Artist, Gallerist: Why aren’t you using Google Alerts? Or Gmail Farming?
Editor’s intro: You know what drives me bonkers? When people say, “Let me know when you post the article.” No, I’m not going to write you another email, I want you to sign up for Google Alerts, then you’ll know automatically. If you take 10 seconds to sign up, you’ll always know when something about you appears on the internet.
google.com/alerts:
So I’m feeling like the queen of technology when, offhand, in a coversation with Tristan Hummel - one of the most ear-to-the-ground guys on the scene I know – casually mentions that he … well, I’ll let him explain in his own words.
Working Title: Tristan Hummel: Inventor of Gmail Farming for Artists
by Tristan Hummel
I believe the Internet is here to save the artist. Most importantly the Internet has lowered the point of entry into the arts world. It has cut distribution costs; I can email my artwork to galleries instead of printing out millions of slides. Video artists can post their work online for the whole world to see for free if they wish. The Internet has also made contacting masses of people (for instance, notifications of an art opening) as easy as clicking ‘send’. Labor and money are saved, allowing ever more time for the artist to focus on the actual artwork.
Now with its merits there are drawbacks, but I would like to avoid falling into that polemic. Instead, as an example, I would like to share a specific way I use the Internet to assist my personal art practice.
My artwork varies greatly between animation, sculpture, public exhibitions, and art theory. I hungrily snatch at new ideas without being married to a medium. This method suits me and I enjoy the exposure to the new learning curves that arise. As my varied projects grew or became more complex I found I was ever in need for new and current information. I needed information on specific artists, methods, cultural practices and the general going-ons in the art world. I was spending a surprising amount of time just Googling and doing research. I had to get information faster, or at least easier; I have a day job after all.
My answer was to set up what I call, for lack of a better term, Gmail farming. Gmail provides a service called Google alerts. Google alerts allow you to enter in terms such as “Hyde Park Art Center” or “Lois Weisberg”. Google, which is constantly combing the internet for new data, will then send you an email with the latest news. You can have it send these emails once a month, week, day, or as it happens.
Instead of cluttering up my personal inbox with masses of these emails I created a separate Gmail account with, so far, 28 different alerts that come to me weekly. Now when I want the latest news or to keep up with the arts here in Chicago I just stop in to my account and all of the information is organized and ready for me.
This has been hugely helpful to me in my development of Art on Track, an annual exhibition I created on board an 8-car CTA train. I have been able to discover new artists and art groups that are relevant to my efforts and I gain greater exposure to my peers. This sort of information plays a direct role in my show by allowing me to learn from similar efforts, their successes and failures, and find artists ideal for my exhibition.
Gmail farming has also been helpful in alerting me to art shows, without giving up my email to a galleries mailing list and all the spam mail that brings.
Also helpful are the generalized search terms like “Chicago alternative art” which not only lets me discover new artwork but exposes me to bloggers and other journalists who are interested in the alternative art scene. Chances are if the press likes the work of my peers they may be interested in the work I am producing and now I know whom to contact.
Overall it is an easy system to set up and is worth a try. Gmail farming can lead to some very interesting results and expose an artist to those little treasures of information that lead to inspiration. It has definitely made my life easier and I recommend trying it to any artist seeking to streamline or increase their information gathering.
Some of my Google alerts are:
Chicago Art
Jim Lasko
Kavi Gupta
Art Chicago
Lois Weisberg
Rhona Hoffman
Alternative art Chicago
Co-Prosperity Sphere
Flat Iron Artists Building
Art intellectual property laws
Art gallery Chicago
Hyde Park Art Center
MCA Chicago
Editor’s conclusion: So there ya go, isn’t that nifty? The only problem is when you name is Kathryn Born and every time someone has a birth announcement that says Kathryn, born September 4th, you get an alert about it.
I’d like permission to quote you in my book, COMPUTER SURVIVAL, To End Press Start
“Editor’s conclusion: So there ya go, isn’t that nifty? The only problem is when you name is Kathryn Born and every time someone has a birth announcement that says Kathryn, born September 4th, you get an alert about it.”
I’m Vivian Greene, author, artist, speaker, dancer, and half my alerts are for Vivian Green (NO E) the singer. I almost got a contract from Sony too!
Vivian, that’s very sweet, of couse you can.
Yes, we are the people who just can’t be googled well. We’ll give up on trying to find an artist named Christopher Johnson, or some such…
So simple! Thanks for posting this. I feel silly when people catch me googling myself. Now I can do it more or less under the radar
I’ve been using Google Alerts for quite a long time now. In addition to subjects of interest, I also have alerts set for my name as well as my website name – artsnova.com
I’ve actually found a few stories on newspaper websites where I was quoted out of one of my press releases. Without those alerts, I would have never known. I’ve also found a number of references to my web site.
It’s always good to know who is talking about you and what they are saying.
Jim