. How long have you been running Modish and how did you get started?
I’ve been writing the blog for over 2 years, although it seems even longer- not because it’s not fun, but because it feels like I’ve written so much! I had been a fan of design blogs like design*sponge and decor 8, and had searched and searched to find something comparable that focused on indie artists and handmade goods, as I had a small jewelry business at the time that I was looking to promote. I couldn’t find a blog like that, so I made one to bring more focus to indie designers like myself.

3. What is a typical day like for you?
I rise and shine pretty early- on a good day, I’ll get up at 5:30, do yoga for an hour, drink some coffee and then get started blogging. I usually answer emails and write new posts until early afternoon, take a little lunch break, and am back on the computer at least until my boyfriend gets home from work, usually later tho. I can sometimes work into the wee hours of the morning, especially when I have a giveaway to organize!

4. I’ve read on your blog that you’ve taken the leap from running Modish part time to full time, what was that like?
It was scary and nerve-wracking and the rational, level-headed side of me attempted to talk myself out of it many times, but the creative, reckless, “let’s just give it a try!” side eventually won out. I had fallen in love with blogging and felt that I had become an integral part of a welcoming community. I started feeling a literal pain in my gut every time I had to be “working” instead of working on what I really loved…I just couldn’t do it anymore. So, I saved up enough money to live of off for at least a few months, just in case, kissed my 401k and health insurance goodbye, and bit the bullet! Everyone was super supportive (and jealous!) the whole time during my transition into self-employment, which definitely made it easier.

5. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced running Modish?
I think it’s constantly challenging finding new and interesting ways to present the information I want to share. I have a complex of always wanting to be “different”, I always have (even when I was in grade school, if I saw a girl wearing a shirt that I owned, I would never wear it again at the risk of {shudder} wearing it on the same day!) and it’s sometimes difficult being an idea factory for new columns and features, always trying to add content to the blog that hasn’t already been “done.” I feel most discouraged and start to run out of motivation fast when I feel as if my ideas are being copied by other bloggers- I respect the talent and unique voices of my fellow indie and design bloggers that have worked hard to carve out their own niche within our community, but there are others that tend to rely on those unique voices to do all the hard work so they can sit back and say “oh, that’s a good idea! I should do that on my blog!” It sometimes makes me want to give it all up, feeling as if everything I do will just be nabbed by the next guy and the next guy, making Modish “just another blog.” But I realize I have to accept it for what it is, keep the mantra “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” echoing in my head, and use that competition to help spurn new ideas and force myself to become more innovative in thinking of the next thing that will help Modish stand out from the crowd.

6. Could you tell us a bit about your monthly giveaways?
The monthly giveaways were started a few months into writing Modish as a way to gain readership and also draw more attention to the indie businesses who I’m trying to help promote- anyone who makes handmade goods and sells them in an online shop can donate a giveaway prize, and usually the amount of goods donated per month comes out between $500-1000! On the back end, they are hard to organize and require many many hours of work, but they seem so fun for readers (I wish I could enter!) and participating businesses alike, that I’ve kept them going. And I’m always impressed by the giveaway goods that I receive- there’s some mighty talented folk out there!

7. What are some of the things that you’ve done to get the word out about Modish?
At the very beginning, I wrote a press release and emailed all my favorite design blogs telling them about my new little niche blog that they may like to have a look at- some posted about it and I started getting immediate traffic. I also tried to contact the designers when I wrote about them so they’d take a peek at the site and hopefully tell their friends about it. I announced it on small business and craft forums like The Switchboards. I just tried to network with fellow indie businesses and bloggers and after the initial attempts the first few months to really get my name out there, things just kind of grew naturally on their own from there!

8. You’ve been Typepad’s Featured Blog (twice!) and Etsy’s recommended blog, what has that been like?
It’s awesome to be recognized for hard work, and every time I’ve been featured somewhere, it helps to boost my confidence in my blog a bit- I think, so, maybe it is cool? Maybe it is different? Maybe I should keep plugging away and spend all my precious time and energy writing it? Ummm, yes! It can get a little lonely out here in blogland, so it’s always nice when somebody finds Modish, and even better when they like it! I still get googly-eyed looking at all my stats everyday- people in the Ukraine and Thailand and New Zealand are all reading my blog? How cool!

9. Do you have some favorite blogs, websites, or podcasts? If so what are they?
Oh, too too many to list- all my daily blog reads are posted on my site and I suppose that all the shops that I feature each day are my favorite websites!

10. What (if any) are your future plans for Modish?
No big plans for the blog right now- just going to try to keep on keepin’ on, try to market myself, gain new readership and keep it interesting enough for people to keep coming back! I do have some big plans that don’t pertain to Modish directly, but do involve my being able to continue working for myself… to be revealed later, muah hah hah…

11. Do you have any advice for an artist or designer just starting out?
Specifically for the artist/designer that’s attempting to sell their work online, my tips are to work on your website- a web presence is key! If you want a full fledged e-commerce site, hire a professional- the investment will be well worth it. Etsy shops work too! Learn how to take really good photos of your work. Be kind to everyone you come across, always. Know that customer service will be part of the job. Present yourself as a businesswo(man), even though that’s hard for many creative people, and you’ll be treated with respect and get the attention you deserve. Don’t give up! Tenacity and drive will help you go farther than you could have ever imagined.

