Hello there,

I am so happy to finally share this exciting news— HUG has been acquired by .ART Registry, the premier digital domain of the art world!

This new chapter will empower more creators than ever with unparalleled tools, technology, and opportunities online, onchain, and in the real world.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

This acquisition marks a significant milestone for the artists of HUG, who will now be joining .ART's network of creators, museums, and organizations which span over 400,000 domains and includes high-profile adopters such as Refik Anadol, XCOPY, LACMA, Bitforms Gallery, Apple, and more.

As a welcome gift, .ART is extending benefits to HUG's community:

• A free 1-year PRO subscription to ID.art

• A free standard .ART domain name

• Additional discounts and credits towards a premium .ART domain

Over the years, it's been incredible to see HUG grow from a handful of artists to a thriving global community of over 35,000 creators across 180 countries. The transition to .ART will build upon HUG's strong foundation, providing artists with even greater resources to enhance their creative careers.

LOOKING AHEAD TOGETHER

As HUG hands the reins over to .ART, some of our services such as Open Calls and Artist Storefronts will take a brief hiatus while .ART integrates more comprehensive tools and resources onto our website. Until then, we encourage you to take advantage of all that .ART has to offer and get excited for bigger and better opportunities in 2025!

To ensure a seamless transition, my cofounder Debbie Soon will serve as an advisor to .ART, and part of our team will be staying on as .ART ambassadors to continue their work with the artists we have admired and advocated for over the years.

JOIN US TO CELEBRATE!

Save the date for December 16th at 10:00 AM ET and join us for our first-ever virtual event as one united community.

HUG and .ART are hosting a livestream where we’ll introduce the exciting new features and benefits available through the .ART platform and community. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with familiar faces from HUG and meet new friends at .ART.

I hope to see you there!

When my cofounder Debbie and I first started HUG, our goal was always to democratize access to the arts and empower creators to succeed on their own terms. It’s been a privilege not just to see so many of you grow your creative career, but to grow alongside you as well.

On behalf of my entire team, thank you to every artist and art lover who has been on this journey with us. I'm so excited about where you'll go next with .ART, and will continue to cheer you along just the same as I always have.

Forever rooting for you.
With love from your mother hugger,

Randi Zuckerberg, HUG Founder & CEO

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#076: Key Lessons from Office Hours: Marketing, Art Business, and Open Call Strategies

You asked! We answered.

Last Thursday, we hosted our first-ever Office Hours with the HUG team, diving into the topics that matter to you most — marketing your art, increasing sales, and landing those coveted open call opportunities. We ended up having a conversation packed with actionable advice to help artists grow their business, build connections, and get their work in front of the right people.

If you missed it, not to worry! Here’s a quick rundown of what we discussed.

How to Market Yourself

Feeling like social media success is just out of reach? The good news is, it’s not about being the most skilled or famous—it’s about how consistent you can be about personal branding. Social media algorithms reward engagement, which means focusing on building relationships with your audience is key.

On one side, your audience cares about who you are—what you represent, your relatability, your authenticity. On the other, the algorithm cares about what you do—your content's format, engagement rates, and use of features. In the middle is you, the bridge between creating valuable content and building trust with your audience.

To balance both sides:

• Focus on consistent storytelling to engage your audience emotionally

• Experiment with native content, trending features, and higher production quality to catch the algorithm’s attention

• Think of the algorithm as a tool to find an audience that genuinely cares about who you are as an artist

How to Sell Your Art

During the session, many of you expressed that pricing can feel daunting. We get it! Pricing is an art form in itself, requiring practice and iteration.

We broke pricing down to a few simple steps:

• Research the typical price range for art similar to yours

• Consider your hourly rate, production costs, and marketing expenses

• Don't forget to adjust and iterate as you gain more experience

And then there’s the "Rule of 7"—the magic number of times potential buyers need to see your work before deciding to purchase. So, don’t be shy about posting your art multiple times! The more you share, the higher your chances of converting followers into buyers.

For a deeper dive, check out our pricing calculator guide to help you find the sweet spot for your art.

How to Maximize Your Open Call Chances

We spent the second half of Office Hours focused on tips and examples we gathered from running hundreds of Open Calls all around the world. Here’s what you need to know.

The Don’ts:

1. Don’t Submit Incomplete Work: Check every requirement: file type, links, and answers to specific questions. Incomplete submissions are often rejected immediately—curators don’t have time to chase down missing details.

2. Don’t Submit Inaccurate Information: Double and triple check links, files, and details for accuracy. Inaccurate submissions can ruin your chances, even if your art is spot-on.

3. Don’t Submit Misaligned Work: Tailor your work to match the open call's theme or criteria. This can take time, but the investment is worth it. Even great art can get rejected if it doesn’t fit the curator’s vision.

The Do’s:

1. Do Leverage your Artist Profile as Your Artist Resume: Your artist portfolio, updates, and badges can act as your artist resume. Maintain a dynamic profile to build credibility and prioritize opportunities that align with your long-term artist goals.

2. Do Write an Engaging Artist Bio: Craft a clear, compelling bio that highlights who you are and what drives your work. Curators want to know who you are! Your bio can be just as important as your submission. Personalize for each Open Call submission, aligning your bio with Open Call values and objectives to stand out from the crowd.

3. Do Spotlight Your Identity and Mediums: HUG Artist Profiles offer optional identity and medium tags to improve your discovery. Use these to help curators discover your work! Many curators take an inclusive approach to their final selections—tagging accurately can help you stand out and add further dimension and context to your art.

Closing Thoughts

Thank you again for learning with us at our first live HUG Office Hours! Our biggest takeaway is that we want to offer more of these to you, creating more opportunities for connection, learning, and growth.

Whether you're refining your portfolio, preparing for open calls, or strategizing your next big project, staying focused on your craft can make all the difference in turning your passion into a thriving business.

With that, we are excited to introduce HUG Open Studios, where creative consistency meets community support and professional guidance to get your latest project over the finish line together!

What to expect:

• Casual, virtual drop-in sessions that offer a serene, “library-like” atmosphere for creators to work alongside others while drawing inspiration from the collective energy of the community. 

• HUG team members joining the call to offer personalized insights on art marketing, open calls, and creative strategies—building on our previous office hour.

• 10-day accountability challenge inviting you to post your learnings and works-in-progress on Lens, with an opportunity to win cash prizes, gain exposure, and connect with fellow creators. 

Artist Grants & Opportunities

• 🦅 Reimagine animals in NYC: Bushwick Gallery is seeking artwork reinterpreting the animal kingdom for their November exhibition “Wild Kingdoms”.

• 💜 $10,000 Prize Pool with RARI: Exhibit your art at DevCon in Bangkok and be one of 10 artists who receive a $1000 USDC prize.

• 🗽 Host a Solo Show in NYC: Start 2025 strong with a solo exhibition at Awita Gallery in the heart of Williamsburg Brooklyn.

• 📺 Stream holiday-themed art on TV: Loupe Art is looking for digital artists to showcase to their audience fo 700K across Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, Samsung TV, and more.

• ⚡️ Go Rogue in Times Square: The Women in Tech Museum is working with young artist, Rainbow Mosho, to uplight emerging artists on a digital billboard.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

HUG Artist of the Year

We are seeking artists across mediums and miles to submit their signature artworks in consideration of becoming HUG’s 2024 Artist of the Year and receiving a $1000 award!

Artists of all experience levels and subject matter are encouraged to submit their best work for consideration. 1 outstanding artist will be selected by our curatorial jury consisting of HUG Founder & CEO Randi Zuckerberg, artist Jimena Buena Vida, and curator Micol.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 16,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#075: How Art Can Save The World

With a community of creatives spanning 170 countries and digital art exhibitions everywhere from Paris to Bali and everywhere in between, HUG is no stranger to going global.

This past week, however, marks a monumental moment in HUG’s history— our debut at the United Nations headquarters! Thanks to a special collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign, we were able to empower our artists to make an impact on the world stage during the Summit of the Future of New York. In more ways than one, this is just the start of how HUG can help you and your art make a lasting impact.

Let’s talk about how art’s role in activism for a better planet.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

Adopted in 2015 by the United Nations Member States during the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, preserve our planet, and assure prosperity for everyone, everywhere.

These 17 goals are interconnected and recognize issues like ending poverty, affordable energy, economic growth, climate action, and world peace. Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, organizations and communities around the world have been taking action on individual, local, and global levels to implement the SDGs into their lives.

At HUG, we have seen firsthand how art can change the world for the better. From our education programs to ongoing opportunities for artists, we know it’s essential to invest in the creator economy in order for it to play a pivotal role in the future.

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Hope In Action: Transforming Tomorrow

Earlier this summer, HUG collaborated with the UN SDG Action Campaign and UN Youth Affairs Office to host an Open Call to capture a vision for a peaceful, just and inclusive present and a hopeful future, through the power of creativity with themes such as:

• Climate Action

• Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

• Food Security

• Peace

• Youth

• Digital Technologies

The Open Call saw over 1500 submissions, with just 25 artists being curated for the SDG Action Campaign’s HOPE IN ACTION exhibition. These inspiring artworks will be exhibited in and around key UN high-level conferences and initiatives, including the upcoming SDG Action Awards Ceremony in Rome later this October.

Witness the unveiling and watch the live debut of HOPE IN ACTION in the United Nations General Assembly during Youth Impact Day with the United Nations Youth Office. ⤵️

The Power of Art for the 2030 Agenda

The HOPE IN ACTION digital art exhibition was just one way HUG championed our global arts community at the United Nations. In addition, HUG’s Creative Marketing Manager, Tina Survilla Lindell, spoke on a panel about The Power of Art at the United Nations in the SDG Media Zone.

Moderated by Nanette Braun of the UN Department of Global Communications, the panel featured insights from Birgitte Hagemann Snabe of ART 2030 and Audrey Decker, founder of Street Art for Mankind. Each organization shared how they are using art to support the Global Goals, with HUG specifically highlighting the impact of digital art as a tool for accessibility and activism that transcends borders.

From the very beginning, HUG’s mission has been to democratize access to the arts. Today, our global community encompasses over 35,000 creatives around the world— artists whose work not only reflects their individual values but also inspires others to embrace and celebrate those values in unison. Together, we use art to inspire and advance the Global Goals to foster a more inclusive, sustainable, and creative future for the people and the planet.

How You Can Take Action

The difference between a dream and a reality is action. With 17 Sustainable Development Goals to address by 2030, there's no shortage of ways to connect creatively with one that resonates with you. Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Learn the Global Goals. This 2-minute quiz can help identify which of the 17 goals aligns most with your values.

2. Stay informed. Follow and subscribe to the United Nations, UN SDG Action Campaign, UN Youth Affairs, Global Goals, and their partners to get the latest updates and get inspired.

3. Act local, think global. Contribute to community initiatives that support the Global Goals, such as local charities, community gardens, or public libraries, and see how they connect to the larger global agenda.

4. Launch your own initiative. Whether it's starting a conversation with one other person or rallying local support, every effort counts. For inspiration, explore how the 2024 UN SDG Action Awards Finalists are using creativity and innovation to drive change.

Closing Thoughts

As we look toward 2030 and the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals, it's clear that art plays a powerful role in inspiring change and fostering action.

Whether through individual expression or community collaboration, creativity is a force that transcends borders, speaks to shared human values, and drives global progress. By using your creative talents to address global challenges, you can inspire action, break down barriers, and push boundaries. Innovation, when combined with artistic expression, becomes a powerful force for progress, transforming how we think, act, and build a better world for everyone.

Did you miss our last Open Call with the United Nations?

If you weren’t able to participate in our Open Call for Hope In Action, we have another opportunity to contribute to the United Nations.

HUG is hosting an Open Call with Christie’s Digital Art and Erick Calderon of Artblocks to reinterpret the iconic Chromie Squiggle in a way that explores the transformative power of digital art in creating new connections across borders.

The winning piece will be part of the upcoming Christie’s x UNHCR Charity Auction: "Bridging Worlds: Digital Art Beyond Borders" taking place from October 23 to 30, 2024. This auction will raise funds to support the work of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Submissions are open through October 4, 2024.

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• 👻 Unveil the Unseen in NYC: Bushwick Gallery is seeking haunting artwork for their October exhibition “Specters of the Subconscious”.

• 🎨 Win $1300 in Prizes: Zsolt Kosa is hosting an art contest with the grand prize winner getting a gift set of Photoshop & Procreate brushes.

• ✨ Exhibit your art in Downtown Dubai: Art in Space Gallery is seeking residents for their immersive gallery in the heart of Dubai.

• 🗽🌴 Go Big in Times Square NYC & Art Basel Miami: Art Innovation Gallery wants to light up your art larger than life for the world to see.

• 🏎️ $500 Prize with Rally: Rally FKA Floor is seeking creators for ICONS, their Creator Discovery program. Prospective artworks should celebrate their rebrand on the theme of RALLY.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

HUG Artist Spotlight: Zsolt Kosa

Zsolt Kosa is a digital painter and creative technologist from Hungary. With 15 years of experience, his talents extend across illustration, game development, branding, and digital innovation. While cultivating his own creative skills and talents is central to his practice, sharing his knowledge with like-minded artists to support their creative journeys is equally important.

That’s why we are excited to announce the launch of Zsolt’s HUG Shop, where he is sharing over 70 digital brush sets that are compatible Photoshop and Procreate 5.0. Zsolt’s invites beginners and experts alike to explore an extensive range of digital brushes, from dynamic splatters and realistic foliage to intricate textures and magical effects, perfect for adding unique touches.

Shop Zsolt’s HUG Artist Storefront for Photoshop & Procreate software

…but wait, there’s more!

Zsolt is giving away a special brush set of 30 digital brushes for free! You can redeem yours here. This brush set includes software for thick brushstrokes, splatters, halftones, watercolors, and more.

Not only is this brush set free, but it also unlocks the opportunity to win over $1300 in prizes from Zsolt’s HUG Shop if you enter his digital art contest on HUG! The top 3 artists will receive the following prizes:

• First Place: Full access to every brush set for free ($1300+ in value)

• Second Place: Free access to Zsolt’s most popular bundle and 3 brush sets of your choice

• Third Place: Free access to 3 brush sets you think are most helpful to you

Who doesn’t love a challenge that comes with a free gift? We can’t wait to see what artwork you create!

Featuring artwork made with Zsolt’s brushes

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#073: Authenticity with your Audience in Art Business

Authenticity is on trend. The social media landscape of today differs greatly from how it looked ten, five, and even one year ago.

Younger audiences often perceive carefully curated, design-forward social feeds as manufactured or even disingenuous. Some platforms even prioritize content that’s developed within their respective apps within native tools instead of content refined through external software editing programs.

You can’t have authenticity without connection, and connection is getting harder and harder in the era of the algorithm. The good news is that artists are no strangers to authenticity, and advances in technology make it easier than ever to not just prove your artwork is the real deal, but to keep you in touch with your collectors.

It’s time to get real.

Multimedia Artist Karen Cheng reflecting on Instagram’s Algorithm

The Importance of Authenticating Art

Creators have long prioritized authenticity. Over the past two decades, the internet has fueled the growth of the creator economy into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Social media has played a significant role in connecting artists with audiences, transforming followers into financial supporters. However, success comes with challenges, such as the need to fend off copycats and prove the originality of one's art. Authentication is crucial for artists to maintain creative and financial control while giving collectors a transparent way to support original creators.

