How can we use social media effectively without going crazy? How can artists use advertising that actually converts into sales? How do we identify our competition and learn from their mistakes and successes? How should we optimize our personal websites to generate traffic? How can we find new ways to promote our work and establish our expertise?

This week we are talking to

Daria Aksenova

Daria has been an independent artist since 2016 and has a massive amount of information for artists on running a business.

From Daria:

“My name is Daria Aksenova and I'm a visual narrative artist known for my suspended paper, shadowbox-like ink work based on mythology and folklore. Each piece tells an elaborate story about interpersonal human behaviors rooted in the human condition, such as growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality. I use traditional mediums with a preference for black and white.

For my linework, I use a mix of Sakura Microns, Rotring Rapidographs, and inking nibs. Dozens of ink washes layered on top of each other create the shading gradient. Once finished, the illustrated layers are precisely hand-cut with a mix of scalpels and Excel blades and suspended against each other to create an illusion of movement and depth.”

Our first talk with Daria:

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD9jqKri2LU

Audio - https://www.jobydorr.com/artcondition/2021/3/6/episode-26-marketing-for-artists-w-daria-aksenova-round-1

Website - https://dariaaksenova.com/

Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/dariaaksenovaart

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/DariaAksenova

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AksenovaArt

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dariaaksenovaart/

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@dariaaksenovaart?

Other points of interest from our conversation:

Jarvis the copywriting A.I. - https://www.conversion.ai/

Society of Illustrators - https://societyillustrators.org/become-a-member/