Many thanks to Jena Coray for taking the time out for this interview. Please be sure to visit her blog at http://blog.modishhandmade.com/m.

Would you like to be interviewed for an upcoming Interview Tuesday? Do you know of an artist that you want to read about? Send me an email at info[at]craftedweb[dot]com.

In the first ever Interview Tuesday for the Crafted Webmaster I was lucky enough to snag some time with the fabulous Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. Design*Sponge is a daily blog and website that’s dedicated to interior and product design. Everyday, Grace brings us the latest news in interior design. Design*Sponge has over 30,000 daily readers and has been featured on Good Morning America, New York Magazine, Time Magazine, and Domino among many others. Her blog has been in my RSS reader for at least a couple years. Here’s my interview with Grace:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY. After that I’m a fan of design and the “mom” of two of the best cats in the world.

2. Explain what Design*Sponge is all about and how you got started.
The site started as a personal project and grew into a small business very naturally. It evolved from a personal outlet to talk about design into a website where I try to promote and support (through outside projects) the independent design scene.

3. What is a typical day like for you?
Most days involve starting work around 7am and stopping work around 8pm. When you run your own business it’s hard to create a real “stop” and “start” time so I’m basically always researching, building original content for the site, editing content submitted from by our contributing writers, managing projects outside of the site, working on freelance pieces and trying to prepare for upcoming shows and exhibitions we’d like to cover on the site.

That said, there’s usually a break for frozen yogurt in there somewhere

4. I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Design*Sponge and on a typical day you post anywhere from 4 to 6 times a day! How do you keep up with the workload?
Well, for the previous three years I basically never slept and worked all day until I realized I wasn’t leading a balanced life. So we’ve grown the site slowly to include new writers who contribute weekly content and I’ve hired people to help us with ad sales and the growing amount of administrative work that needs to be done. I also try to keep my regular life in balance more these days- I’ve gotten better at making sure I leave the house at least once a day to meet up with friends, local designers, or just breathe some fresh air.

5. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced running Design*Sponge?
For me, it’s always been about maintaining motivation. If I’m uninspired the site shows it so I’m always trying to test out new technology or add new features to the site that expand on the core mission without growing too quickly for comfort.

6. You have a scholarship program for artists and designers, could you tell us a little about it?
Sure. This is the second year we’ve done the scholarship and this year we’ve doubled the prize money to over $11,000 in funds for undergraduate design students. I just woke up one day last year and felt that if I didn’t focus on supporting the next generation of designers, I wouldn’t really be helping the community grow. The more we support this community the more designers can really flourish and in turn, give us something to write about and celebrate.

7. You’ve gotten a lot of press coverage about Design*Sponge, do you have any advice on how to get or handle the press?
It’s really a detached process for me. I’ve done very little press outreach over the past four years beyond emailing fellow bloggers to announce big projects like the scholarship or large contests. For me, I think press attention is a nice bonus but it doesn’t alter the state of the website that much. So I tend to just take it as it comes and roll with it.

8. You have a lot of different features on Design*Sponge, from the city guides, the mini-trends, the guest blog, and even some podcasts. What is your favorite feature on Design*Sponge? What seems to be the favorite among your readers?
Oh man, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that! I’d have to say that it’s the sneak peeks. I really love seeing great interiors- even though it makes me want to redo my home once a week in a completely different style. For me interiors are endlessly inspirational in terms of color palettes, DIY ideas and just encouraging me to look at space a different way.

Right now the Before & After column seems to be at the top [among readers], followed by Sneak Peeks, DIY Projects and then regular “new product” posts.

9. In addition to running Design*Sponge, you also run the D*S Biz Lady Series, could you tell us a bit more about that?
The series was designed to connect local women running design-based businesses. We aim to help them network, build support groups and provide free education on topics like PR/Marketing, Wholesaling/Retailing, Small Business/Legal Issues and how to balance life and work.

10. Do you have some favorite blogs, websites, or podcasts? If so what are they?
My favorite sites tend to be non-design sites. After being immersed in design all day the last thing I want is to read about another chair- so I tend to focus on personal blogs (like dooce.com and sweet-juniper.com) or news sites like the New York Times. But I also have a real weakness for celebrity gossip blogs. I like to give my mind a virtual vacation for a few minutes a day.

11. Do you have any advice for an artist or designer just starting out?
Absolutely- use the internet for the incredible resource that it is. Whether you’re looking to promote, find materials and manufacturers, get market feedback or just connect with other artists, it’s never been easier to connect than it is now with the online design world. Build yourself a simple website or a free blog and start connecting- it always pays off in the end.

Many thanks to Grace Bonney for taking the time out for this interview. Please be sure to visit her blog at http://www.designspongeonline.com.

Would you like to be interviewed for an upcoming Interview Tuesday? Do you know of an artist that you want to read about? Send me an email at info[at]craftedweb[dot]com.

There’s nothing more inspiring that hearing the stories of other artists who are successfully promoting themselves and are doing well. We all want to hear about their accomplishments and of course, learn what their secrets are. So, a brand new regular feature that I’ll be rolling out starting this week, is Interview Tuesdays. On Tuesdays I’ll be interviewing some of the most popular and successful designers, artists, and crafters out on the web. For the very first interview, I managed to snag an interview with interior design blogger superstar, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. So stay tuned for that interview and the other ones to follow!