Historically, artists have used various methods to authenticate their work. During the Renaissance, painters like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci signed their creations, while formal seals and stamps were employed in Ancient Greece, medieval Europe, and the Han Dynasty of China.

The good news is that while you can still take creative measures like this to authenticate the sales of your digital and physical work, recent updates in technology make it easier to automate authenticity and document connections with your collectors.

Leonardo da Vinci was known to authenticate his artwork by incorporating a series of intertwining knots into his signature

Advances in Authentication Technology

It takes an artist a lifetime of experience to cultivate the kind of creativity that brings their artwork to life… and art theft can take those bright ideas for someone else to profit from in no time at all. In 2016, artist Tuesday Bassen went up against the global brand Zara after she discovered they were selling artwork and the artwork of her friends that had been shared on social media. Just last week, TikTok influencer Jools Lebron found herself in legal battles as she made strides to copyright on her now viral saying of ‘very demure, very mindful’.

@joolieannie

#fyp #demure

Decades after the internet empowered creators to connect, blockchain now provides an accessible solution for owning, authenticating, and documenting their art. Documenting your work as an on-chain collectible provides independent creators with a secure way to establish provenance, protect against counterfeits, and maintain control over their content, even as AI adoption grows. Despite criticism, NFTs offer lasting attribution that strengthens trust with collectors and preserves the creator’s legacy.

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How To Authenticate Your Art Onchain

Earlier iterations of onchain collectibles often required creators to own cryptocurrency to create an onchain collectible of their art. At HUG, we want to make it as easy as possible for creators to start going onchain. Not only does HUG cover all gas fees (i.e. transaction costs that are associated with using the blockchain), you also do not need to have a wallet at the time that you create (mint) an onchain collectible for sale.

Sell your art as an onchain collectible in a few clicks with HUG

You can use HUG’s Shop features to authenticate your artwork online in several ways. First, you can upload various file types, such as JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, or PDFs, to create an onchain collectible.

Additionally, HUG enables you to offer a digital onchain collectible as proof of authenticity alongside the sale of your physical works. For example, HUG Artist Sour Power has set up her HUG Shop so that anybody who purchases her physical paintings will automatically receive an onchain collectible of that same work. This serves not just as a certificate of authenticity, but also provides provenance for when the artwork was sold and who it was sold to.

Artist Sour Power provides an onchain collectible to prove authenticity to any collector who purchases her physical painting

Closing Thoughts

In today's art world, authenticity isn't just about creating genuine work; it's also about ensuring that your art is protected and properly recognized. As technology evolves, artists have more tools than ever to authenticate their creations and build trust with their collectors.

By exploring options like onchain collectibles and other digital methods, you not only safeguard your artistic legacy but also create a stronger bond with your audience. Remember, authenticating your art isn't just a protective measure—it's an opportunity to enhance your connection with those who value your work the most.

Want to learn more about taking your content onchain?

Join us for a 2-day crash course with Lens, a decentralized social network, that allows you to take ownership over your content and connections by letting your followers actually follow you wherever you go.

Over 800 creatives from around the world have already signed up.
The best part? It’s totally free. Sign up while you can!

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 📲 Win a Free iPad! Anastasia NFT & Jawniest are giving an iPad away to an artist in need, but only if you don’t already own one.

• ✨ Exhibit your art in Downtown Dubai: Art in Space Gallery is seeking residents for their immersive gallery in the heart of Dubai.

• 🗽 Get Your Art On A Times Square Billboard: Chicago-based curator Kennedy Free is looking for art on the theme of PLAY.

• 🖼️ Subjective Art Festival: Be part of HUG’s Community Display at the upcoming festival in New York City.

• 🇺🇳 Exhibit your art at the United Nations HQ: The UN Civil Society Arts & Culture Impact Coalition is seeking art to exhibit at the upcoming Summit of the Future of New York.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

AI Art Excellence Award with Faedriel

This past month, HUG’s Ambassador Faedriel ran an Open Call for our inaugural AI Art Excellence Award. We are proud to announce the winning artists, whose innovative AI work was curated from over 300 unique submissions from artists around the world.

Bronze AI Art Excellence Award

Gaurdian of Whispers by Wildy Martinez

Wildy Martinez, the Founder and Artist behind Wildflower Fields, is a Latina artist, fashion designer, and advocate who celebrates diversity in women through art, fashion, and storytelling, focusing on the beauty of Vitiligo to inspire others and normalize natural beauty.

Silver AI Art Excellence Award

Space Cadet by althumanist

Althumanist is an artist with neurodivergence who explores human emotions and mental health through generative surrealism, blending technology and humanity into her work.

Grand Prize AI Art Excellence Award

Metamorphosis by Lottevont

Lottevont is an AI Art Director based in the Netherlands who creates dreamlike, often hallucinatory images that oscillate between real and surreal, blurring the lines between the tangible and imagined.

Faedriel selected Lottevont as the grand prize winner for the AI Art Excellence Award for her work with Metamorphosis, a generative AI short film depicting techno-organic imagery of women amongst flowers in bloom and butterflies in flight. In her artist statement, Lottevont express that while technology evolves, it all originates from the human experiences of creativity and expression.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 15,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#073: The Future of Social Media

One of the major challenges with today’s social media platforms is the lack of control users have over their data and online presence. Constantly shifting algorithms, the absence of fair and transparent monetization models, and the looming threat of regulatory changes can quickly erode the optimism of independent creators, leaving them feeling disillusioned.

Don’t lose hope for creative and financial success just yet. A new trend is emerging as creators seek alternatives to regain control. Enter decentralized social media and follower ownership, allowing users to own their digital identities and relationships truly.

Let’s talk about it.

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What exactly is decentralized social media?

Using blockchain technology—a secure and transparent way of recording information—decentralized social media ensures that valuable user data, such as your username, followers, and messages, belongs to you and cannot be taken away. Unlike centralized platforms like Instagram or X, where usernames can be changed or messages censored, decentralized platforms protect your control.

In traditional social networks, switching platforms means losing your followers. With decentralized social media, you keep full ownership of your profile, data, and content, providing a framework for complete control over your digital presence.

Introducing Lens

Lens is a decentralized and open social network that gives users and developers full control over their experiences and was created as an alternative to centralized social media platforms like X, Instagram, Snapchat, and more.

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Taking it a step further, Lens is a protocol that various companies and applications can build upon. Think of Lens like email: just as you can use different email clients, such as Gmail or the Mail app on iOS, to access your email address (username@mail.com), Lens allows different platforms to work with your digital identity and data.

Benefits of Joining Lens

1️⃣ Monetize Your Content

Lens, a blockchain-based social network, allows users to tokenize their content. This means others can collect your content, either for free or in exchange for cryptocurrency. It also provides a way to tip creators, motivating them to produce engaging and valuable material.

Additionally, Lens promotes collaboration by enabling users to 'repost' rewards and share fees with those who contributed to the content creation, fostering creative partnerships. You can learn more in this article by Lens’ ownMaria Paula on how to monetize sustainably on LENS.

Don’t have a crypto wallet? You can still get started easily. When you join Lens through applications like Orb, you can sign up with just an email address, and they will create a wallet for you, simplifying the process and making it more accessible.

2️⃣ Curate Your Feed

In an era marked by divisiveness, decentralized social spaces are striving to become self-regulating havens for our interconnected minds.

Lens is especially beneficial for creators who want to make their art, videos, memes, or opinions collectible for their followers. On platforms like Orb, it enables the creation of clubs— specialized spaces where you can explore content on various topics such as art, food, and more.

With LENS, the content you see is not dictated by an algorithm; it’s entirely determined by your own choices.

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Why Join Now?

Social media, regardless of the platform, demands time and effort. People naturally gravitate towards different platforms—some prefer TikTok over Instagram, LinkedIn over X, or Reddit above others. Our choice of platform usually hinges on our individual goals and objectives, as well as our comfort with the medium for self-expression.

For artists aiming to market their work and connect with collectors, being an early adopter can be advantageous. For instance, many of TikTok’s leading influencers today achieved prominence by being among the first to create content and build audiences on the platform.

While you might have fewer people to engage with compared to X, this presents an opportunity to distinguish yourself, especially as X’s algorithm has become increasingly unpredictable.

If you enjoy being an early adopter and are eager to explore new technology with like-minded individuals, Lens offers a chance to find a genuine community and support in an oversaturated market.

How To Get Started

1. To onboard onto LENS, we suggest signing up through ORB here.

2. If you are a creator, read up on their guide here.

3. Stay up to date on what’s new by subscribing to the Lens newsletter.

Closing Thoughts

As social media evolves, decentralized platforms offer a promising alternative, giving you greater control over your digital identity and new opportunities for engagement and monetization.

Lens is a leader in this shift. To help you get started, HUG is offering a free 2-day course, "Grow Your Digital Garden with Lens: Decentralized Social Boot Camp," this coming September 17th-18th, 2024. This course will provide essential strategies and insights from Lens experts.

Explore the future of social media and see how decentralized platforms can enhance your online presence. Register for the course today and take the next step in your digital journey.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🪞Exhibit at the Oculus World Trade Center: Transient Labs is seeking on art the theme of Self-Reflection for the Canvas 3.0 Gallery.

• 🦋 $250 Artist Grant for the AI Art Excellence Award: HUG Ambassador Faedriel is seeking creatives who are innovating and inspiring with AI.

• 🗽 Get Your Art On A Times Square Billboard: Chicago-based curator Kennedy Free is looking for art on the theme of PLAY.

• 💸 $1000 Artist Grant: Every month, the Frame Society will award financial support for production, equipment, and travel costs.

• 📺 Your Art on Streaming TV: Loupe Art wants to share your autumn-inspired artwork across Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and more.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

Buy Art & Win $100 USDC

This week’s curated art drops, minting exclusively on HUG

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 15,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#071: How To Make Money By Giving Away Art For Free

Artist and thought leader Kevin Kelly famously said that all any creative needs to make a living from their craft is 1000 true fans— 1000 people who would buy anything you make because you made it.

In the era of social media, many artists are leveraging organic marketing tools like Instagram or X/Twitter to take advantage of algorithms and get their art in front of more people in hopes of finding those 1000 true fans… but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

For your art to sell, it needs to be seen. To take someone from a follower to a fan, your art needs to be valued. Today’s article is about understanding what you invest into your creative business to get just one fan, and how you can get the most out of that relationship by strategically hedging your bets that giving a follower something for free could turn them into a forever fan.

Okay, artists. Let’s talk numbers.

Understanding the Cost of Doing Business

When we talk about growing your audience to find the 1000 true fans who will financially support your work, it’s important to understand customer acquisition costs. Customer acquisition cost refers to the total cost spent to get a new customer. For example, if a company spends $10,000 on advertising and gets 100 customers, that means that their customer acquisition cost is $100 per customer.

Customer Acquisition Cost

However, money is not the only thing that artists invest to get their work in front of new people who hopefully go from strangers to supporters.

Obviously, there are expenses like art supplies, software subscriptions, computer devices, studio spaces, and more. However, a common mistake that many early-stage artists and creative entrepreneurs make is acknowledging that money isn’t necessarily your most valuable resource: your time, energy, and talents are.

In the same way an artist might research what kinda of paint or program will help them make their best kind of art, you can use the same kind of thinking to invest your time, energy, and talent into a social media strategy wisely grow your audience and find your 1000 true fans… and that’s where giveaways come in.

Earning an income from 1000 true fans

Giveaways Work As A Growth Strategy

From small businesses to global brands, giveaways effectively attract new audiences and strengthen bonds with existing ones. One of the most viral examples is MrBeast, who has built a massive fanbase through strategic generosity.

Mr. Beast, who has built a brand on giveaways.

Artists may hesitate to give away their art for free, and understandably so. However, when viewed as a customer acquisition strategy and thoughtfully executed, giveaways can help build up to your 1,000 true fans.

Most of MrBeast's viewers will never win a giveaway, but by spending $1 million to reach 216 million people, his customer acquisition cost could potentially be just $0.004 per person.

Like MrBeast, your goal for your creative businss should be to maximize the return on what you spend and get back as much as possible from what you give. For instance, investing $10 to create a tote bag you usually sell for $20 and giving one tote bag away could introduce your work to new buyers and potentially result in ten, twenty, and even more sales.

Okay, now that we understand how giveaways play into customer acquisition, here are are two of the most common strategies that artists can use.

Artist Laura El hosts a giveaway for an in print in order to grow her email subscriber list

1️⃣ Promotional Giveaways

The goal of a promotional giveaway is usually to introduce yourself to as many people as possible, with the hope of finding your 1000 true fans among them. Promotional giveaways work best when you do your homework first. If you plan on hosting a giveaway on Instagram, you have to tailor your post to Instagram features that maximize reach and engagement. This most often looks like:

• Deciding between posting a static image or a reel

• Asking people to follow your account

• Asking people to tag 2 friends in a comment in order to enter

By driving viewers to intentionally engage with your social media, the algorithm not only introduces your content to new users, but also promotes it to existing followers who might not have seen your posts in a while… think of it as customer re-acquisition.

Fiorenza gives away a pair of handpainted Birkenstocks to grow her followers

2️⃣ Relationship Building Giveaways

Not all giveaways are about manipulating social media and appealing to an algorithm in order to get your art out into the world. Whlie it is necessary to get your artwork in front of new people, it’s arguably more critical that you remind those already in your reach why they should stay as one of your 100 true fans.

An easy way to do that is through surprise and delight. A common tactic many artists take is when a customer make a purchase, an artist may throw in other items for free to find when their package arrives. You can also look to loyalty and reward programs, and potentially giveaway discounts on future purchases.

Below is an example of artist Jack Prettyman who gave free stickers and handwritten Thank You note to everyone who purchased his pin collection.

Twitter tweet

Closing Thoughts

While it may sound crazy at first, you can in fact make money by giving stuff away for free. It’s an investment and bit of a bet on yourself, and it’s up to you if that’s a bet worth making.

In the age of social media, finding your 1,000 true fans can be challenging but immensely rewarding. By strategically using giveaways as a customer acquisition tool, you can grow your audience, strengthen connections, and turn followers into dedicated fans.

Remember, investing your time, energy, and resources wisely can yield significant returns. Whether through promotional giveaways to expand your reach or relationship-building giveaways to delight existing supporters, these strategies can help you make a living from your art. So, be a beast and experiment with strategic generosity, and experiment, iterate and watch your creative business thrive.

🌟 New! Sell Your Art with HUG 🌟

Looking for new ways to show, share, and sell your art with your audience on Instagram and beyond? We recently launched HUG Artist Shops, which offer artists the option to sell their art any way they want, all from one page.

From making your first sale to making a sustainable living from your art, HUG is here to help. Sign up today to start selling your art on HUG tomorrow.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🗺️ Exhibit art with impact at the United Nations: Submit art supporting the UN SDG Action Campaign and their vision for a hopeful future.

• 🦋 $250 Artist Grant for the AI Art Excellence Award: HUG Ambassador Faedriel is seeking creatives who are innovating and inspiring with AI.

