Learn How to Promote Your Creative Work on the Web

Sean Cranbury's business is working with artists and other creative people to help them raise their profiles. Strangely, he says, that's one thing most of them haven't learned in art school or wherever else they've received their training.

Yet these days, how you present yourself on the Web has everything to do with whether you'll be able do creative work while finding an audience and paying the bills.

Which is why Cranbury is offering on Saturday, May 25, his Tyee Master Class "Web Marketing for Creators: Platforms and Connections."

"Creative people have always needed to demonstrate their work and vision to the public, that is nothing new," notes Cranbury, a web marketer and independent consultant specializing in literary arts, cultural programming and public speaking.

"Successful creators have always had some level of hustle or networking ability that allows them to make connections and find new opportunities for themselves and their work.

"A well crafted and tended web presence for artists turns local networks of influencers and potential patrons into a global network of influencers and potential patrons."

Now, says Cranbury, it's far easier to create these global opportunities using digital tools that "are cheap if not free and require direct participation very much in the spirit of Do It Yourself. These tools allow creators to control their message and the work that the public encounters first on the Web, and build the direct relationships with their fans, patrons, contractors, other creators. Result? More control for the artist/creator, fewer middlepersons."

Cranbury's guarantee is that after taking his Master Class attendees "will walk away feeling confident and empowered to take the next step in controlling and sharing their work on the Web. They'll have a better idea of what they can do to improve their profile online. They will better understand the tools that they can use and the context for their work within this new medium.

"But most of all they'll walk away from this class knowing that they can do it, that it's within their power to understand and use the tools to create killer online profiles while mastering the social media channels. And they'll make new friends doing it."

Okay, but what about my soul?

Cranbury is aware that the artistic soul can feel allergic to the practicalities of marketing oneself. Push past that anxiety, he urges. "A lot of really soulful work gets created, displayed, and sold on the internet. It is a hugely creative space that rewards those who play with it, participate, share something.

"In my own circumstances I love the web because it allows me to bypass middlemen and gatekeepers and display my vision to the best of my abilities over time. I can experiment with my writing, I can build and break and rebuild websites very simply and quickly. I can learn everyday from friends and colleagues on twitter or Facebook or Reddit or Tumblr.

"I can build my reputation, I can make my own connections, I can book shows, introduce myself to people, invite them out for coffee, and get that next contract because I work in those networks and I have built places on the web for people to go check out my work and sensibilities.

"It provides me freedom and control over my message and my aesthetic (such as it is)."

"I believe that creators should have more control over how their work is presented to the public and how it gets shared. Creators should direct the conversation about their work publicly and reap the benefits of that control. My class will help them achieve this."

So who should attend? Anyone with creative work they wish to share with the world -- writers, artists, musicians, dancers, architects, underemployed trapeze performers.... Knowing you'll be in such interesting company is only enhanced by the fact that you'll also enjoy a tasty lunch during and wine reception afterwards.

What you will learn

Over the five hour course (as the Tyee Master Class website states), "you'll learn how to create, control, and share your work, content, and vision online using simple web-based tools. You will discuss the fundamentals of web platforms (websites, blogs, tumblrs), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest), and how they integrate with more traditional marketing channels. The morning session will focus on creating your own customizable homebase on the web using free tools like Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, and others. The afternoon will feature in-depth discussion around social media, web marketing, and the basic principles for sharing, collaborating and owning your content online."

Cranbury emphasizes his workshop is designed for the beginner and intermediate user. No one need feel embarrassed about not having already evolved a 2.0 brain -- you are in good company. "I know talented young photographers and artists who have just graduated from Emily Carr or Capilano who nevertheless don't understand the practical benefits of a professional website today," says Cranbury, who is a sought after presenter at arts conferences, the person behind Books on the Radio Projects, and winner of the Vancouver Literary Promoter/Organizer of the Year award. He's also a lot of fun to spend time with, and invites you bring, with your laptop, a sense of humour. To find out more, including how to register, click here.

For information about other Tyee Master Classes click here.