Fear and Loathing on the Social Scene and Self Promotion (Act III)

There are some major avenues of "Hey Look At Me" you can drive your self-promotion bandwagon up that were not around when I started as a reluctant marketer. These streets do have names and they are located in the Social Network section of Info highways. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to name a few. If you're an independent artist, along with flashing your work at the world, it is beneficial to expose yourself. (Yes, write your own joke here)

 You are the person who creates something: a play, a song, a book, or any piece of art. If you think about it, the public is familiar with the people behind the work: Van Gogh, Van Morrison, Picasso, Warhol, Neil Simon, Neil Diamond, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, etc.. We hear or see these names and immediately recall their work. (And Tolstoy didn't even have a Twitter account. He does now but I'd go out on a limb and bet it wasn't actually him ) Bottom line --- as an independent artist, getting your "Name" out there increases an association between you and what you do. (And of course, "Links" to your site)

Public I

 One drawback of creating a Profile on Facebook or Twitter is that while you are creating a presence that associates your name with your work, it also allows room for you to expose your true nature and feelings that may not delight the world at large. Example: One day you post your  "New play is produced in Sheboygan this weekend!" Which is fine. The next day you post that "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Fart head!" Which is fine also, but may alienate a few potential patrons. It's best to keep your politics, religion, and old photos of yourself sharing a bong with GG Allin to a minimum. 

 Essentially, putting your face and your name out there on Social Networks with the subtext of your "Brand" (music, poetry, writing, photography, etc..) while at the same time, putting your "Brand" out there,(your Website), with the subtext of yourself, you create two paths in which the public can follow to find you.

Well Done vs Over Done

 While it's a major benefit to promote yourself online and in Social circles, keep in mind the idiom from Henry IV, Part One in which Falstaff says: "The better part of valor is discretion". I have seen many Self Promoting Indie types go overboard posting about themselves and their work.

 It's as if a point of reference to be noticed is drawn from a 6-year old at the Supermarket, standing in front of the impulse-buy Candy display. Repetition of a desire may wear the parent down into letting a child have the Gummi-Worms, but the repetition of a self-promoting artist can get annoying, (depending on the topic). I mean sure, if your work is being published, your play is being produced or you have a headlining gig at a club, great! But if you're telling us that you're having coffee with Uncle Otis again and that you need to color coordinate your sock drawer, ummm, OK. Didn't really need to know that. Not yet anyway. 

 There are many schools of thought on what you should post on-line, how often you should post and you can find those teachers on line. I personally have found it best to stick to matters related to theatre and writing. Friendly not familiar. Personable not personal. Well done and not overdone. 

 A few final thoughts later. I'm meeting Aunt Bunny at Costco. She finally bought me that 3-gallon vat of Gummi Worms.