• 🇰🇪 Tour Your Art Across Africa: NFT Afrika is seeking art for a traveling exhibition that will visit Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

• 📚 Publish your own art book for free: Snap Collective is making publishing more accessible, and they’re looking for visual artists to publish with them, no financial investment necessary.

• 🖼️ Solo Show Opportunity: Showcase your art in a solo exhibition with SUPPERCOMMUNITY 06 in their oncyber gallery.

• 💸 $100 Artist Grant for Media Feature: Spotlight your art in the first community newsletter from Bronx-based art collect, Bluecalf

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#071: 4 Essential Sales Strategies for Artists

Sales can often feel intimidating, yet they are an essential and universal part of transforming talent for art into entrepreneurship. Whether you realize it or not, your sales skills are being cultivated daily through conversations and connections, such as presenting ideas, persuading others, or influencing decisions.

There are countless ways you can convince your most passive admirers to become active art collectors. For most artists, how one sells their art is deeply intertwined with their personal brand and values, which is why we emphasize an approach rooted in equal parts sincerity and strategy. By focusing on a more empathetic and emotionally driven perspective, you can connect more effectively, drive more value, and cultivate a thriving community around your art.

If you feel overwhelmed about making your first or next sale, don't worry— keep scrolling to get the help you didn’t even know needed. After all, you’re not selling a car… You’re selling art.

Here’s how you can get creative with art sales.

Twitter tweet

1️⃣ Emphasize Scarcity

Scarcity refers to how little of a supply is available of your art, which can create a perception that the more limited you share that your art is, the more valuable it can be to someone buying it. It’s the classic economic theory of supply vs demand - the lower the supply, the higher the demand.

As the primary maker and marketer for your art, it’s up to you to decide scarcity. There are two primary ways many artists can choose to emphasize scarcity:

• Limited Quantity: Expressing a finite number of available editions, versions, and/or inventory of your art

• Limiting Time: Indicating certain items will only be available for purchase and/or for sale for a limited window

Artist Katie Benn announces an archival sample sale

For example, San Francisco-based artist Katie Benn recently announced an Archive Sample Sale, where she’ll be hosting reduced prices of original works and other inventory to make both physical and creative space for what’s next. This “Last Chance” strategy works for small creators and big brands alike.

2️⃣ Cultivate Exclusivity

Cultivating exclusivity to a more engaged audience can make them feel special and privileged to access something others do not, improving their likelihood to see, engage, and buy from your content.

This can be achieved through members-only content, VIP groups, or special editions of your work. When people feel they are part of an exclusive circle, they are more likely to develop a stronger attachment to your brand and invest in what you offer.

Loyalty and rewards programs work for corporate giants like Starbucks and Target, so why not explore ways you can make it work for you too? For example, Nygilia emphasizes exclusivity by allowing previous collectors of her art to claim new work for free, whereas others would need to purchase it outright.

Twitter tweet

3️⃣ Communicate Urgency

Communicating urgency is a powerful strategy to prompt immediate action from your audience. By conveying that an offer or opportunity is time-sensitive, you can encourage people to act swiftly rather than procrastinate. This approach not only drives immediate sales but also maintains a sense of excitement and engagement with your work.

Here are a few ways to express urgency for art sales:

• Utilize countdown mentions in your social media and/or newsletter content.

• Create flash sales or pop-up events

• Communicate immediacy in calls to action like “be the first to find out” or “get it before it’s gone”

• Leverage social proof such as referencing previous sales and interactions that encourage others to act quickly

Artist Eddie Gangland announces a new limited edition print, inviting urgency by emphasizing that he has “a feeling these will sell out pretty fast”

4️⃣ Create a Win-Win Situation

Creating a win-win situation ensures that both you, as the creator, and your audience benefit from the transaction. This strategy is based on the principle of mutual value, where the focus is not just on making a sale but on delivering real, tangible benefits to the buyer. Such an approach fosters repeat business and generates positive word-of-mouth, both of which are crucial for long-term success.

Twitter tweet

The story of the artist Hafftka and RDtotheMoon highlights the impact of showing up and asking how you can serve others—demonstrating a true win-win scenario.

To achieve this, align your goals with the needs and desires of your audience. Offer value-packed content, personalized solutions, or exceptional customer service that shows you genuinely care about their success. By ensuring that each interaction benefits both parties, you enhance your reputation and build a loyal community of advocates eager to support and share your work.

Closing Thoughts

Applying these strategies—scarcity, exclusivity, urgency, and win-win situations—can transform your approach to art sales. These methods not only drive immediate sales but also build deeper connections with your audience.

Effective selling is about more than transactions; it's about enriching the experience for both you and your buyers. By integrating these strategies, you'll enhance your sales process and foster lasting relationships in your art business.

🌟 New! Sell Your Art with HUG 🌟

Looking for new ways to show, share, and sell your art with your audience on Instagram and beyond? We recently launched HUG Artist Shops, which offer artists the option to sell their art any way they want, all from one page.

From making your first sale to making a sustainable living from your art, HUG is here to help. Sign up today to start selling your art on HUG tomorrow.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🗺️ Exhibit art with impact at the United Nations: Submit art supporting the UN SDG Action Campaign and their vision for a hopeful future.

• 💫 Share out-of-this-world artwork: Meta Betties is curating space-themed art for "Interstellar Overdrive: The Art of Space Exploration”

• 🌙 East of the Sun, West of the Moon: AWITA Gallery in Williamsburg is seeking artwork about the sun and the moon.

• 🧡 Wild Women in Illustration Wanted: Digital Dreams Gallery in KCMO is seeking women illustrators to showcase empowering art for their upcoming “Call of the Wild” exhibition.

• 💸 $100 Artist Grant for Media Feature: Spotlight your art in the first community newsletter from Bronx-based art collect, Bluecalf

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

ICYMI Vol 7: 10 Easy Reads to Master Art Business

At HUG, our focus from the start has always been to help artists become creative entrepreneurs through technology, discovery, and education… and we are officially 70 articles deep with covering those very topics! Don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty to talk about.

Lately, we’ve been leaning in on art business and how to get serious with making your first sale or making a sustainable living from your craft, especially with how easily you can do that in your very own HUG Artist Storefront.

Keep scrolling for a crash course in creative business.

Check out our prior recaps here - Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5, and Vol 6.

#061: An Artist & Art Lover's Guide to Farcaster

WTF is Farcaster?

An intro to the decentralized social network, Farcaster, how it’s different from other social media, and how to get involved.

HUG Co-founder Debbie Soon gives an introductory overview to Farcaster - a decentralized social protocol - for artists and art lovers who are curious about blockchain technology and how it could shape the future of social networks and community building.

#062: The Pros & Cons to Embrace or Reject AI Art

AI: Why and Why Not?

An inclusive approach and dialogue on why artists should or shouldn’t utilize generative AI in their creative practice.

For every person thrilled about the accessibility of generative AI, there is another who feels threatened by its adoption. No matter which side of the debate you stand on, this article seeks to empower you to understand every perspective and make the best decision for yourself.

#063: 3 Ways To Get Creative with Procreate

Put the Pro in Procreate

Professional Procreate advice and tutorials from artist Leah Sams to learn how to be creative and make art, illustrations, and animations with your iPad.

In the world of digital art, few tools have garnered as much acclaim and enthusiasm as Procreate. Designed exclusively for iPads, this portable and versatile app empowers novices and experienced artists alike. Artists like Leah Ibrahim Sams have turned this tool into an essential part of their creative career, and she’s here to give you the technical advice you need to do the same.

#064: 7 Tips to Increase Your Income Through Commissions

Time to take things person

Expert advice on best practices for selling custom work and collaborating with clients on commissions from artist Sara Baumann

Selling your work is just as much of an art form as creating it, and commissions come with the added complexity of working with a new or returning client. Learn to master this age-old craft of art and relationships from Sara Baumann, whose experience with commissions for luxury goods and custom paintings make up a predominant part of her creative practice.

#065: 3 Things You NEED to do to Increase Art Sales

Entrepreneurship is an art form.

Strategic advice for artists to increase art sales by building your audience, finding your 1000 true fans, and deploying a marketing strategy

Learning how to sell your art requires just as much skill and practice as learning how to create it does. Nobody wants to miss out on potential earnings. Yet, without the right strategies in place, you might be doing just that. Read on for three steps you cannot skip if you want to take someone from an admirer to a buyer of your art.

#066: The AI Debate Dividing Artists

Here for the drama?

Here's what a social media spat says about the ethics, application, and adoption of AI and what it means for the future of creative content.

While there’s no denying the excitement over AI’s potential to revolutionize our lives, it’s not without controversy. AI adoption exists on a spectrum, and there are plenty of artists standing on opposite ends of it. Analyze this disruptive technology through a social behavioral lens to see what the subtext on subtweets means for the present and future state of the independent art world.

#067: 3 Ways Artists Can Get Ahead As Entrepreneurs

Where to start if you’re feeling behind

The creator economy consists of a $200B market, but only 4% of creators make over $100,000 a year, and how you can strategically become one of them.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so what’s the next small step you can take towards making your first sale and building a sustainable living from your art? Challenge yourself to explore different ways to sell and share your art, optimize how you connect with your audience using technology like AI, and identify opportunities you can leverage.

#068: The Rule of 7 for Art Business

Selling your art on social media

The Rule of 7 states that a potential customer needs to see, hear, or interact with your marketing message at least seven times before they make a purchase decision.

Having trouble selling your art and not sure why? Going from artist to entrepreneur and turning your passion into a profession is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible. If you’re struggling to turn social media followers into sales, then it’s time to learn The Rule of 7.

#069: How & Why To Sell Art as an Onchain Collectible

OᑎᑕᕼᗩIᑎ ᔑᑌᗰᗰEᖇ 🔆

An introduction to Base, Onchain Collectibles, and how easy it is to use them to diversify your sales offerings in HUG’s new Artist shops.

Artists need to diversify how they share and sell their work. Diversification allows you to connect with different audiences, each with unique habits, budgets, and goals. It also encourages you to experiment and view your creative practice from new perspectives that can ultimately help push you forward in your career. One way to diversify your revenue is by selling digital versions of your art as onchain collectibles

#070: Instagram Advice for Artists

Do it for the ‘gram

Organic marketing advice and social media tips on how to use Instagram to sell your art and how to get more followers on Instagram as an artist.

For independent artists, Instagram is more than just a social media platform— it's a powerful tool to grow your audience, find professional opportunities, and increase art sales. Our most recent article explores essential strategies for leveraging Instagram to its fullest potential to make the most of your valuable time so you can focus more on making art instead of just marketing it.

Closing Thoughts

Nobody said being an artist is easy, but we hope HUG is making it easier with these weekly articles alongside the resources and opportunities we share. From the latest tools in technology to tried and true strategic advice you may be missing out, we’re here to help you get everything you need to take your creative career as far as you want to take it.

Did you find one of the aforementioned articles particularly useful? Don’t hesitate to forward them to a friend, or invite them to subscribe for themselves.

Alternatively, if you have a suggestion for a topic to cover, please do not hesitate to reply directly to this email to share it with us!

🌟 New! Sell Your Art with HUG 🌟

Looking for new ways to show, share, and sell your art with your audience on Instagram and beyond? We recently launched HUG Artist Shops, which offer artists the option to sell their art any way they want, all from one page.

From making your first sale to making a sustainable living from your art, HUG is here to help. Sign up today to start selling your art on HUG tomorrow.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🏆  $20,000 Grand Prize for Artists & Designers: The Onchain Foundation is DOUBLING their initial prize for their design competition. 10 artists will be awarded $500 each, with 1 artist receiving a $20,000 commission to complete the collection.

• 🗺️ Exhibit art with impact at the United Nations: Submit art supporting the UN SDG Action Campaign and their vision for a hopeful future.

• 💫 Share Your Art with Thousands in Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of “Stardust Memories” to showcase at their monthly First Friday event.

• 🧡 Wild Women in Illustration Wanted: Digital Dreams Gallery in KCMO is seeking women illustrators to showcase empowering art for their upcoming “Call of the Wild” exhibition.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in Berlin: The Marketplace Conference is seeking art to share with 500 founders, investors, and corporations at their upcoming event in Germany.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#070: Instagram Advice for Artists

For independent artists, Instagram is more than just a social media platform— it's a powerful tool to grow your audience, find professional opportunities, and increase art sales.

In this week’s article, we explore essential strategies for leveraging Instagram to its fullest potential to make the most of your valuable time so you can focus more on making art instead of just marketing it.

From following key accounts to staying updated with the latest features, we'll provide you with actionable tips to enhance your visibility and engagement on the platform.

Let’s talk about it.

Follow @thehugxyz on Instagram for more art advice, tips, tools and opportunities for grants & exhibitions!

1️⃣ Get ahead by staying up to date

While much of the advice you’ll read in this article is actionable, adaptable, and relatively evergreen— remember that changes can happen in social media overnight!

Instagram has changed a lot since it first debuted in 2010. Many creators make the mistake of doing what they’ve always done on the app 1, 5, or even 10 years ago. If you’re an artist and you want to grow on Instagram, here are the top 3 Instagram accounts you NEED to follow to be in the know:

1. @Instagram

If it feels a little “Meta”, it’s because it is. The @Instagram account is a great source for inspiration, updates, and current events directly from the brand. If there are any big changes from Instagram, this is one of the best sources for it.

2. @Creators

The bio says it all: The Creators Guide to Instagram… For Creators! Your approach to your content strategy on Instagram will be just as unique as your creative practice. The @Creators account is an amazing source of information on how to use Instagram to tell your story and share your work in new and exciting ways.

3. @Mosseri

Adam Mosseri is the Head of Instagram, and his account is perhaps one of the most valuable pages for any content creator on Instagram to follow!

He regularly shares straightforward, easy-to-understand news and updates to Instagram's various product features and how you can make the most of them. He welcomes and responds to Q&A directly on his page, and even interviews content creators about their experience on Instagram while pointing out specific examples of why he admires their work.

Mosseri regularly Creator Tips & Tricks advice on using Instagram’s features

🔔 Never miss a thing with Notifications 🔔

Algorithms and feeds can be fickle, and that’s where Instagram Notifications come in! Enabling notifications for accounts you want to keep up on is the best way to find out first if there’s anything new.

In the top right-hand corner of an Instagram Profile, click on the bell icon ( 🔔 ) to access the notification screen. Personally, HUG has our notifications on for Mosseri!

Customize what notifications you’d like to see from any account

Bonus? Tell your followers to turn notifications on for your account! It’s one of the best ways to keep them informed on any new releases or special announcements, and keep your account in their feed.

2️⃣ Make Instagram’s Features Work For You

Instagram has no shortage of features that you can use to your benefit. Here’s a list of some of the more prominent, useful ones that you can utilize. Don’t forget - it’s not just about what tool you use on Instagram, but how you use it. Always strive to find ways to constantly introduce you, your art, and how clients and customers can work or buy from you!

Instagram has no shortage of features that you can use to your benefit. Here’s a list of some of the more prominent, useful ones that you can utilize. Don’t forget - it’s not just about what tool you use on Instagram, but how you use it. Always strive to find ways to constantly introduce you, your art, and how clients and customers can work or buy from you!

