The most informative content that I adapt to my process almost always comes from the inspirational people I follow online. There are thousands of great artists sharing their work online and many are putting content out there that is designed to help other artists grow as business professionals. There are some great people I follow on various social media platforms as well as their blogs, YouTube channels, websites and even virtual worlds. Some of them include people like Carolyn Edlund AKA ArtsyShark, Alyson B Stanfield AKA ArtBizCoach, and College Art Association or CAA. These people have amazing content that I learn so much from.
Some of the communities I engage with online include professionals that work for tech companies like Adobe, Autodesk, Unreal and Unity. They have YouTube channels where they share tips/tricks, how to tutorials, information about new features and most importantly live project and portfolio reviews. The folks over at Adobe were even kind enough to review one of my designs via live video feed. They checked out a ferrofluid style page set up I had created as an online store using Adobe XD which I was beta testing at the time. It was great to get their valuable feedback and I look forward to each live feed I manage to come across because it gives me an opening to have my work seen by everyone watching their videos.
For the time being, I’m working as a solo artist, so my cohorts and business partners have yet to be developed. From time to time I do bounce ideas for art projects off my fiancé and friends and their honesty gives me an idea about which projects are worth pursuing. Currently I have a project in the works which will be helping a fellow classmate and well-known blogger (Scott Stokes from Northwest Chefs) curate artwork for a virtual coffee shop he is creating in Second Life called BLACK SHEEP. The place looks great and will be an amazing social hub for people from all walks of life. I’m looking forward to contributing to this project and providing great conversation pieces while people enjoy some digital caffeine and ambiance.
Cory Castillon 