Digital Marketing for Creatives

Look, I get it. You’re an artist. You’re a creative. The last thing you want to hear from some rando on the internet, or in this case, me, a rando with a blog and a lot of opinions about stuff, is that you need to be doing more marketing.

The word itself feels gross, right? It conjures up images of used car salesmen or those guys on LinkedIn who unironically use the word “synergy.” You didn’t get into painting, or illustrating, or sculpting disturbing things out of found objects to become a salesperson. You did it because you have to. Because if you didn’t get that noise out of your head and onto a canvas or a screen, you’d spontaneously combust. I get that.

But here’s the thing. You made the thing. It’s good. It’s vulnerable. It’s a piece of your soul. And then what? You post it on Instagram, where it gets seen by three people and an algorithm that hates you, and then you wait for the validation that never comes. That’s a recipe for… well, for the kind of thinking that requires a lot of therapy. I know that thinking. I’ve got a timeshare in that thinking .

So, let’s talk about the one tool that doesn’t have to feel like selling your soul. It’s the email list.

The Garage You Own vs. The Mall You’re Renting From

I write in my back bedroom/office. It’s messy. There are dogs walking around, and there are files everywhere. But you know what? It’s mine. Nobody can come in and tell me to pack up my laptop and leave because they changed the flooring.

Think of your social media accounts as a mall. A really shiny, loud, crowded mall. You’ve set up a nice little kiosk there. You’re selling your art. But you don’t own the kiosk. You’re renting it. And the landlord, Zuckerberg, or whoever is running the TikTok circus this week, can change the rent, move your kiosk to the basement near the food court dumpsters, or just lock the doors and send you packing whenever they feel like it . Remember that brief TikTok freak-out a while back? For a second, a whole generation of creators thought they’d lost everything. That’s because they had everything in the mall .

Your email list? That’s your garage. It’s a little dusty, maybe a little cluttered, but it’s yours. You control it. When someone gives you their email address, they’re giving you a direct line. No algorithm. No “shadowban.” Just you, talking to them, in their space. And frankly, it’s the most intimate space left. Your inbox is a weird, sacred place. If someone lets you in there, they’re actually interested .

The “FOMO” Strategy: It’s Not Bragging, It’s Showing Your Work

So how do you do it without feeling like you’re shaking a tin cup? How do you tell people, “Hey, buy my stuff,” without that pit in your stomach?

There’s an artist and writer, Miriam Schulman, who talks about something called the FOMO email strategy . FOMO:Fear Of Missing Out. It’s brilliant because it removes the “seller” from the equation.

Don’t send an email that screams, “PLEASE BUY MY PAINTING I AM SO BROKE I AM CURRENTLY EATING RAMEN MADE FROM DUST.“
That’s desperation. People can smell desperation.

Instead, send an email that says: “I just wanted to let you know that the piece I was working on last week, the one of the sad clown fighting the robot? Yeah, it sold. It’s going to a home in Ohio. I’m really glad it resonated with someone.”

Do you see the difference? You’re not asking for anything. You’re sharing a story. You’re showing that your work has value to other people. And when a potential buyer reads that, their brain does a weird thing. It thinks, “Wait, that other person got one? Why didn’t I get a chance? I want a sad clown robot-fighting painting!” .

You’re not selling. You’re just reporting the news from your studio. And “selling out” is actually great marketing.

Alright, let’s get practical. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my own experience :

1. Give ’em a reason to walk into the garage.
Why would anyone sign up for this? You have to bribe them. But bribe them with you. Don’t just say “Sign up for my newsletter.” Zzzzzzz. Say: “Sign up to get first dibs on new work before I post it on Instagram. Also, I’ll send you photos of my studio when it’s a disaster area, so you can feel better about your own life.” .

• The Bribe (Lead Magnet): Offer a free, high-res print of a popular piece. Or a “Wallpapers for Your Phone” pack. Or just the promise of a monthly story about what you’re working on. It has to be exclusive.

2. Send the right thing to the right person.
This is where the tech nerds call it “segmentation.” Don’t let the word scare you. It just means: don’t send a postcard about your new line of acrylic pet portraits to the guy who only buys your abstract charcoal drawings of empty parking lots. He won’t like it. He’ll think you’ve sold out.
Tools like Kit (formerly ConvertKit) let you tag people. If someone buys a print, you can tag them as “Print Buyer.” Then, next time you make a run of prints, you can just email them. The person who buys original paintings? They get the email about the big, expensive new piece. It makes people feel seen. It’s personal. Like a good therapy session .

3. The content plan for the terminally blocked.
You’re staring at a blank screen. What do you write? Here’s a cheat sheet I stole from the internet and modified while drinking bad coffee :

• The “Messy Studio” Email: Send a photo of your chaotic workspace. Talk about the one brush you can never find. It makes you human.
• The “Help Me!” Email: “I finished this piece and I have no idea what to call it. It looks like a giraffe melting in the desert. Any ideas? Reply to this email!” This starts a conversation. It’s engagement that actually means something, unlike a double-tap from a bot .
• The “Here’s What’s Coming” Email: Give them a sneak peek of a piece you’re nervous about. Let them in on the process. “I’m not sure about the color on this one, but I’m committing.” It builds intimacy .
• The “Just Sold” Email: As we discussed. Pure. Gold.

Look, building a list is a grind. It’s not a dopamine hit like getting a like on a selfie. It’s slow. It’s building a relationship, one person at a time. But these are your people. The ones who want to hear from you. The ones who will actually buy the thing so you can afford to keep making the thing .

Stop relying on the mall. Clean out the studio. Put up a sign. Invite people in. You might be surprised who shows up.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wrangle my dogs. One of them is judging me, and frankly, I don’t need that kind of negativity right now.

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Practical Tips Recap (For Those Who Skim):

• Own your space: Start a list on Mailchimp, Flodesk, or Kit. It’s your safety net  .
• Bribe them: Offer a wallpaper pack, a story, or first dibs to get signups .
• Use FOMO: Announce sold pieces to create desire without begging .
• Segment your list: Tell print buyers about prints, and collectors about originals .
• Be a human: Send messy studio pics and ask for help with titles .
• Be consistent: Once or twice a month. No one wants a spammy ex-lover, and no one wants a spammy artist

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I grace the internet here twice a week at least, with strategies & advice for the creatives who hate to market, or the creatives who just want to market effectively. It’s ideas, tools, strategies to make you a successful marketer so you can spend more time being creative. That’s what we need right now: less marketers and more creatives. You can subscribe to the blog and get notifications (that magic box below – no spam), and/or you can do me a solid and buy me a coffee for being here for over two years giving away my pearls of wisdom. Yeah, I’m selling at you, right now.