1. Your Instagram Bio

An artist bio is one of, if not the most effective marketing tool you have at your disposal. Your artist bio is often the first piece of information available to both current and prospective collectors, and the challenge with Instagram is communicating as much about yourself within Instagram’s 150-character limit.

Many artists find ways to share details such as what kind of artist they are, their identity, their current role or workplace, previous clients, and how to contact them for collaborations or sales.

It sounds like a lot, but it’s not impossible! Take a peek at how Saphera Peters says that much in a small space:

Artist Saphera Peter’s Instagram bio, story highlights, and pinned posts

Instagram biographies also come with the option to add Links to your Bio! Use these to share a link to your HUG Artist Profile, your shop, your professional resume, or previous partnerships you're proud of.

2. Reels

Instagram Reels debuted back in August 2020, which are short-form video content that you can upload into the app or create natively through Instagram’s various video editing tools. It’s important to note that Instagram often prioritizes Reels in their algorithm, so it’s a great way to get your art in front of new people.

There are a lot of ways artists can share their work and talk to their audience with Instagram Reels, such as sharing work-in-progress videos, giving tutorials, or having conversations about what kind of art you’re making and why you think it’d be special to somebody.

One of the best ways to get inspired for what kind of reel to make is to watch a lot of them! Think about what kind of videos you enjoy, and what kind of content gets you to keep watching, and find a way to recreate a similar video in a way that is original and true to you.

Content creation is a lot like art— we might use similar mediums, but the way you tell your story is unique to you. In the reel below, Saphera Peters shares a work-in-progress reel that features herself, and her workspace, and gives little glimpses of what she’s creating that leave the viewer waiting until she reveals the full illustration at the end!

Instagram post

3. Carousels

The original Instagram used to allow for a single image per post, but those days are long behind us. Instagram Carousels allow for up to 10 static images in a single post, which you can view as 10 different opportunities to share portions or varieties of your artwork.

For example, see how Saphera uses a single carousel to showcase 8 different works of art from the same collection:

Instagram post

4. Instagram Stories

   Instagram Stories allow you to share content that disappears to the public 24 hours after posting but stays in your personal archive forever.

   It’s a low-stakes, low-commitment way to share your work and start DM conversations with your followers. Utilize your stories to share when you’ve made new posts, fleeting glimpses, and sneak peeks at your work, or a look into your daily life.

   

   Artist Laura El gives playful commentary on her Stories

5. Direct messages

One of the benefits of direct messages is that they’re direct. It allows your followers to easily communicate and build a relationship with you.

The benefit of a follower who is messaging you is that they’re much more likely to go from passive admirers to active collectors. So don’t be shy!

3️⃣ Get Analytical With Instagram Insights

Do you have a “Professional” Instagram account?

There are two different kinds of Instagram accounts: personal and professional. The benefit of a professional Instagram account is that it comes with expanded tools to help you connect with your new and existing audiences more readily:

• Insights

• Professional Dashboard

• Contact Button

• Creator Studio

Use Insights to get critical of your content.

A preview of what your Insights tab can look like

It’s important to explore and experiment with new content strategies, new ways to share your art, and new ways to start conversations with collectors… but it’s also important to treat your time wisely!

Instagram Insights allows you to see how many people your content has reached, and what kind of posts are working best for you. If your Insights show that a certain kind of post got more followers and engagement, do more of what works and less of what doesn’t!

To navigate to your Insights, simply access your Instagram Settings and scroll down to “For professionals”, then select the 📊 Insights tab.

Closing Thoughts

As you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of Instagram, remember that your creativity and adaptability are your greatest strengths. By staying informed and utilizing Instagram's diverse features, you can build a genuine connection with your audience and transform followers into loyal collectors.

Success on Instagram is about more than just posting pics— it's about telling your story, engaging with your community, and continuously refining your approach based on feedback and insights. Embrace the journey, keep trying new things, and watch both your artistic community and sales grow.

Want more marketing advice? 
Check out HUG’s most popular free resource, our Artist Marketing Handbook, which will guide you through crafting the perfect Artist Bio, how to pitch yourself effectively, and more.

🌟 New! Sell Your Art with HUG 🌟

Looking for new ways to show, share, and sell your art with your audience on Instagram and beyond? We recently launched HUG Artist Shops, which offer artists the option to sell their art any way they want, all from one page.

From making your first sale to making a sustainable living from your art, HUG is here to help. Sign up today to start selling your art on HUG tomorrow.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🏆  $10,000 Grand Prize for Artists & Designers: The Onchain Foundation is seeking artists to design their upcoming membership collection. 10 artists will be awarded $500 each, with 1 artist receiving a $10,000 commission to complete the collection.

• 💸 $1000 to 7 Lucky Artists: The Moonbeam Foundation is giving away grants to creators they’re spotlighting in an upcoming collection.

• 📖 Publication Opportunity & Artist Grant: ARCHIV3 is seeking to spotlight digital artists and innovators to spotlight.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in Berlin: The Marketplace Conference is seeking art to share with 500 founders, investors, and corporations at their upcoming event in Germany.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#069: How & Why To Sell Art as an Onchain Collectible

There’s one word you need to know if you want to earn an income for your art: diversification.

From making your first sale to achieving a sustainable living from your art, the key is .diversification. It’s essential for artists to diversify how they share and sell their work. Diversification allows you to connect with different audiences, each with unique habits, budgets, and goals. It also encourages you to experiment and view your creative practice from new perspectives that can ultimately help push you forward in your career.

One way to diversify your revenue is by selling digital versions of your art as onchain collectibles, made even easier with HUG’s new tools in our Artist Shops.

Let’s talk about it.

What is an Onchain Collectible?

An onchain collectible is any form of digital media that you would like to be collected on the blockchain, a decentralized public ledger (i.e. book of records) that makes the data recorded on it both secure and immutable. This is also commonly known as a non-fungible token (NFT).

Putting your work onchain means recording your digital media on the blockchain, a secure and immutable public ledger, by minting it as a non-fungible token (NFT). This process provides a permanent certificate of ownership and authenticity, known as provenance, which is crucial as AI adoption grows. NFTs offer creators long-lasting attribution and control over their work, ensuring its history and ownership are always clear, even as it changes hands. This shift to onchain is part of the ongoing evolution of the internet, making onchain the new online.

Benefits of putting your work onchain:

• Create a permanent record of your artwork that you can refer to in any event of copyright or intellectual property dispute

• Document who has owned your artwork at any one point in time, even if it changes ownership

• Expand your reach and sell your work to an international audience of digital art collectors who collect onchain

Damien Hirst was the center of a scandal after it was discovered he’d falsified the date of production of physical paintings.

First Impressions & New Developments

To understand why a new technology is special, it’s important to understand its history. In 2021, onchain collectibles experienced a boom to the tune of a $40 billion market. However, many artists who are largely unfamiliar with NFTs still hesitate, knowing them as the subject of controversy for their history of adverse environmental impact and high cost of use especially with the original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.

Since then, the technology has advanced rapidly and improved greatly! While there are many different blockchains for artists to use, such as Solana or Polygon, one of the most popular is Ethereum. In September 2022, the Ethereum Merge reduced the Ethereum blockchain’s energy consumption and carbon footprint by 99.99%.

Another financial friction point for adoption was the cost of “gas”, or a fee paid to process a transaction on the blockchain. With Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) solutions like Base, that too is a thing of the past.

Twitter tweet

Take your art onchain with Base

Developed by leading cryptocurrency company Coinbase, Base is a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly Ethereum L2 built to bring the next billion users to web3 through more accessible technology. As an L2 blockchain, it addresses previous issues of energy efficiency and financial barriers by enabling exponentially faster and cheaper processing.

In honor of Base’s ease of use for creators of all kinds, they are hosting their second annual Onchain Summer and celebrating onchain music, art, food, gaming, and more. HUG is right on time because we’ve just launched our Artist Storefronts that support selling art onchain with Base!

How do I sell an onchain collectible on HUG?

If you aren’t already, the first step is to become a HUG Artist and set up a shop of your own. You can sign up here.

Once you’re a HUG Artist, you’ll be granted access to our Shop Manager and you’ll be able to sell and share your art in any way you like - as fine art prints, digital downloads, and onchain collectibles! Later this summer, we’ll even have features for print-on-demand merchandise and ship-it-yourself options.

HUG’s Product Creator allows you to list your art for sale in several ways

Any digital creation can be collected and owned onchain.

With HUG, you can upload JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, or PDFs. Get creative and upload anything from an original song, photograph, drawing, or even writing that you would like to sell as an onchain collectible.

To sell your digital creations as onchain collectibles, simply upload it as an Onchain Collectible with your HUG Shop Manager. You’ll be able to add details and even set suggested creator royalties (secondary resale profits) before publishing, which will instantly tokenize and list your media on the Base blockchain.

Remember gas fees? As a bonus from Base’s efficiency, HUG covers the nominal gas fees that artists are normally asked to pay.

Artist Sarah Woods sells onchain collectibles of her art on HUG.

How do I buy an Onchain Collectible?

Most NFT marketplaces require the ownership of a crypto wallet and cryptocurrency funds to buy and sell art onchain. However, HUG is not just an NFT marketplace. HUG is an art marketplace, and we want to make it easy for creators and collectors alike to go onchain and benefit from this new technology.

After you’ve listed your art for sale as an Onchain Collectible, your buyers can visit your HUG Artist Shop and check out in a few clicks with Paypal. No crypto necessary.

Still have more questions about how to sell your first onchain collectible with HUG? We’ve got answers ⤵️

Twitter tweet

Closing Thoughts

Diversification is essential for a successful art career, and HUG is dedicated to showing, telling, and empowering you with easier ways to diversify your approach to entrepreneurship.

Onchain Collectibles are an avenue for diversification that many artists are underutilizing as a tool to document and sell their work, historically due to technological and financial barriers to entry. With the efficiency of Base and the accessibility of HUG’s tool, buying and selling art onchain has never been more effortless.

Onchain Summer is just heating up with our partners at Base, and we’d love to help shine some sunlight on your art. With HUG, Onchain Collectibles are easy to sell and easy to buy, so why not give it a try?

🏪 New: Get Your HUG Artist Storefront

Sell more of your art more easily than before! Our new HUG Artist Storefronts is an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

Through just one website on HUG, you’ll be able to showcase your portfolio for professional opportunities while selling your art any way you can imagine: physical prints, digital downloads, onchain collectibles, on-demand apparel, and more.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🏆  $10,000 Grand Prize for Artists & Designers: The Onchain Foundation is seeking artists to design their upcoming membership collection. 10 artists will be awarded $500 each, with 1 artist receiving a $10,000 commission to complete the collection.

• 🗽 Summer-time Showcase at the Oculus WTC: Transient Labs & Canvas 3.0 are seeking summer-time themed art for exhibition.

• 📖 Publication Opportunity & Artist Grant: ARCHIV3 is seeking to spotlight digital artists and innovators to spotlight.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in a Gallery: Colonna Contemporary is seeking AI-collaborative artists to display in their physical and virtual gallery space.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#068: The Rule of 7 for Art Business

Having trouble selling your art and not sure why?

Going from artist to entrepreneur and turning your passion into a profession is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible. If you’re struggling to turn social media followers into sales, then it’s time to learn The Rule of 7.

The Rule of 7 states that a potential customer needs to see, hear, or interact with your marketing message at least seven times before they make a purchase decision. The great thing about this strategy is that it’s largely based on trust and familiarity, which is central to how many independent artists already choose to share their art and stories with their audience.

By learning and applying this tried and true marketing strategy to your own art business approach, The Rule of 7 can help to increase your audience awareness, engagement, and conversion, which is another of way saying getting people to buy more of your art.

Here are seven different ways artists can share their work to drive more sales.

1️⃣ Sneak Peek

Who doesn’t love a soft launch? Sharing sneak peeks of your artwork is a great way to kickstart curiosity with your audience and tease what is coming next.

The easiest way to post a sneak peek is by sharing a small section of the completed artwork.

You can do this by sharing just one cropped image, and then repeat the strategy by sharing more sneak peeks in a future post. You can compile up to 4 cropped portions for a Twitter Post and up to 10 for an Instagram Carousel.

Twitter tweet

2️⃣ Work-In-Progress Content

Showcasing work-in-progress shots gives your audience a real-time view of how your artwork evolves. Time-lapse videos and sequential photos can illustrate the stages of creation, helping prospective buyers understand the intricate process behind the final product. This approach makes your art feel more unique and valuable.

3️⃣ Artwork Reveal

Posting completed artwork in full is one of the first things that artists and art lovers think of when it comes to how art for sale can be shared… and for good reason, it works!

Twitter tweet

Sharing an initial artwork reveal is exciting, so communicate that excitement in a way that feels authentic to you. Be sure to share your artwork in the best quality possible.

Take it to the next level by making it personal. Share a high-resolution image of your completed artwork with a detailed caption. Explain the inspiration, story, and emotions behind the piece to give your audience a deeper understanding of your work. This helps create a stronger emotional connection and appreciation for the artwork.

4️⃣ Behind The Scenes Content

Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process by offering a look into your studio space through photos and videos. This transparency humanizes your brand and builds a deeper connection with your followers. They get to see the effort, expertise, and emotion that go into each piece, fostering a stronger emotional bond and enhancing their admiration for your work.

In the Instagram Reel below, HUG Artist Jayoon gives her followers a look at her crisp and clean studio space as she prints and packs a new order. This short clip reminds her audience that she isn’t just an artist, she’s also a small business operator who can ship her art directly to you.

Instagram post

5️⃣ Invite Engagement

Create a post that actively encourages your audience to engage with your artwork. Prompt them to share their interpretations, provide feedback, or relate personal connections to the piece, fostering a sense of community and dialogue.

Prioritizing engagement is crucial for growing and optimizing your organic marketing on social media, as it not only enhances your visibility but also makes your followers feel valued and heard. Each time a user interacts with your post through likes, replies, reposts, shares, or other forms of engagement, it boosts your visibility across most social platforms.

HUG Artist Leah Ibrahim Sams shares a poll on Instagram Stories

For example, HUG Artist Leah Ibrahim Sams shared the above poll in her Instagram Stories asking her viewers to choose which color variant of their artwork they prefer. Observers are left wondering if all of these variants will be available, or perhaps only the one that was most voted. Both of these questions can only be answered by following Leah and checking in on her posts, which marks in favor of fulfilling The Rule of 7.

6️⃣ Share Your Artwork in Context

Share photos or videos of your artwork displayed in various settings to demonstrate its versatility and appeal. Whether it's showcased in a gallery, a collector's home, or through virtual staging, these contextual images help potential buyers envision how the artwork could enhance their own space, making it feel more real and personal.

This not only boosts the artwork's appeal but also provides practical inspiration, allowing your audience to imagine the art as a meaningful addition to their lives.

Twitter tweet

7️⃣ Offer Limited-Time Sales

Sometimes, the only thing holding someone back from making a purchase is the belief they’re getting a good deal.

Strategically offering sales and limited-time promotions can significantly help artists convert interest into sales. Here are some examples of when and how to have sales:

• Offer discounts during holidays like Black Friday, Labor Day, or even your own birthday.

