Instagram Art Business Influencers - Review

A source of knowledge

As we are moving ever onward in the online environment of social media and content, the places where we get information, knowledge, ideas, and influence from has increased hundred-fold from decades ago, where only curated medias of TV, books and print media that was managed edited and guided was the only source. Now however we can find pretty much all examples of ideas, and information through the simple use of a google, AI bot, or social media. With directed algorithm we all are getting spoon fed thoughts and ideas, of our interests on a constant basis. So how do we know what´s of value and where we should get it.

A key goal for Department45.eu and my own work here is to review those sources of information and give some insight to who is there, and what they are saying while also giving insight to the content type and quality. There is so much it´s hard to see the forest for the trees and that´s what our reviews are doing some work to hopefully help with.

That brings us to one of the elephants in the room for both information, content, and opinions. Instagram is many artists and creatives a goldmine and time sink. It has a horrifyingly effective ability to keep our attention and identify content that can be of interest. This also means that we will find both the great and not so great on this platform. So, let’s look at a few of the Influencers that came across my feed in the last weeks before this article and see if their content if of use value, or not.

Today we´ll be looking at five of the creatives, that my algorithm has been throwing at me.

Sleepyheadkl – An American artist and businessperson.
Growthbybelle.co – An American painter and course provider
Artworkarchive – A business that provides art business courses.
Createmagazine – A business and magazine publisher that provides courses and training and curates several print medias
Artgrowthclub – An avatar driven account that very specifically focuses on developing the viewers Instagram account follower growth.

We´ll be taking each creator one by one with a bit of information on the type of content they provide having reviewed their posts for the last four or five weeks. And give then an idea if their worth following and what you can expect to find in their profiles.

Art Business Influencers

Sleepyheadkl

Starting with one of the creators that I first started following with my own return to Instagram two years ago, we have Sleepyheadkl, This is the handle for an artist based out of the United states, who does a lot of generally cute, and adorable artwork that she then has built a business around applying to numerous print products. The products range from stickers, bookmarks, coloring books and a wide range of versions and products. The content that Sleepyheadkl provides focuses specifically on her own business and how she approaches the different topics of running a business. The content here I think is great, as they clearly discuss topics of relevance to print based creators as well as those that have physical products. They discuss topics like how to sell wholesale, creating a catalogue for clients, client management, managing inventory, pricing and many more. They are clearly very successful in running their business as well as their art and how they deliver the content is simple direct and informative. I appreciate when a businessperson has the time and willingness to share their experiences and lessons big and small and that´s what this is. Good advice given simply and directly. Sleepyheadkl is absolutely worth a follow, and I believe will have insight to many creators. This is a great example of an experienced voice shared freely.

growthbybelle.co

Growthbybelle.co, clearly is a business there to sell you a course, now this course is to develop the business skills of artists and others who might benefit from their knowledge. The content is clearly focused on business financial growth and developing the success of the people who follow their course. The creative behind the account is a painter who consistently speaks about her own story in a manner that is pretty built for the sale of her course. Many posts contain the cliché tag line of “10 Things that people don´t do” and in one post it speaks of a potential numeric earning increase specifically. Like if you do XXX you´ll make XX. This is a red flag for me because you be very careful about setting expectations to specific earnings as nothing can guarantee that. It makes the content seem less interested in your success, then in selling you the course. I don´t have an opinion on the course work or the content of the course, I feel the content here is professional and well made. I also believe those posts that does have advice to be solid information that can be of help to most. If you feel yourself in the market for learning a course or taking paid for advice then Growthbybelle.co might be worth a follow, otherwise I feel you´ll find the advice elsewhere more available. A follow is free, it seems the content costs money, however.

artworkarchive

Next up we have the Artworkarchive. This account seems to be both a source of ideas and advice to creatives, also collects and presents information about gallery exhibits, Art Residency opportunities, as well posts that display artwork, and artists. The content is well presented and covers a range of topics. I really like the collecting of art residency opportunities and the sharing of information they provide. Under all this is a software as a service product, that is meant to be a database for artists to track and manage their artwork. By using the tools, you´ll gain an ability to get an overview of created works, sizes materials etc. that will allow for better management of sales, exhibits and more. Despite the obvious software selling part of this account, which I do understand has a purpose, I feel the content here is valuable. They have good ideas and suggestions that provide some insight that can be valuable. I have no idea of the software and its value so I cannot speak to the application, however I think through their Instagram they provide some value that can be worth following and reviewing.

Createmagazine

Createmagazine, has a range of content that they post, between, calls for artists to promote in their print magazines, of which they have several, they also post, art pieces in posts, artists, gallery shows, and a podcast. The content here is very classic art based and with that in mind might not apply to all, however I feel that there is good range of inspirational content available. They also have several courses that they are looking to sell which we need to keep in mind, along with the print magazines as well. I don´t have any issues with selling your knowledge and the account doesn´t make promises specifically beyond the content of the courses. I think that makes it both reliable and honest. The posts are well presented and look great, as to how much you´ll as a creative get from the account is probably limited unless you´re a classically trained artist, painters specifically it seemed.

artgrowthclub

Our last account to review is the artgrowthclub, which is one of the most prolific creators we have here. Using an avatar and focusing on helping creatives build their online presence without showing their face the goal of this account is clear. Build your following and teaching followers how to master Instagram specifically. The reels and posts that the creator here puts up are very focused on boosting visibility and reach within the changes of Instagram. Many posts/reels discuss and explain changes to Instagram as communicated by the application itself. This is often information that most users would never pay attention to, and our creator here does the work to both get the information, interpret it and then show you how to process what changes that Instagram is putting in place. That alone I think is extremely valuable. They are doing the work to monitor Instagram’s changes and tell their followers must react to them. They have a simple means of communicating how to change your settings and what behaviors will be more successful. This account is about reach and dealing with the platform and for that reason it´s a favorite of mine as that is a struggle I have online.

This is a definite follow if you´re using Instagram to build.

Summary

We have had a chance to review five different Instagram accounts and their respective creators, content and message. We have a few, Sleepyheadkl and artgrowthclub that provide in my opinion direct and specific valuable information with no buy in or gatekeeping, others are clearly businesses that are selling either courses or similar products. These accounts also can provide insights or thought starters if perhaps keeping the most important bits close to their chests. I think there can be a lot of value to find in the right creators on Instagram, but as with all things you need to judge the message and the messenger. That goes for myself especially as I am the same.

As a source of information and record Instagram can be the best and worst, we must maintain our vigilance as consumers of information and ensure that we are onboarding good information and rejecting the bad.

If you know of any good art business creators please share them in the comments below, or tag them to me in a DM on Instagram

Keep an open eye as you consume and give some of the creators a follow. Otherwise follow us on Instagram @department45.eux, for updates on reviews articles. And if you have issues or questions about your art business, or creative program, then please reach out to us on timh@department45.eu

Thank you - Tim H. Lead Consultant- Department 45.