I'm really happy to have found a niche market and an area of art I can specialise in while enjoying it immensely at the same time. I am fully aware that I'm not the only portrait artist out there but what is great is that each artist has a different style, whether that's through the media they use or their physical drawing/painting style.
I do the majority of my work updates and posting of content through my Facebook page and I try hard to keep everything I post unique and true to myself and my work. What's been frustrating, even more so in recent weeks, is that I've noticed that my content is being imitated elsewhere. I'm not going to give details because I'm not interested in targeting, naming names, etc. etc. but I've been keeping an eye on it ever since I noticed it a couple of months ago and I'm now feeling so frustrated by it that I just had to voice it to let off steam!
It seems to be more obvious to me now, probably because I've noticed it and am aware of it much more than before and it's frequent too. It's not my work that's being imitated, it's the content and my style of posting. I know that probably sounds a bit woolly but if I was to give a list of specific examples it would be much clearer, I just don't want to do that. It's things like the wording in a status update or the photos being posted being far too similar to my own previously, to sit comfortably with me.
What bothers me with this is that I wrack my brains each and every day to come up with interesting and unique ways of sharing my work and progress with my wonderfully loyal followers and I just wish my ideas weren't being taken and recycled! The reality is, FB isn't making it easy on us small businesses so we have to put in a lot of hours of brainpower and physical networking to keep ourselves on the map. It's really, really difficult but worth it when you get amazing feedback from grateful customers. What takes value out of that worth is when you see that someone else is just making use of the hours you've put in and putting them to their advantage.
I'm aware that, because I've given no in-depth details or examples, this all seems a bit of an overreaction on my part but I simply needed to get my frustrations down on paper (so to speak!) in the hope that it would make me feel a little easier. At the end of the day, there are hundreds of supremely talented artists out there, each and every one with their own style and that something that makes them unique. What's important is FINDING that unique element and working it to it's fullest. Find a style that works for you and your work that is your own, and you are guaranteed to be remembered for it.
**Just to clarify: I have absolutely no problem with the artwork-there are hundreds of amazing artists on FB and many portrait artists all of which have their own styles and that is fantastic! I was just bothered by the style of content on this page.**
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