• Introduce limited-time sales when a new item becomes available.

• Host ‘last chance’ sales for items that are nearly sold out or need to be cleared from inventory.

• Provide bundle deals where buyers purchase one or more items and receive an additional item of equal or lesser value for free.

Creating a sense of urgency with discounts or exclusive offers encourages potential buyers to decide sooner. These opportunities not only reward loyal followers but also attract new customers who may have been waiting for the right moment.

Closing Thoughts

One of the most challenging aspects of selling art is convincing people that it’s not just a 'nice to have' but a 'need to have'. Embracing the Rule of 7 in your art business goes beyond mere marketing—it’s about creative storytelling, forging genuine connections, and sharing your passion with the world.

From sneak peeks to behind-the-scenes stories and engaging posts, each interaction builds trust and excitement among your audience. By offering limited-time sales and promotions, you create moments of opportunity that inspire action and celebrate your art. Let these strategies guide you, helping you not only grow your audience and increase sales but also forge a path toward a sustainable livelihood.

You’ve got your magic number.
Let’s make the magic happen.

🏪 New: Get Your HUG Artist Storefront

Sell more of your art more easily than before! Our new HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

Through just one website on HUG, you’ll be able to showcase your portfolio for professional opportunities while selling your art any way you can imagine: physical prints, digital downloads, onchain collectibles, on-demand apparel, and more.

Get Your HUG Shop

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• ✨ Go Big with Immersive Art in Taipei: Go from the small screen to the global stage with a larger-than-life public media installation in Taiwan.

• 🗽 Summer-time Showcase at the Oculus WTC: Transient Labs & Canvas 3.0 are seeking summer-time themed art for exhibition.

• 📖 Publication Opportunity & Artist Grant: ARCHIV3 is seeking to spotlight digital artists and innovators to spotlight.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in a Gallery: Colonna Contemporary is seeking AI-collaborative artists to display in their physical and virtual gallery space.

• 🌷 Share Art with Impact: Flower Power is curating Adaptive Artists creating art on causes of their choice in social and environmental justice.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#067: 3 Ways Artists Can Get Ahead As Entrepreneurs

The creator economy is predicted to reach a value of a staggering $200 billion by 2026. Unfortunately, that same study shows that only 4% of creators make over $100,000 a year.

Twitter tweet

While social media and technology have empowered independent creators with more opportunities than ever, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy to access those opportunities. Constantly changing social algorithms, no fair or transparent monetization models, and even regulatory risks that could result in a potential TikTok ban can take independent creators from feeling hopeful to hopeless.

Don’t go losing hope for creative and financial success just yet.

Here’s how you can stay ahead, even when things are changing so quickly.

1) Diversify your sales offerings

One of the best ways for artists to increase sales is by offering a variety of options for people to buy their art. By providing different versions of their art, such as digital downloads, fine art prints, or merchandise, artists can cater to diverse customer preferences and budgets, ultimately appealing to a wider audience and driving more sales.

The added benefit of offering a variety of options for collectors to engage with your art is the ability to test what your audience prefers and invest more of your time and energy into what works. For example, one creator may see more success with selling physical prints while another may make money from art on-chain. It’s essential for artists to both experiment with new ways to share their work and to also meet their collectors where they’re at.

2) Stay up to date on new technology

Being early can be just as important as being good, often giving creators a significant headstart amongst their competitors. This is a trend we’ve seen on various social platforms, such as early YouTube and TikTok in recent years. Right now even in spite of controversy, that big shift for independent creators is with artificial intelligence (AI).

AI can significantly enhance productivity, creative development, and content production, enabling independent artists to accomplish much more with much less. Since every creator runs their own business, staying updated with these changes and adapting is more critical than ever.

While many individuals are excited about AI, many have justified concerns. The good news is that the use of AI is not a zero-sum game, and there are a variety of tools and approaches that can work for every artist while still staying true to one’s values and creative practice.

Learn AI Firsthand from Experts

Registration is officially open for HUG’s Innovation Laboratory with Stability AI. Starting in July, this 4-week guided course will teach you how to train your AI model to better showcase your creative abilities in art, animation, writing, productivity, and more.

Participation is free through a refundable deposit. 100% of the registration fee will be returned upon completion of a single assignment at the end of the program.

Learn More & Register

3) Seek out new opportunities

Art open calls are a common avenue for artists to connect with new opportunities such as exhibitions, grants, residencies, and more. Participating in open calls can inspire new creative projects, provide much-needed confidence boosts, and important lessons from rejection. In the best of circumstances, being selected for an Open Call can help a creator gain professional recognition and even financial gain.

Sourcing these opportunities can be challenging, which is why HUG’s curatorial team actively sources them for artists. To date, HUG has hosted over 200 open calls and distributed over $200,000 in grants and scholarships to independent creators. You can view and apply to existing Open Calls here.

Apply now to take your art from the small screen to a large, immersive display in Taipei City

Closing Thoughts

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so what’s the next small step you can take towards making your first sale and building a sustainable living from your art? Challenge yourself to explore different ways to sell and share your art, optimize how you connect with your audience using technology like AI, and identify opportunities you can leverage.

Above all, be kind and patient with yourself as you experiment and learn. Just like art, mastering sales requires creativity, perseverance, and a willingness to try new things. Remember, each step forward, no matter how small, brings you closer to your goal of thriving as a creative entrepreneur in the dynamic world of the creator economy.

See you at the finish line.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• ✨ Go Big with Immersive Art in Taipei: Go from the small screen to the global stage with a larger-than-life public media installation in Taiwan.

• 🗽 Summer-time Showcase at the Oculus WTC: Transient Labs & Canvas 3.0 are seeking summer-time themed art for exhibition.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in a Gallery: Colonna Contemporary is seeking AI-collaborative artists to display in their physical and virtual gallery space.

• 🌷 Share Art with Impact: Flower Power is curating Adaptive Artists creating art on causes of their choice in social and environmental justice.

• 👾 Showcase your art to thousands in the heart of Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of Pixelated Perfection for their monthly First Friday exhibition.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#066: The AI Debate Dividing Artists

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly dominated conversations across every industry. While there’s no denying that there is excitement at how this technology can revolutionize our lives, it’s not without controversy.

On one end, the accessibility of AI has empowered a new audience to get creative through the power of generative art. On the other, many artists feel threatened by its rapid emergence, claiming that AI is unethical and constitutes theft.

A little over a week ago, these two opposing communities came to a clash across social media, as one creator for AI and another against it disagreed on the answer to a simple question:

What is real art?

Let’s talk about it, and what it means for you.

Here for the drama? Here’s how it started.

On May 31st, Petra Voice posted a recurrent meme on her X account, one that is often seen across socials for predominantly visual creators: Art vs Artist.

Typically, this meme format is a simple way for artists to showcase their talents alongside some light personal branding. This post however elicited an unexpected but not unusual response.

Twitter tweet

One of Petra’s followers, Caitlin Koi, had long been an admirer of Petra’s art but didn’t realize until recently that these were created with AI. Caitlin felt deceived. “This AI tricked me,” she stated, implying that what is perceivably AI art is growing harder to determine.

Twitter tweet

In the era of algorithms, it’s critical to remember that social media doesn’t really care about you or your art, it cares about engagement.

A lot of people vocally agreed with Caitlin, while many openly defended Petra. All of them argued on the definition of '“real art”… that’s exactly why this conversation went viral to the tune of 23 million impressions on Petra’s original art vs. artist tweet alone.

Who are these artists?

Petra Voice is a classically trained artist based in Thailand who practices primarily in digital and generative art mediums. She’s never shied away from her enthusiasm for AI and how it empowers her to use her skillset to make art better, faster, and in much greater volumes to expand both her audience and recognition of her work.

It’s worked, even our curators HUG had taken notice. This past December, Petra’s was curated as a resident for our Visionary Artist Grant, our most competitive open call which awards financial support and spotlights an emerging artist we believe are on the brink of discovery.

We’re not surprised to see she’s set a strong impression.

“Chaos Within”, from Petra during her HUG Visionary Residency

Our curators are very happy to see that this recent conversation has led many more people to discover Petra’s art, that doesn’t mean that criticism on AI isn’t unwarranted.

This brings us to Petra’s lead critic, Caitlin Koi.

Twitter tweet

On her socials, Caitlin has shared that she’s had a lifelong love of art and dabbled in many styles since her time at art school. Her accounts reveal experience in both traditional and digital illustration, with Caitlin applying her talents to diverse array of figurative studies, character design, and graphic logo design.

It is clear that Caitlin is a skilled creator. Like many artists, Caitlin looks to the world around her to both inform, educate, and inspire her. Her response to Petra’s AI Art wasn’t too far off from how she’s historically and publicly practiced her craft.

In fact, like a digital tracing study she did of real life blueberries, Caitlin directly took to the Petra’s art and traced it to cultivate her skills and in her words reclaim the AI art she considered stolen.

Additionally, Caitlin used AI tools to guide her digital illustration, clarifying she isn’t against AI entirely, but only against generative AI and its origins in art theft and shortcut to creativity.

Twitter tweet

How did people respond?

The best way to describe the response to everyone involved regardless of their perspective on AI was emotionally charged, hence the virality.

Thousands agreed with Caitlin as she channeled her frustration at Petra and moreso, the rising threat that generative AI poses to creatives. The vast majority of AI that the public is most familiar are open source large language models like Chat-GPT, and to be open source means it trains on a wide array of data making it difficult to determine where that data comes from.

Petra’s original tweet triggered a retaliatory meme of “Actual art vs Actual artist”, allowing thousands to showcase being against AI was a part of their personal brand.

Twitter tweet

However, thousands also rallied to defend Petra as the AI Artist held her ground and defended her love of this collaborative technology.

Generative AI is rapidly evolving, and even the biggest champions of AI can struggle to keep up. This leaves the general public at a disadvantage and provides an oppportunity for misinformation on how AI actually works to spread.

Perhaps one of the most famous AI Artist in the world, Claire Silver, even stepped up to express that the crticism on Petra was unfair. As Claire states, AI is not theft, but influence. It doesn’t steal or smash other people’s art together, instead taking what it’s learned and imagining something new just like people do.

Twitter tweet

…so who won the fight? 👀

That’s what is most fascinating about this argument:

Everybody won.

Both of Petra Voice and Caitlin Koi saw an exponentional increase in engagement, followers, support, and even sales as their back and forth with eachother put their art in front of longstanding fans and new faces alike.

Petra’s previously minted works began trading on the blockchain almost immediately, with her even launching BABES, a new collection in partnership with Foundation.

Caitlin Koi also benefited, as she opened a waitlist for commissions and promptly had to close it due to high demand.

Two very different communities, however much they disagreed with their opponent on AI, found solidarity and connection with those who shared their values.

The debate propelled conversations about how the technology works, art history, and even kicked off new trends as artists shared their interpretations of Petra & Caitlin’s art across socials. Audiences sought to learn something new either in support or in spite of AI, but no matter what, because of AI.

HUG’s founder & CEO Randi Zuckerberg at Generation WOW in Ghent

Okay, but what’s the real problem here?

The drama and discourse surrounding AI isn't actually about being for or against the technology itself. The real argument centers on ownership and the ethics of who is entitled to the content we create.

It's not the fault of AI-collaborative artists that open model AI makes it difficult to determine how, where, and from whom data for training was sourced. These artists are not engaging with AI to steal but to be creative, experiment, and explore a new and emerging art form.

However, the ethical concerns regarding data training for AI are valid. Artists have every right to be concerned that their previously shared artwork, which they invested time and energy into creating, is being used to train AI models. They are justified in criticizing platforms like X, Meta, Reddit, and others for leveraging their personal art without clear consent, especially when opting out can be challenging.

Ethical reform in AI is urgently needed so that all artists, regardless of their medium, can transparently share their crafts and connect with their audiences on their terms, without the risk of their art being used in ways they never transparently consented to.

What this means for you and your content.

AI is here to stay, it’s up to you what you do next.

OpenAI and Meta lead the news cycles as both vie for the prize of who will win the race towards mass adoption.

Yesterday, Apple’s announced their plans to build Apple Intelligence into future iOS devices to help you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. What does this mean for artists who are against AI, especially given how many prefer the iOS-exclusive app Procreate?

Love it or hate it, AI is challenging how people create, experience, define, and share their art with the world. It’s important you inform yourself on how AI works so you can navigate on what your relationship with AI will be, especially as the lines between what is and isn’t AI continue to blur and it becomes a bigger part of our daily lives.

Learn AI Firsthand from Experts

Registration is officially open for HUG’s Innovation Laboratory with Stability AI. Starting in July, this 4-week guided course will teach you how to train your AI model to better showcase your creative abilities in art, animation, writing, productivity, and more.

Participation is free through a refundable deposit. 100% of the registration fee will be returned upon completion of a single assignment at the end of the program.

Learn More & Register

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• ✨ Go Big with Immersive Art in Taipei: Go from the small screen to the global stage with a larger-than-life public media installation in Taiwan.

• 🇯🇵 Take Your Art to Tokyo: Display your art at the National Art Center Tokyo with Muse Hive for the upcoming DCentral Tokyo 2024 Event.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in a Gallery: Colonna Contemporary is seeking AI-collaborative artists to display in their physical and virtual gallery space.

• 🌷 Share Art with Impact: Flower Power is curating Adaptive Artists creating art on causes of their choice in social and environmental justice.

• 👾 Showcase your art to thousands in the heart of Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of Pixelated Perfection for their monthly First Friday exhibition.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

#065: 3 Things You NEED to do to Increase Art Sales

Learning how to sell your art requires just as much skill and practice as learning how to create it does. Nobody wants to miss out on potential earnings. Yet, without the right strategies in place, you might be doing just that.

Wondering where to begin? It can be frustrating starting out, but a fresh perspective and game plan can help get you where need to go. Read on for three steps you cannot skip if you want to take someone from an admirer to a buyer of your art.

Here is what you gotta do.

🏪 What are HUG Artist Storefronts?

HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

In her HUG Artist Storefront, Wildy’s creativity is in full bloom showcasing the natural beauty of growth and imperfections.

Whether you’re an artist ready to make your first sale or you’re an expert entrepreneur, follow Wildy’s lead and sign up to sell with HUG today:

Sell with HUG

About the Artist

Wildy Martinez is a Latina-American artist and technologist who uses her creative talents and professional skills to celebrate the diversity of women through art, fashion, and storytelling. 

Her art and advocacy for Latino, Vitiligo, and emerging artist communities have led to her collaborating with the likes of the United Nations, Dior, Macy’s, L'Oréal, amongst others. Now, she’s sharing her art with you in her HUG Artist Storefront.

Wildy creating live floral couture illustrations for Dior at the Macy’s Flower Show in Spring 2024

#1: Build a Community

There’s a big difference between having an audience and having a community. While your audience may be passive observers of you on various social accounts, your community consists of people who connect and interact with you.

As an artist, building a community is critical to establishing what Kevin Kelly calls your thousand true fans, the people most likely to support you in your journey as a creative entrepreneur.

