The Size of Your Audience

Every photographer eventually reaches a point where they start wanting exposure for their work. I'm just back from Houston FotoFest where I reviewed the work of about 60 photographers; only two asked me how I might suggest they improve their photography or their prints. All the others wanted me to offer advice on how to get their work seen, exhibited, published, promoted — in short, to get it "out there" into the world.

The pragmatist in me kicks in sometimes in the strangest places. This is an example.

Curiously, not one of them could define for me what they would consider success in this venture. I asked them a few pragmatic questions: Who do you want to see your work? How large an audience would satisfy you? What measure of audience will you use to know if you've achieved your goals for an audience? Blank faces. Then non-answers like: Everyone! As many people as I can! Huh?

I'm serious about this. How much is enough? There are some 6 billion people on the planet. What percentage of them need to see your work in order for you to feel successful? And will you be satisfied if they just see it, or will it require more for you to feel happy about your work? What is the threshold over which you must cross in order to justify the time, energy, money, and suffering you've incurred to make your artwork? Will the current crop of humans be enough, or will you need future humans to see your work in order to make you happy? If your last project had X viewers, what factor of X will you require on your next project to find joy and contentment? 2X, 4X, ½X?

Be careful. Audience is a drug. It is easy to become addicted to it. And, like all drugs, it takes more and more to satisfy you. A nebulous approach in defining your audience is often an indication that the real issue is validation. And, wishing for validation about artwork from the outside world is almost always a path that leads only to disappointment and discouragement. There is never enough because there are always people yet to offer their validation, always some who never will because they simply cannot agree with what you've produced.

With these cautions in mind, we can also agree that audience is important. It is not very satisfying to work in a vacuum. It's perfectly reasonable to want to show your work. Acknowledging that, it is equally important to think carefully about how you define success. Quantify it. Qualify it. Who are the people you'd like to see your work? Names, titles, positions, locations. How many of these people define success? 1, 10, 100, 1000, 462? Over what period of time? A month's exhibition, a lifetime, somewhere in the future? In which countries or continents? At what income level, gender, race, political persuasion, age, interest, or hair color?

Furthermore, what do you want them to do? Just look? Buy? Respond? Compliment you? Tell their friends? Blog about you? Link to your website? Give you an exhibition? Publish your work? Back up the truck with the piles of cash and dump it on your porch? Have you as a guest on their late-night talk show?

Be specific. "What gets measured gets managed" is a maxim from the business world. It's also true.

Comments

[andy ilachinski]

I recently had a "reception" for 30 of my prints that are hanging in a "Bar & Grill" (attached to a Hyatt hotel). As I was busy with many day-job acivities, I did little to advertise it myself, and left it to a local arts center (that sponsored the show) to do it for me. As I'm far from a "known artist" (even locally), I did not expect (in all sincerity) *anyone* to show up, a few curious on-lookers perhaps. I was surprised in a very, very good way to see about two dozen people stop by specifically for the reception (many of whom were local artists and photographers). I cannot remember the last time I so enjoyed two hours of just chatting with fellow artists. Although the focus of attention (and the reason we were all there) obviously was my prints on the wall (and I would be lying if I said that didn't stroke the ego), I would also be less than sincere if I didn't admit that *by far* the greatest pleasure was being able to chat/muse about photography/art with people interested in doing the same. As I sit here typing (at my day job, on a coffe break;-), were it not for commenting on your blog entry, I do not think I'd give anotehr thought to the fact that my prints are hanging at some Bar & Grill (where is the enjoyment in that, per se?) For me, the enjoyment (and memory) comes from those two hours where my prints (and the art center's kind advertisement) brought together a group of people with whom I *engaged* in a shared experience of art and photography. That there were 20 or so, and not 50, or 100, is, in this respect, immaterial. Indeed, I would have been quite happy with 10 or even 5, if I had the same level of engagement (as I did with each and every person who attended the reception). If the choice is between *knowing* that, say 500 people, will see a show of my prints (but with whom I cannot interact, and from none of whom will I ever hear any comment, much less interact with) *or* directly engaging with, say, 10 people, with whom I have a stimulating conversation for a few minutes or longer, I'd take the latter any day.

[James Bullard]

"Aye, and there's the rub". For most aspiring photographers, artists they have no clue who their potential audience is or how to go about finding out.

For myself I'd like to have an audience that buys my work, at least enough of it so that this rather expensive passion pays for itself. Any $$ past break even would be gravy. Perhaps that is crass of me to have only a monetary goal but the reality is that I will continue to do it anyway even without the validation of exhibits, etc. I'm still trying to figure out how to find & reach that buying audience though.

[Edd Fuller]

I have been struggling with this very question for the past few months since starting a photo blog. After many years of working only for myself, I decided I would like an audience. I suppose at some level, we all want positive feedback and validation, but as you rightly point out, this rarely leads to any real growth.

Some years ago I learned to play a musical instrument. I pushed myself to perform in public, even though it was difficult and scary for me. When I performed to an audience, I got better. I learned more, my technique improved, and my musical abilities were enhanced because I needed to meet the demands of being in front of an audience. The size of the audience did not really matter so much, nor did the feedback or lack of feedback. What mattered was that I got in front of other people who wanted to hear music and made music.

In much the same way, I am hoping that pushing myself to reach an audience with my photography will lead to growth. The measure of that growth will be the measure of my success.

[Douglas R Winn]

The comment about, "any thing over break even is gravy", is a telling comment to me--I wonder how many of us have REALLY calculated just what the break even point is for fine art photography[whether it is matted prints, framed wall art, PDFs, folios, downloads, etc?]; This requires estimating ALL of the costs involved in making the art, and then determining how many units need to be sold at a REAL "expected" unit price to "break even". It is a sobering exercise--but is real life in advance. That exercise will TELL us the very MINIMUM our audience size needs to be to "break even"...ie, the MINIMUM number of successful relationships we need to make that will yeild enough unit sales to allow us to "break even". Being brave enough to make that calculation is the first step to getting there. It will give us a "target" to shoot at, and to work toward. It will keep us from pouring so much money and time into a project that we can NEVER reasonably break even. Once we understand "how many relationships" we need, then we have to go out and make those relationships...where ever these people are. And we know that every relationship doesn't end up as a "sale", so we may have to double or tripple that number of relationships in order to "break even". Also remember that any business that just "breaks even" won't be in business for long. And our art work better be pretty darn good to sell even a few pieces. Now, THAT is a bunch of work! So, we better get started.

[Chuck Kimmerle]

I can only echo what my friend, Andy, wrote. The human interactions inspired by my photographs, whether they be in person or via phone or email, are how I measure my "success".

I doubt I could meaningfully quantify or quality those interactions as they relate to "success", but do know that even a single positive comment or discussion can keep me inspired for weeks.

Print sales are always appreciated, of course, but are not something I am foolhardy enough to factor into my personal definition of success. To think otherwise would be a sure path to frustration and disappointment.

[Scott Jones]

After reading Andy's remarks above, I am reminded of a friend/artist who has had great "success" fostering the kind of experience Andy enjoys by having a home exhibition/party at her home. The idea is to take down all the art in your house and put up all your new work. Throw a party in your home and invite all those people you would like to have at this party to foster the kind of experience you are looking for. Have your work for sale if you like and at half the gallery type prices (you get to keep it all) and the work may very well fly out the door. You get to share your work and your self. You get to have enriching conversations with the kinds of people you like. You get to sell your work (and cards, and books, and DVDs, and folios if you like) and lastly you achieve "success" as Andy defined it. What an idea!