Digital Divide for Artists

We (Daniel and I) have been giving seminars in our office for over a year now. We find it is a fun and exciting to bring new knowledge and tools into photographers hands. When someone who attends really grasps what we are saying, and starts to run with it, well, that's pretty exciting. However, it is interesting to us how few follow through with our advice, or even seem to research more on their own. I guess it is the way of the world. So many talented people letting fear and inertia keep them from moving ahead.

Seth has a post today about the new "digital divide" between those who 'get' it and those who don't, or even worse, won't. That was precisely the theme of our last seminar and is the one we are most passionate about now. We call it 'Cover Your Ass(ets) - Digital Tools for Wired Artists.' We are still working on a more catchy name, but - I digress.

The point of the seminar is to show how many digital tools and products are at the photographers/artists disposal. And the really amazing thing is that most of them are free. Don't cost a nickel. Zip. What they do take is initiative, time, thought and a bit more time. And time is a premium for most of us. (Yes, I know... 3 kids in 3 different schools, an ice skater who is on the ice every morning at 5 and a budding volleyballer... Time? What the hell is that?)

So when we tell folks about these things, these tools and ideas, we many times get push-back. Some will argue with us that the tools take too much time, are too difficult to master, don't work on their OS... whatever. It seems silly and a little sad. The tools exist, arguing against their existance - especially when others in their industry are using them so effectively - seems more like an arguement with themselves over the justification of their fears.

So here's some typical comments:

• I have no time to get 25 images together.
• I have been really slow so I haven't created anything new.
• I have too many images/designs to go through
  
• Ok, so that's a blog. What on earth would I write about?
  
• How can I Blog? I don't have any time to do that.
• What again is a PhotoBlog?
• How would a Photoblog thing help me? I need more work.
  
• I don't have any 'news' about my business.

BS. All of it. I don't care how 'busy' you are, you have the time to do this. In most cases is it lack of inertia that keeps one static. There is time to do these things. Find it. You must or you will perish. We'll see your ads on EBAY. "Photo Equip for sale. Hardly used."

Here is how we see the new "Digi-divide" existing for Photographers and artists:

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
Has a Really Cool Awesome Totally Static Site Built in Flash with stupid title pages like:
a : r : t : i : s : t - and has no idea what it is doing for them - or to them.

Photographer Who Gets it:
Has a dynamic site, mostly html and CSS, and is constantly adding content, new work, news items, links and more.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
Has the same images on their site as they did 6 months ago

Photographer Who Gets it:
Changes images constantly. Shoot something new, put it up. Tell everyone about it.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
"What's a Blog? I really don't have time for those things."

Photographer Who Gets it:
Has a Blog. Or at least a dynamic news section of their site to keep clients and prospects aware of all the cool stuff they are doing.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
"Photoblog? I heard about them. Aren't they just for amateurs and pictures of kids and stuff.

Photographer Who Gets it:
Has a photoblog, maybe two. Linked to PhotoBlogs.org as well as other listing pages.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
"Flickr?"

Photographer Who Gets it:
Has a Flickr account, at least a free one. Uses it for a myriad of reasons.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
Thinks that putting RF images at some online stock agency is "stupid."

Photographer Who Gets it:
Has at least 25 images at iStockPhoto.com where hundreds of thousands of photo buyers come to see and buy. And see the LINK to the photographer's own site. Get it.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
"I can't compete against Corbis, man."

Photographer Who Gets it:
Actively selling their own stock and fine art prints.

Photographer Who Doesn't Get It:
Cannot find the time to participate in forums or discussion groups.

Photographer Who Gets it:
Active in forums in areas that the photographer can be seen as an image specialist, not just photo related forums.

There are more, of course, lots more, but these are the ones that I think can make or break the artist for now. Business is changing all the time, and it is imperative to change with, not against, it. Time is difficult to find, but it is there. Get committed to making a change and you will be surprised where you will find extra time.

Put down the remote. If you are more concerned about who gets 'voted off' on TV, you may be the next one to go in real life. And when that happens, you'll need this link.