One of the best ways you can build a new community is by being an active member of others. Wildy’s art is very much a byproduct of her individual identity. Prominent themes in her work are inspired by her Latina heritage, her lived experiences with Vitiligo, and her exploration of generative AI - all of which she shares in respective online communities of like individuals.

Over time, Wildy hasn’t just made friends, she’s built a reputation for herself as an artist, technologist, and even a public figure. Through networking on a personal level and consistently telling her story, she’s secured professional opportunities with organizations like the United Nations and brands like L'Oréal. All of this has built her credibility, boosted her influence, and gotten new eyes to give new word-of-mouth to her and her art.

When someone knows who you are as an individual, they’ll have a deeper appreciation of you which only brings further value to your art.

Twitter tweet

#2: Have A Marketing Plan

In the past month alone, Jackson Alves has sold over $4,000 from his Procreate Brush Pack on HUG. During that time, he had a steady state of posts that followed a proven sales approach: Show, don’t tell.

Twitter tweet

Rather than simply telling prospective what’s for sale, Jackson explained why it’s important and how buying it will positively impact their lives. He highlighted unique benefits relevant to them, and always circled back to a Call To Action—the action you as a seller want the customer to take to achieve your goal, which in this case, is having someone buy what you have for sale.

He did all this sold across multiple channels: YouTube tutorials, newsletters, socials, and more.

As you take a thoughtful approach to promoting your own work, there are two kinds of marketing strategies you should consider:

• A Launch Strategy: How you’ll first announce a new artwork or collection

• An Always-On Strategy: If relevant, how you’ll share ongoing sales of your work

These strategies should include where you intend to share your work, and how it may differ on each platform. For example, Instagram prefers video content with detailed captions whereas an email or newsletter is better suited for long-form written content.

Finally, how often you promote is also critical. As you go about building your own, if there is one thing to remember, always post more than you think. Algorithms are unpredictable as everyone is vying for the attention of one another, so it’s more important than ever to be your own cheerleader. One of your fans may miss out on the first post you share but see the second.

For instance, during the past month, Jackson averaged 2 posts per week encouraging his followers to purchase his Procreate Brush. If he’d only posted once and never again, he would have never made it to $4000 in sales.

#3: Offer options to increase appeal

In the same way that artists are unique in what they have to offer, consumers are unique in what they’d like to buy. Buying decisions can be determined by several factors that have nothing to do with how good the art is, such as: available budget, perceived value, time of year, emotional connection, scarcity, a sense of urgency, and more.

You can convert prospective buyers to realized sales by actively taking these factors into account and offering different kinds of products at different price points.

Different product offerings at different price points in Wildy’s HUG Shop

While your primary focus may be on creating one style of art, several complementary products can appeal to a wider range of customers such as digital offerings, merchandise, or physical prints. Wildy accounts for the preferences and needs of buyers through selling a variety of products at different price points as limited edition NFTs, fine art prints, greeting cards, and digital downloads.

You can also use one offering to encourage buyers to purchase another. For example, Wildy shares 6 different illustrations as Fleur Couture Coloring Sheets with digital downloads in her HUG Shop. Individually, these are $3.99 each. However, you can bundle and purchase all 6 for just $15. A buyer in this situation is happy to save 40% from their purchase, meanwhile, Wildy benefits from making more in passive income through selling a bundle instead of selling just one download.

🪻Limited Time Sale on Limited Edition Art 🪻

As part of Wildy’s Marketing Launch Strategy, she is offering 40% off her new collection Look At The Wildflowers to celebrate its release.

No code needed, discount applied at check-out.
The sale won’t last forever! Offer valid through June 7, 2024.

Look At The Wildflowers: Violet Wisdom, Limited Edition

Shop Art on Sale

Closing thoughts

Now it’s your turn.

They say it takes years to become an overnight success, and if you’ve been dedicating yourself to art, you’re already well on your way. If you’re ready to earn an income from your creativity, you can’t afford to out on any of three essential tips:

1. Build your community

2. Have a marketing plan

3. Offer options to increase appeal

Most importantly? Be kind and patient with yourself as you try and test new things. When something works well with selling your art, find a way to replicate it and commit to that strategy. If something isn’t working, don’t be shy about taking a new perspective and shirting your approach.

Just like art, sales require you to be creative in trial, error, and experimentation. If you’re looking to sell your art in new ways, sign up for a HUG Artist Storefront of your own. There are no sign-up costs, no monthly fees, and it’s nonexclusive. As always, we are here to help you.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🇯🇵 Take Your Art to Tokyo: Display your art at the National Art Center Tokyo with Muse Hive for the upcoming DCentral Tokyo 2024 Event.

• 🖼️ Exhibit Your AI Art in a Gallery: Colonna Contemporary is seeking AI-collaborative artists to display n their physical and virtual gallery space.

• 🌷 Share Art with Impact: Flower Power is curating Adaptive Artists creating art on causes of their choice in social and environmental justice.

• 🌈 $1000 Grant for Queer Creators: Take pride with Meta Queens this June! 2 artists who identify as LGBTQIA+ will each receive a $500 grant. Donate as little as $1 to qualify.

• 👕 $1000 Prize for Merch Design: Mantle Ecosystem is awarding 3 artists with a $1000 USDC each in exchange for designing event merchandise.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in support of emerging artists.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

7 Tips to Increase Your Income Through Commissions

Commissions are perhaps as old as art itself. From ancient patrons of the arts to the paying clients of today, artists have long collaborated with their admirers to bring their creative visions to life.

At HUG, we acknowledge that commissions can be a pivotal and thriving contributor to a successful livelihood for an artist-turned-entrepreneur.

As we introduce another Artist Storefront this week, this time with artist and creative technologist Sara Baumann, who has mastered the art of commissions. As we expand on our first article on commissions, read on to learn firsthand through the expert insights and experiences she’s gained from commissioning digital and physical paintings as well as customized goods like sneakers, handbags, accessories, and more.

It’s time to get personal.

🏪 What are HUG Artist Storefronts?

HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

In her HUG Artist Storefront, intricate florals meet women’s empowerment in the bold and bright world of Sara Baumann.

Whether you’re an artist ready to make your first sale or you’re an expert entrepreneur, follow Sara’s lead and sign up to sell with HUG today:

Sell with HUG

About the Artist

Sara Baumann is the artist and founder behind Women and Weapons. She is an Iranian-American from Dallas, Texas who went from being an occupational therapist to pursuing her lifelong dream of being a full-time artist. Now, she shares her story and encourages others to chase their creative dreams, too.

Here’s her actionable advice on how to customize your commission practice.

Sara Baumann signing limited-edition prints of her Heritage collection

#1: Price based on complexity

How an artist prices their work is both a personal and technical decision. If you’re not sure what to charge for your art, HUG’s free Pricing Calculator can help get you started.

There are several factors that Sara takes into account when developing the price for a commissioned piece: cost of supplies, cost of shipping, and most importantly, how complex the request is.

Complexity can be determined by the amount of coverage, size of the item, requested details, number of colors, and even the requested timeline. The more complex a request is, the more charges that a client can expect to incur.

#2: Always provide a quote beforehand

Once you have decided on how much a commission should cost, always share a quote with your prospective client before you start.

Sometimes, an artist and client may enter a negotiation period where a request is simplified or even made more complex to fit a certain budget. Sometimes, a client may want even a rough mock-up of the custom work and that’s up to the artist on a case-by-case basis if that’s something they wish to accommodate.

Once both part parties have come to an agreement and payment has been sent, that’s when the real fun begins.

A Custom Hand-painted Chargers Football by Sara Baumann

#3: Educate the client

Remember, as an artist, you’re the leading expert on your creative practice.

Educating your client on both the creation and the care of your commissioned piece not only informs realistic expectations and creates a good customer experience, but also gets them to get excited to purchase your art again in the future.

Some examples of simple ways Sara will inform her clients:

• Reduce wear and tear on painted sneakers by not wearing them during high activity

• Advise against painting the backside of a handbag, as the friction of rubbing on one’s side can wear down the paint over time

• Sara prefers painting on leather with specific leather paint and sealant that allows for flexibility and maximal adhesion to the product

• With respect to other artists and intellectual property, Sara does not recreate another artist’s work or copy existing IP that is owned by another party

• For physical or digital artwork, Sara shares her options for the various materials and dimensions and what would work best for a particular request

A recent commission of Mastercard-themed sneakers by Sara Baumann

#4: Stay true to you

When a client requests a commission from you, be transparent about the best kind of work you can provide during the process. This can include the physical limitations of the item and also what kind of art you’re willing to create in collaboration.

While she is no stranger to intricacy and detail, Sara Baumann shares that her sneakers and handbags aren’t well suited for landscapes or portraits. While a commission request can come with creative challenges, it’s important to stay true to what works best for you. Artists deserve good experiences in these instances just as much as clients do.

Twitter tweet

#5: Keep the client updated

At the beginning of the commission process, Sara likes to find out if a client wants to receive ongoing updates on their commission or if they'd prefer a surprise once everything is complete. Open communication is the best way to build a respectful relationship between an artist and their client.

It’s not unusual to incorporate changes or revisions when sharing a work-in-progress, but it’s up to an artist how many revisions they’ll allow. For digital art, Sara allows 1 or 2 minor changes. For hand-painted works, revisions aren’t always able to be accommodated depending on how big of a change they are and how far along the painting is. It’s up to an artist to decide and communicate those kinds of boundaries with their client.

#6: Include the cost of shipping in your pricing

For digital art, Sara simply shares a full-resolution image through a Google Drive folder with a link for the individual to access.

However, the sharing of physical pieces can come with added costs and complexity. It’s best to find out ahead of time how much you can expect to pay to ship a client their custom work. This includes the cost of materials like appropriate, which can be quite reasonable for the size of a shoebox but can be a lot more if it’s a large canvas painting, with the added option of if you or the client wishes to pay for extra insurance or not.

Sara generally packages her own items and uses websites like Pirateship or Shippo to make her own labels and share tracking information with her clients, so they exactly when their special delivery comes in the mail.

#7: Don’t sell yourself short!

Before she was a full-time artist, Sara Baumann had a career as an occupational therapist. The transition from one career to a more creative one of course comes with a healthy dose of imposter syndrome for everybody, this is normal.

However, the only person who can determine your worth is you, and you are worth a lot. The art you make is the unique result of who you are as an individual, so price your art accordingly.

From Occupational Therapist to Independent Artist & Entrepreneur

“Following your dreams isn’t always a straight trajectory.

It doesn’t always mean having overnight success. It doesn’t always mean getting to be on that path as your full-time career (yet). It often means pursuing your dream while you work another job, hustling day and night as you think outside of the box and get told no constantly.

Be flexible, patient, and persistent. If you keep persevering, keep learning, keep evolving, and keep growing… that passion can grow into a full-time endeavor.”

Sara Baumann

👟 Request a Commission from Sara

Elevate your accessory game with custom-painted commissioned handbags! Perfect for fashion-forward individuals, each purse is a unique piece of art designed to complement your personal style.

Worldwide shipping included in price.

Get Your Custom-Painted Handbag

Closing thoughts

Selling your work is just as much of an art form as creating it, and commissions come with the added complexity of working with a new or returning client. Knowing upfront what you need to communicate like the cost of complexity, anticipated timelines, and shipping information can make for an easier, more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

While it can take some trial and error to perfect your practice, commissions can become a novel and integral way to grow your income and earn a living from your art.

Ready to follow Sara’s lead and offer commissions too? Sign up for your own HUG Artist Storefront to be the next to sell your art on-chain, online, and maybe even clothing rack.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• ✂️ Cut my art into pieces! Digital Dreams is curating a Collage Art for a nostalgic exhibition for their Kansas City First Friday event.

• 🌈 $1000 Grant for Queer Creators: Take pride with Meta Queens this June! 2 artists who identify as LGBTQIA+ will each receive a $500 grant. Donate as little as $1 to qualify.

• 👕 $1000 Prize for Swag Design: Mantle Ecosystem is awarding 3 artists with a $1000 USDC in exchange for designing event merchandise.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 13,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

3 Ways to Get Creative with Procreate

At HUG, we believe that diversifying revenue streams is key to every creator’s success. For many digital artists, that journey starts with iPad’s favorite art app, Procreate.

As we introduce another Artist Storefront this week, this time by award-winning illustrator Leah Ibrahim Sams, we wanted to share her advice on how to get more professional with your Procreate creativity.

🏪 What are HUG Artist Storefronts?

HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

In her HUG Artist Storefront, Leah Ibrahim Sams debuts her sustainable fashion line, The Paradise Collection, alongside a Procreate tutorial and custom-designed art merchandise and apparel.

Whether you’re an artist ready to make your first sale or you’re an expert entrepreneur, follow Leah’s lead and sign up to sell with HUG today:

Sell with HUG

“Art is for everyone.”

In the world of digital art, few tools have garnered as much acclaim and enthusiasm as Procreate. Designed exclusively for iPads, this versatile app offers a powerful platform for both digital painting and illustration, catering to novices just starting out or experienced artists alike. Its portability and ease of use enables artists to create stunning art anywhere and everywhere— in the studio, in the home, and even on the go.

Since its introduction in 2011, Procreate has revolutionized digital art creation in a way comparable to the transformative impact of word processors on writing. Unlike non-digital mediums, Procreate's features mitigate frustrations and enhance the creative process by providing flexibility and adaptability. It introduces novel possibilities in digital art, streamlining exploration and creation for a more seamless and enjoyable experience.

In this article, you will be introduced to 3 compelling reasons why you need to integrate Procreate into your creative process. Whether you're an illustrator, a painter, or new to digital art entirely, Procreate can elevate your work and your imagination.

Here’s how to get there.

#1: Get Inspired with Reference Images

Starting an artwork can be daunting, but that process is a little easier when you have access to a series of great reference images to kickstart your creativity. In her earliest stages with creating new work on Procreate, Leah leans directly on references to inspire her next illustration or animation.

One can leverage reference works for every facet of their artwork: color theory, light, shadow, poses, composition, cultural artifacts, underlying symbolism, and more. You can even reference your old work to accurately play on your own recurring themes or intentionally add something new to the conversation.

However, it’s important to remember that there’s a fine line between inspiration and imitation. Throughout the process, challenge yourself to incorporate existing elements you admire from your references into your art in a way that is unique to you.

Anybody can copy something, but creativity is what sets you apart.

Leah mood boarding inspo for her next Procreate piece

#2: Master Fundamentals through Frequent Practice

While Procreate can empower you with accessible tools to develop new skills, mastering your craft still requires a solid understanding of art fundamentals, for which there are no shortcuts. The path to proficiency remains the same, whether on a screen, on paper, or otherwise: consistent practice.

Though an iPad isn’t necessary for learning to draw, having Procreate’s fully equipped digital art studio of painting, editing, and animation can take you from entry-level to expert even faster. Having this technology at your fingertips allows the frequent practice needed to not only learn the rules of art to also bolster confidence in your abilities to push boundaries and create something new.

Leah utilizes Procreate to explore the beauty of body image

Released earlier this Spring, “My Body" is a collection where Leah explores the beauty of body image. By using Procreate to illustrate an inclusive array of women radiating comfort, confidence, and power, Leah showcases both her expertise in the age-old practice of figure drawing and her experimental approach to showcasing diversity within her art.

