Yo!

I was wondering, if anyone still reads this, how important do you think it is to;

1. Know your demographic, and


2. Brand yourself

It seems to me that there is distinct advantages to knowing the demographic where you'll target your art, (i.e. Target age, gender etc.) and also what the kinds of content you would want to put up on your page.
Not saying you have to specifically limit yourself in all aspects, but it has become painfully obvious that you cannot cater to all ages. If you do that you'll end up with some of your watchers blasting you for Cheesecake, and when you post art that is acceptable to those people, others will ignore you etc.

I think it is easier to pull in people if your art has a specific type of content or theme, also it seems that if you cater to a niche market, the people who stick around are more interested in what you're doing.

On the subject of Branding, how important do you think it is to make your art into kind of a brand? i.e. have a logo, distinct style etc. to differentiate yourself from others and to make your 'product' uniquely identifiable?
I'm asking as it seems that it is incredibly hard to make any money, much less a living, off your art if you don't make your 'brand' (your name, your art page etc.) synonymous with something people would like to see.


It's definitely interesting to consider, I mean, think about the well known artists you watch. They usually specialise in one subject, or have a particular feel to their work that attracted you to them. (Not necessarily style, but things like attractive men gazing at each other, or mountains of tits and the ladies that go with them.)
I remember when I did all that Zelda stuff, people poured to my page. That was because they wanted to see suggestive Zelda art God damn it and I was going to give it to them.
I had a particular audience, before the bottom fell out of it, I gave them the art they wanted and they came in droves.


Fascinating.


Aphius' Latest Protip:

If someone who has doubted you for a long time finally acknowledges that you've been right all along, be courteous and be polite. Say "Thank you for the acknowledgement", smile, then add "Oh and also, Fuck you for not believing in me earlier."