How the Internet Changed Everything for Artists
Before the Internet, art was a physical product. Whether created with paint or pencils, clay or stone, art was defined by its physicality — its combination of materials, the way it interacts with the viewer in space. The web shattered this construct, every single part of it: the way we learn, create, share, collaborate, and earn from art. The very definition of art and the idea of what it means to be an artist have expanded beyond the physical to include the pixel.
From Art Class to DeviantArt: On Learning Art
Traditional opportunities for kids to learn about and create art were limited to families and classrooms. The lucky ones would, on rare occasion, visit a gallery or museum with their parents or on a school field trips. Today, opportunities to encounter art are endless. Kids spend 5.5 hours daily consuming content, much of it created by their peers. DeviantArt, the largest of the many online communities for amateur artists, has 40 million registered users. Youtube and video platform Twitch Creative boast tens of thousands of creators dedicated to offering free art instruction. Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram, and Facebook have become significant hubs for artists, providing new avenues for distributing and sharing artwork.
From Pencil to Pixel: On Creating Art
Art used to be made with crayon, watercolor, pencil, pen, ink. Paper or pigment was requisite. Now, with access to MS Paint, iPads, art-making apps like PicsArt, the list goes on — physical materials are optional. Digital niches like pixel art and glitch art have emerged, GIFs have taken over (just look to Giphy and Imgur), and the very definition of art has expanded. Some new mediums may not yet be taken seriously, but neither was photography in the 1920s, nor Warhol’s pop art in the 1960s. From Vincent van Gogh’s oil paintings to Andy Warhol’s silkscreens, the history of art repeatedly reveals a lag-time between art creation and acceptance. Should we expect any difference in today’s culture?
From the Fridge to Facebook: On Displaying and Sharing Art
A generation ago, those hoping to show off their art had their parents’ fridge or a gallery show (if they were lucky enough to get noticed by the right person). Few opportunities between those two distant steps existed. With such a high bar to show off your artwork, and gatekeepers holding so much power, it could be discouraging — if not impossible — for aspiring artists to get feedback, support, and recognition. Today, anyone with an internet access can admire, praise, and critique your art. And gone are the gatekeepers; anyone with talent can have their artwork go viral overnight. As creators take more control of their distribution, their distribution becomes a part of the artistic endeavor itself.
From IRL to URL: On Finding Artistic Community
One of the most difficult parts of being an artist is how isolating the act of creating is. Dribbble, Behance, NeonMob (the company I founded) and dozens of other art communities serve tens of millions of global artists every single day. These various internet nodes connect artists with the broader world — specifically, fellow artists around the world. Art school, or perhaps moving to the “big city,” were formerly the only ways artists could connect with fellow creators. Now, online communities provide a gathering place for everybody from fine artists to creators of pixel art, animated GIFs, 3D renderings, logos, typography, glitch art, fan art, and more. Very possibly, the next Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe are discovering each other online right now.
From Old Money to New Money: On Earning as an Artist
Perhaps most revolutionary effect on art is the Internet’s ability to do what it does best: allow anyone, irrespective of location, fame, or establishment, to participate and thrive in the open market. The art world has always been an insider’s game, with limited access and high barriers to entry. Now, nouveau marketplaces like Society6, RedBubble, Artsy and others have created a more egalitarian marketplace for buyers and sellers. These sites operate similarly to their offline counterparts, selling art to buyers; and though they aren’t innovating on the product itself, they’re broadening the possible market and unlocking access to buyers.
Newer platforms, excitingly, go a step further. On Twitch Creative, y0u can earn through subscriptions to live demonstrations. Patreon lets people to pay artists for future access to their upcoming creations. Fiverr offers on-demand commissions. At NeonMob, we’ve created a platform for creators to sell limited-edition digital art trading cards to collectors around the world. All of these platforms make art available for discovery and purchase by a new market of fans, undermining the dominance of art world gatekeepers.
As more of these options emerge online, the walls of the art world are cracking to to reveal colorful new rooms filled with pixels, glitch art, digital videos, and transformative new media. The old guard – the galleries and the elitists – won’t be replaced, but they’ll have to make room for the newcomers. Just as the 20th century expanded the definition of art beyond oil paintings and sculpture to include photography, pop art, and video, the 21st century will do the same. Our sources of discovery won’t be museums; they will be Reddit, Twitch, or Facebook. Collectors may not think of themselves as such – but they are.
Thank yous to Whitney Ricketts, Stephen Haskell, and Hallie Fryd for their sharp edits. Shameless plug: come check out NeonMob and win all the things.