#3: Use Software to Collaborate with Artists You Admire

One of Procreate’s notable features which promotes both independent development and community engagement is its capacity for creating and sharing custom brushes and tools.

This functionality empowers artists to tailor their digital toolkit according to their unique styles and preferences, while also facilitating the exchange of creations with others.

What distinguishes Procreate is its effortless integration of custom tools into its interface, enabling users to easily share their creations. With just a few taps, users can import their custom brushes directly into Procreate, ensuring a seamless transition from idea to realization. This emphasis on personalization not only encourages artists to express themselves authentically but also nurtures creativity and collaboration within the Procreate community.

Twitter tweet

Recently, HUG Artist Jackson Alves distilled his lifelong career in calligraphy to create his own Procreate Brush. This brush and the subsequent artwork he created with it was then used to promote the launch of the new Apple iPads and Apple Pencil Pro!

Jackson Alves is selling that very same Procreate Calligraphy Brush Pack on HUG, so that other artists can make use of his beautifully-designed lettering art to enhance their own creations.

🏪 Learn Procreate from a Pro

Through harnessing her abilities as an illustrator with Procreate, Leah has landed brand partnerships with Adidas, Manchester United, and even designed her own fashion line.

Find out from her firsthand how you too can get professional with Procreate. Download her digital course, Further Your Craft with Procreate, to instantly get actionable advice and technical guidance on one of the art world’s favorite tools.

Learn Procreate from Leah

Closing thoughts

Procreate has revolutionized the digital art landscape, offering a versatile platform for artists of all levels to explore their creativity and enhance their artistic endeavors. By making these tools more accessible, Procreate empowers artists to experiment with novel techniques, expand the horizons of traditional art forms, and discover avenues for expression and entrepreneurship alike.

From leveraging reference images to mastering fundamentals and collaborating with fellow artists, Procreate possesses the potential to positively impact the lives of countless artists— including yours.

Ready to follow Leah’s lead? Sign up for your own HUG Artist Storefront to be the next to sell your art on-chain, online, and maybe even clothing rack.

Shop The Paradise Collection from Leah Ibrahim Sams

Bold colors, loud prints, quality textiles, digital experiences.

Leah goes from digital artist to fashion designer as she invites you to make a statement this summer with the debut of The Paradise Collection.

Inspired by her tropical childhood in Malaysia, this striking and sustainably designed collection features dresses, unisex shirts, and silk scarves. In addition to being art you can wear, each shirt and dress from the collection also comes with digital twin utility powered by IYK, unlocking exclusive content and future art releases.

P.S. If you’re in London, be sure to save the date and celebrate at the official Launch Party on May 30, 2024. RSVP for free.🇬🇧

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• ⚡️ Showcase your art to thousands in the heart of Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of Neon Summers for their monthly First Friday exhibition.

• ✂️ Cut my art into pieces! Digital Dreams is curating a Collage Art for a nostalgic exhibition for their Kansas City First Friday event.

• 🎶 Get your fan art featured to over 3M art & music lovers: Ending soon! The Tony Awards & HUG are celebrating by sharing fan art of this year’s nominees across socials to 3M followers.

• ✨ Seeking art on the theme of change: Infinifty is on a mission to make sure half a billion creators get paid for their art, and they want to start with you.

• 🗽 Win A Solo Show at the Oculus World Trade Center: Meta Betties is curating art about mental health for display at the Canvas 3.0 Gallery, with one grand prize winner getting their own solo show.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 14,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

The Pros & Cons of Embracing or Rejecting AI

For every person thrilled about the accessibility of generative AI, there is another who feels threatened by its adoption. Generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for artists, blending creativity with complexity while triggering strong reactions from supporters and critics alike.

On one hand, it offers new avenues for exploration and ingenuity, enabling users to tap into vast data sources for inspiration. However, it also raises concerns about the authenticity of artistic expression, as some question the role of human intuition and emotion in a world more and more influenced by algorithms.

In this article, we'll explore both perspectives to help you navigate this debate and determine where you stand.

Let’s take a closer look.

Want to learn about AI firsthand from experts?

Registration is officially open for HUG’s Innovation Laboratory with Stability AI. Starting in July, this 4-week guided course will teach you how to train your AI model to better showcase your creative abilities in art, animation, writing, productivity, and more.

Participation is free through a refundable deposit. 100% of the registration fee will be returned upon completion of a single assignment at the end of the program.

Act fast! The first 150 to sign up with the code EARLYBIRD unlock a discounted deposit of $89 (50% in savings from the full price of $179).

Learn More & Register

Pro: Democratizing Access

The democratization of tools for Generative AI presents a compelling opportunity for artists to explore new realms of creativity and innovation. By making these tools more accessible, artists of all backgrounds and skill levels can harness the power of AI to augment their artistic endeavors.

Generative AI enables artists to experiment with novel techniques, expand the horizons of traditional art forms, and discover new methods for self-expression. With Generative AI making arts more attainable, individuals are increasingly empowered to unleash their imagination, break barriers to entry into the art world, and cultivate a more inclusive and diverse creative environment.

Art by Hirokatsu Kikuchi

As an example of AI’s potential for personal development, Hirokatsu Kikuchi, a HUG Artist based in Japan, lives with a chronic illness that causes muscular atrophy. Homebound to his ventilator, Generative AI grants Hirokatsu a creative outlet that helps fulfill his dream of exhibiting his art in other countries.

Con: AI & Authorship

As AI technologies advance, concerns about their impact on artistic authorship and intellectual property rights continue to intensify. A significant worry is the potential for AI’s ability to mimic artistic styles to a degree that blurs the lines between original creations and replication. This raises questions about the authenticity and value of art produced by humans versus machines.

Additionally, there's a rising fear of AI being used to plagiarize or outright steal artists’ work, as algorithms can easily access and replicate vast amounts of existing content. This not only undermines artists’ livelihoods but also threatens the integrity of the creative process itself. As we navigate the integration of AI into the art world, safeguarding against these risks and preserving the rights of artists becomes paramount.

Twitter tweet

In response, programs have emerged to assist artists in protecting their art from being used in AI training data. Some generative AI platforms, such as Stability AI, have long granted users the autonomy to use their tools while opting out of having their art used for AI training.

Meanwhile, anti-AI theft tools such as Nightshade seek to corrupt AI models that attempt to train on uploaded artwork by making invisible changes to pixels.

Holly Herndon, Artist & Creative Technologist

Pro: AI as a Collaborator

What if you viewed AI not just as a tool, but also as a collaborator in the creative process? If we frame collaboration as a collision of ideas, new forms of creativity can emerge.

In a previous Innovation Laboratory course with Stability AI, filmmaker Dan Sickles shared this unique insight:

On the topic of AI film, OpenAI recently released Sora, a text-to-video AI model, which allows artists to actively imagine the possibilities of by turning their written ideas into animated works.

Twitter tweet

For instance, “air head” from the artist shy kids, realistically depicts a man with an air-filled balloon head. With these imaginative developments, you can quickly see why Tyler Perry stopped production on building an $800 Million Studio due to rising AI concerns and the risk of job displacement in the film sector.

No matter, this latest disruption in technology and the arts is going to be a wild ride.

Con: AI as Disruption

Disruption, viewed as a tool for innovation, fundamentally alters traditional modes of storytelling, image creation, and collaboration. At HUG, we do not view disruption as an inherently positive or negative force, but rather as a means of sparking innovation in direct response from an artist.

A century ago, the invention of the camera was the primary disruption that drove debate and discourse. Similar to the contemporary conversations on generative AI, many artists initially saw photography as a threat to their livelihood as it could accurately capture reality in a way that painting could not.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by G

However, the onset of early photography’s capacity for realism invited other artists to explore new ways of depicting their new realities. Photography was first introduced to the world in the 1840s, with 1870 being the birth of the Impressionist art movement, which sought to capture the fleeting effects of light, color, and texture in ways that film photography of the era was unable to replicate.

Impressionism’s initial implementation to portray sensations rather than precise representation eventually paved the way for experimentation over tradition, inevitably inspiring more abstract art movements later in history.

In the way photography has become a notable medium of its own with art at large growing more diverse, one can only speculate how AI’s influence will continuously alter our perception and experience of what is and isn’t art.

Donald Judd’s large-scale, minimalistic art in Marfa, Texas. Photo credit to the Judd Foundation.

What about your relationship with AI?

Now that you have explored both sides, where do you stand within this debate?

And most importantly, what kind of art will you create in response to this conversation? As we can see, the debate surrounding AI integration into the artistic sphere is multifaceted, with both challenges and opportunities on the horizon. At HUG, we encourage you to join in on the conversation and respond within your work. It is perhaps the most powerful to enact lasting change.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

📸 HUG 100 Photographers to Watch

We are thrilled to introduce our inaugural edition of 100 Photographers to Watch, which will spotlight exceptional photographers that are reimagining the world through the creativity of their lens.

Selected artists will be curated by internationally acclaimed National Geographic photographers, John Knopf & Michael Yamashita for publication in the upcoming art book and an immersive exhibit at Superlative Gallery in Bali, Indonesia.

Submit Your Photography

• 🎶 Get your fan art featured to over 3M art & music lovers: The Tony Awards & HUG are celebrating by sharing fan art of this year’s nominees across socials with full credit to the artist.

• 🎨 Take Your Art in Paradise: The Collective Solution is seeking art to exhibit at NFT Bali 2024, one of Indonesia’s leading events for the tech community.

• ⚡️ Showcase your art to thousands in the heart of Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of Neon Summers for their June First Friday Event.

• 🌱 $2500 USDC Prize Pool for Artists: Conflux & Mintpad are awarding cash prizes to creators who share digital art in their Spring Into Conflux promotion.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 13,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

An Artist & Art Lover’s Guide to Farcaster

Even though I’ve had a Farcaster account for nearly 2 years, I’ve only really been spending more time in the Farcaster community over the past couple of months, which recently came together in-person at the 2nd ever FarCon in Venice Beach, California.

How FarCon has grown from its first year to its second

I’ve had many people ask me what Farcaster is (sometimes affectionately known as the ‘purple app’ due to its purple branding!), whether it’s worth their while, and how to get involved… so without further ado, here’s an introductory guide to all things Farcaster, especially if you’re like us - here for the art.

WTF is Farcaster?

Farcaster is a decentralized social network that was created to offer a better alternative to centralized social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter).

What exactly does “decentralized” mean? Leveraging blockchain technology, what this means is that most of your valuable user data such as your username, followers, and messages belong to you, and hence cannot be taken away from you. At a simple level, this means that unlike more commonly-used centralized platforms that we are all accustomed to such as Instagram or X, your username cannot be changed or removed on your behalf nor can your messages be censored.

Taking it a step further, what this also means is that Farcaster is effectively a protocol, which many different companies or applications can build on. A useful way to think about this is to liken Farcaster to email, i.e. username@mail.com, which can be accessed via your choice of email client, e.g. Gmail, or your Mail app in iOS, or other apps like Superhuman.

Warpcast, the most widely used client for Farcaster

To fully demonstrate what Farcaster can do, the company behind it has also built a client of its own called Warpcast, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store. While it is the default client for most Farcaster users, there are also other clients available or in the works, such as Supercast which has additional features like scheduling posts (otherwise referred to as casts) or newly announced Kiosk.

Should I bother with Farcaster?

When Farcaster first came out, it was known simply as a “decentralized Twitter”. Perhaps worth noting is that it’s not the only decentralized social protocol around - there are others like Bluesky which was born as an initiative from Twitter before getting spun out, Lens Protocol, Mastodon, and others. While Farcaster has seen incredible momentum over the past few months, it is likely too early to tell if they will emerge as winners - their daily active users (DAU) while having 10x this year, is still 0.1% that of X’s.

Farcaster has gone from less than 10,000 daily active users to nearly 100,000 since the start of this year

While I’m less familiar with other protocols and am hence unable to comment on them specifically, I am able to share my personal experience about Farcaster and why I have found it worth at least spending some time on.

First off - social media, no matter the platform, requires time and effort. Amongst us, there are always going to be those who gravitate towards TikTok over Instagram, to LinkedIn over X, or to Reddit over anything else. Ultimately, the reason why we choose one platform over another usually depends on a) our individual goals and objectives, and b) which medium we feel most comfortable expressing ourselves. For example, I personally don’t enjoy both consuming or creating video content too much, which is why I hardly use platforms like TikTok or YouTube.

Similarly, users interested in Farcaster are typically already avid X users, and prefer communicating through short-form messages under 280 characters, and supplementing them with the occasional image or video. If you had worked hard to build a following on X, you may wonder why you should spend time starting from scratch and trying to rebuild an audience on a different platform... which is the fundamental challenge of all existing social media platforms, in that the audience you have spent time building ultimately do not belong to you.

It is far too early to tell if Farcaster will indeed become the most widely adopted decentralized social network. If it does however, decentralization means that the time you invest here in terms of building your audience and social connections (i.e. your social graph) is completely transferable and interoperable to other apps building on top of it. In fact, there are already TikTok (Drakula) and Instagram (Jam) equivalents currently being built on the Farcaster protocol.

Drakula is a short-form video app similar to TikTok built on top of Farcaster’s social graph

On the other hand, if you are an artist trying to market your art and find collectors over social media, being early could very well pay off. While it may seem like you have less people to engage with compared to X, this is also an opportunity to stand out from the crowd especially as X’s algorithm has got more unpredictable over time.

Ultimately, if you enjoy being an early adopter, are keen to learn and experiment with other like-minded folks who are curious about new technology, it is likely that you will feel right at home at Farcaster… even though it will take some time and getting used to.

Earning tips on Farcaster

Many artists have been singing the praises of Farcaster because token communities building on the protocol have allowed creators to earn tips (essentially reward points) through the content that they share. The difference between earning such rewards as points offchain and tokens onchain, is that in the latter you can easily sell your tokens for cash, meaning that they carry actual monetary value.

Twitter tweet

Tipping users based on activity and engagement on Farcaster is something that was pioneered at the start of this year by Degen, a token created by Jacek to allow Farcaster users to reward each other for posting quality content. Similar concepts have since been adopted by both newly-created token communities like Higher and established companies like onchain art marketplace SuperRare, and creator-centric protocol and marketplace Zora.

Twitter tweet

Again, while the value of each community’s token can fluctuate wildly (one $DEGEN token is currently worth 2 cents but at one point was worth close to 6 cents) and the model is only a few months old and hence could undergo several iterations to be sustainable, the idea of creators earning monetary payouts for the content they share is an exciting one. This is especially when you compare it to traditional social media platforms like Instagram, where creators not only post content for free, but instead have that content monetized by the platforms they are sharing it to.

Leveraging channels and frames on Farcaster

Aside from tipping, there are a couple of innovations that really make Farcaster stand out to me.

Channels: subcommunities

The first is channels, which are essentially like Subreddits (i.e. subcommunities). While a Warpcast client-only implementation at the moment, these will soon be implemented at the protocol level at Farcaster, i.e. third-party applications can build on top of the content being created in channels.

Similar to how you can contribute to a variety of different Subreddits in Reddit, anywhere from your favorite reality TV show to sports to news, channels allow you to post to different subcommunities based on your interests. For artists, this is not only an incredible way to get more eyes on your work, it is also a great way for you to connect with other people over similar interests or even specific mediums.

Here is a comprehensive list of art-related channels on Warpcast, and you will find different channels for say, generative art, illustrations, AI art, and more. Channels are not just for interests - some creators have even gone on to create personal channels of their own as a way to share updates with their fans. Needless to say, HUG has a channel of its own where I run daily themed art contests with prize pools paid out in DEGEN tokens.

Yesterday’s yellow art contest

Frames: mini apps

Frames are mini applications within Farcaster that users can interact with without ever leaving it! People have built frames to allow users to mint or purchase an NFT, read their newsletter, buy merchandise, and more with the click of a few buttons and most importantly without leaving Farcaster.

Here are a couple of my favorite art-related frames:

• Purchasing an NFT with the click of a button through Zora

• Browse an onchain art gallery with Gallery

Frames allow you to browse through a user’s onchain art gallery within Farcaster

• Read an entire newsletter within a Frame thanks to Paragraph

With frames just being a few months old, new applications are being built and launched every day - who knows what will be possible tomorrow?

The future of HUG on Farcaster

While HUG’s presence on Farcaster is currently limited to our single /thehugxyz channel, its decentralized nature allows us to do lots more! Indeed, some ideas we have include:

• Allowing users to connect their Farcaster account and hence port over their social graph (i.e. all their followers) to HUG

• Once decentralized, bringing channels and hence art medium-specific content onto HUG so you can find the right home and community for your art within our platform

• Allowing other users to shop from your Artist Storefront directly through a frame

• Allowing users to share their Artist Profile and Portfolio as a frame, so users can browse through their work without leaving Farcaster

• Allowing users to view all information about a particular Open Call within a frame, so they can learn more about the opportunity before applying to it

And lots more!

We don’t currently have a specific timeline for any of these, but needless to say, we remain excited about the possibilities of decentralized social and how we can be a part of this rapidly evolving movement.

Closing thoughts

With Farcaster at around 100,000 DAUs versus other social media platforms like X and Instagram at hundreds of millions, we are at the early innings of what is possible for decentralized social. Additionally, depending on where you are in your artistic career or journey, it may not be worth neglecting the audiences you have built elsewhere only to have to feel like you’re speaking into a void… at least at the very beginning.

Nonetheless, if you are willing to take a bet on the future, want to play a part in witnessing it unfold, and have some time to spare… give Farcaster a go! There’s lots more that I haven’t had the chance to dive into, so feel free to reply to this email if you have further questions. I’ll do my best to respond to all 💜

Artist Grants and Opportunities

📸 HUG 100 Photographers to Watch

We are thrilled to introduce our inaugural edition of 100 Photographers to Watch, which will spotlight exceptional photographers that are reimagining the world through the creativity of their lens.

Selected artists will be curated by internationally acclaimed National Geographic photographers, John Knopf & Michael Yamashita for publication in the upcoming art book and an immersive exhibit at Superlative Gallery in Bali, Indonesia.

Submit Your Photography

• 🌞 Share your picture-perfect summer in a photography exhibition: Indonesia’s leading digital art gallery, Superlative Gallery, is seeking summer-centric photography for an upcoming Solstice Snapshots Exhibition.

• 🎶 Get your fan art featured to over 3M art & music lovers: The Tony Awards & HUG are celebrating by sharing fan art of this year’s nominees across socials with full credit to the artist.

• 🍿 Digital Art at the Drive-In: Digital Dreams Gallery in Kansas City is curating art on the theme of retro-futurism for a digital exhibition on the big screens at the Boulevard Drive-In Theatre.

• ⚡️ Showcase your art to thousands in the heart of Vegas: JRNY Gallery is seeking art on the theme of Neon Summers for their June First Friday Event.

• 💰 HUG is giving away $12,000 USD annually in artist grants in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 13,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

10 Must-Read Topics on the Latest in Art, Technology and Creative Entrepreneurship

It’s hard to believe that another 10 weeks have flown by! Since then, we have grown to over 13,000 art-loving subscribers, and have hit written 60 issues jam-packed with educational and actionable content!

We know the worlds of arts and technology move fast… so every 10 weeks, we take a breather and look back on everything we’ve covered so that you can get caught up, and better yet dive deeper or revisit the topics that are of interest to you.

Check out our prior recaps here - Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, and Vol 5.

2 weeks ago, we rolled out our very first HUG Artist Storefront, featuring none other than longtime HUG collaborator, award-winning artist Amber Vittoria.

🏪 What are HUG Artist Storefronts?

HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

Learn more and join the waitlist

🌟 Want to save 20% on Jackson’s, Amber’s, and even HUG’s very own storefront? Use code HUG20 at thehug.xyz/shop before Apr 30.

#051: 4 Simple Steps to Fund Your Art

#051: 4 Simple Steps to Fund Your Art

Small but simple steps you can take towards funding you art, from building a community to diversifying your income, and getting more savvy with finances!

Creating art is incredibly fulfilling, but can also be a financial rollercoaster. This issue provides you 4 simple steps to better fund your art. We cover how you can build a community, how you can apply for artist grants, how to diversify your income, and last but not least, how to better understand your finances so you can be well-prepared for the road ahead.

#052: 3 Reasons to Sell at Art Fairs

#052: 3 Reasons to Consider Selling at Art Fairs

From getting more exposure for your work to interacting directly with collectors and fellow artists, learn why art fairs are an option worth exploring.

This week’s issue is on Art Fairs — dynamic events that bring together artists, art collectors, and enthusiasts from all walks of life. While some may view them as mere showcases, we go into detail on why and how art fairs can offer unique opportunities beyond the traditional gallery experience.

#053: A Guide to Digitizing Your Art for Traditional Artists

#053: A Guide to Digitizing Art for Traditional Artists

Actionable tips and strategies for taking your physical art into the digital world. Recommendations for digital art tools and communities.

A must-read for all traditional artists who are new to digitizing their art! Guest written by RealNifty CEO Jamie Parmenter, this issue provides you with actionable tips and tools for you to start introducing your physical work into an increasingly digital and connected world.

#054: 3 Steps to Negotiating Successful Deals as an Artist

#054: 3 Steps to Negotiating Successful Deals as an Artist

3 essential steps for artists to master negotiation, be it in a sale, a commission, or establishing a mutually beneficial partnership.

Negotiation is a highly critical skill for artists navigating the dynamic and often unstructured landscape of the creative industry. Whether you are securing commissions, pricing your artwork, or establishing partnerships, the ability to negotiate effectively can have a significant impact on an artist's career trajectory. This issue covers 3 essential steps for artists to master negotiation, so that you can foster mutually beneficial agreements while honoring your creative integrity and value.

#055: 4 Steps to Overcoming Creative Procrastination

#055: 4 Steps to Overcome Procrastination as a Creative

Overcome creative procrastination by following 4 simple steps, including tips for finding your why, breaking down your tasks, and more.

Procrastination happens to everyone. And yet, it has that uncanny ability to put off what we know we should be doing, often leading to frustration and missed opportunities like open calls. This issue provides you with both the right mindset and strategies for artists to reclaim their creative time and momentum.

#056: 5 Strategies to Promote Yourself on Social Media

#056: 5 Strategies to Promote Yourself on Social Media

Learn how to more effectively market yourself and your art on social media. Essential strategies from storytelling to having a strong CTA, and more.

In today's digital world, social media is essential for artists to showcase their work and connect with fans… whether we like it or not. But standing out online can be tough. This issue shares five strategies to help you stand out amidst the noise and effectively tell the story of you and your art.

#057: 3 Essential Networking Tips for Every Artist & Entrepreneur

#057: 3 Essential Networking Tips for Every Artist &

Strategies from founder and CEO Randi Zuckerberg on how to build up your net worth through the power of community and connection.

Our founder and CEO Randi Zuckerberg guest wrote this article to share her tips for networking both in person and online, and how to get over any fear or apprehension… especially if you are an introvert, like her!

#058: 5 Tips for Crafting the Perfect Portfolio

#058: Crafting the Perfect Portfolio with a HUG Artist Profile

5 tips to design the perfect portfolio for your creative work with a free and powerful HUG Artist Profile.

For creators, the portfolio is an incredibly powerful tool to showcase both your work and experience. Acting essentially as your calling card, portfolios when done well can grab the attention of prospective clients, collectors, and curators and help propel your creative career forward. Here, we provide you with 5 tips to optimize our newly redesigned HUG Artist Profiles so you can showcase your best possible portfolio, for free.

#059: 3 Lessons on Entrepreneurship from HUGFest

#059: 3 Lessons On Entrepreneurship From HUGFest

Essential tips for artists to get creative with entrepreneurship through events and art fairs.

We had a blast hosting over 1500 artists and art lovers at our inaugural HUGFest in New York City earlier this month. Here, we share 4 lessons on entrepreneurship so you can learn how to make the most of your experience as a vendor at events like pop-ups or art fairs.

#060: 3 Reasons to Sell Digital Downloads to Increase Your Creative Revenue

#060: 3 Reasons to Sell Digital Downloads

Reasons why you should offer digital downloads from e-books to templates to grow & diversify your creative revenue.

With the rollout of Artist Storefronts on HUG, we’ve seen digital downloads be a tremendous opportunity for creators to grow and diversify their creative revenue streams. This issue runs through everything you need to know about digital downloads and why you should consider offering them.

Closing thoughts

We hope you have enjoyed all of our issues of Creator Royalties so far! Found one that’s particularly useful? Don’t hesitate to forward them to a friend, or invite them to subscribe for themselves.

Alternatively, if you have a suggestion for a topic to cover, please do not hesitate to reply directly to this email to share it with us!

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🐶 Calling dog lovers who’d like their art showcased at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in NYC! Take one of the AKC dog breeds and show us your best digital interpretation of it. Learn more and submit here.

• 🌞 Share your picture-perfect summer in a photography exhibition: Indonesia’s leading digital art gallery, Superlative Gallery, is seeking summer-centric photography for an upcoming Solstice Snapshots Exhibition. Learn more and submit here.

• 🍿 Digital Art at the Drive-In: Digital Dreams Gallery in Kansas City is curating art on the theme of retro-futurism for a digital exhibition on the big screens at the Boulevard Drive-In Theatre. Learn more and submit here.

• 💜 $1000 Grant for Mother’s Day Art: Share art everyone’s mom would want to put on the fridge with RARI Chain for a chance to win $1000. Learn more and submit here.

• 💰 HUG is offering $500 USD grants to two artists each month in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community. Learn more and meet all our HUG Visionaries here.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.

Would you like to sponsor our weekly newsletter and reach 13,000+ artists and art lovers? Get in touch.

3 Reasons You Should Offer Digital Downloads to Increase Your Creative Revenue

Last week, we rolled out our very first HUG Artist Storefront, featuring none other than longtime HUG collaborator, award-winning artist Amber Vittoria.

🏪 What are HUG Artist Storefronts?

HUG Artist Storefronts are an add-on to take your Artist Profile from a virtual showcase of your work to a powerful tool to grow and diversify your creative revenue.

Learn more and join the waitlist

At HUG, we believe that diversifying revenue streams is key to every creator’s success. As we introduce another Artist Storefront this week, this time by award-winning calligrapher Jackson Alves, we wanted to share 3 reasons why you should consider offering digital downloads to grow & diversify your creative revenue.

What are digital downloads?

Digital downloads have emerged as a powerful strategy for both monetizing one’s know-how and expanding market reach.

Many things can be sold as digital downloads, from ebooks, audio files, high-resolution digital images, software, online courses, templates, and many more. As the name suggests, they are typically delivered to customers in an instant via download or email, and are hence an easy way for creators to monetize their craft without carrying the risk of physical inventory.

At HUG, we believe that digital downloads are a must for every single creative entrepreneur, and here’s why.

#1: They expand your reach and addressable audience

Digital downloads transcend geographical boundaries, enabling you to connect with customers worldwide. This accessibility opens up new markets and allows you to reach diverse audiences who share an interest in your creative work.

It can also be a way to grow your audience! For instance, take a look at digital artist and creative director Jack Butcher’s Permissionless Apprentice. Here, Jack invites users to download a short principle framework for a low cost of $1.00, which acts as a gateway to other more extensive courses that he offers.

Jack Butcher’s Permissionless Apprentice

#2: They are a great source of passive income.

With digital downloads, you can generate passive income by selling products repeatedly without incurring further production costs. With orders delivered instantly without requiring any additional oversight, this frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your creative business while continuing to earn revenue from your digital offerings.

For instance, Korean artist Kohui sells creative coding resources on Patreon, while also providing YouTube tutorials to help onboard more artists into the world of generative art. The tutorials act as a way to attract customers, and the resources gives Kohui the ability to generate income while establishing themselves as an authority in their field.

On HUG, Jackson Alves is selling a flat brush pack that can be used in Procreate, so other artists can make use of his beautifully-designed lettering art to enhance their own creations.

#3: They make it easy to provide different and flexible options.

Digital downloads make it easier to offer different types of options at different pricing to attract a wide range of customers. For example, if you have are offering a high-resolution image download for someone to use as a phone wallpaper, you could consider offering them as individual downloads in different resolutions or bundle them to get a discount.

Similarly, you can also think about digital downloads in the form of a recurring subscription. Creative entrepreneur and content creator Casey Lewis started a free newsletter that covers the latest in Gen-Z trends, and was then able to introduce a paid offering which makes her $130,000 a year.

Closing thoughts

Incorporating digital downloads into your creative entrepreneurship strategy can yield significant advantages, from reaching a global audience to creating passive income streams. If you are interested in growing and diversifying your creative revenue streams with HUG, join our waitlist today and be the first to try out HUG Artist Storefronts.

Artist Grants and Opportunities

• 🖼️ HUG is giving away $1000 in our Portfolio Contest: To celebrate the launch of our newly designed HUG Artist Profiles, we are awarding $250 to the best Portfolio in each of the following categories: Digital Art, Physical Art, Multidisciplinary Art, and Most Innovative.

• 🐶 Calling dog lovers who’d like their art showcased at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in NYC! Take one of the AKC dog breeds and show us your best digital interpretation of it. Learn more and submit here.

• ☕️ Sell & feature your art on a coffee roast: CoinCoffee™ is seeking 3 artists to create art for coffee packaging and as an accompanying NFT, with artists receiving 21% of each sale. Learn more and submit here.

• 🌞 Share your picture-perfect summer in a photography exhibition: Indonesia’s leading digital art gallery, Superlative Gallery, is seeking summer-centric photography for an upcoming Solstice Snapshots Exhibition. Learn more and submit here.

• 🎥 Showcase animated works for Art on Arb with Transient Labs: Digital Dreams Gallery in Kansas City is curating art on the theme of digital identities to mint with The Lab by Transient Labs. Learn more and submit here.

• ☁️ Get access to Celo’s $150,000 USDC Creator Fund: Get awarded with several 1000 USDC grants from Celo, a new NFT marketplace powered by RaribleX. Learn more and submit here.

• 💰 HUG is offering $500 USD grants to two artists each month in exchange for artwork to raffle off to our community. Learn more and meet all our HUG Visionaries here.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.