Artists have always struggled to get their work noticed. Didn’t Van Gogh gain more appreciation from the masses only after his death? Social media has changed the way that we communicate and indeed enabled artists to share their great works with a wider audience. Artists are taking to TikTok, sharing their art, challenging themselves, and improving their skills.
Some artists buy TikTok fans, further spreading their art. These are the many ways that TikTok affects art and changes the art scene.
Increased Competition
As their art gains more viewers, with increasing popularity, artists tend to compete with each other more. On TikTok, competitors’ art is displayed almost simultaneously, which will generate more competition among peers. They can learn better from each other, and be inspired by each others’ works. Artists have always benefited from art competitions, and TikTok might give them the same opportunities and benefits.
Letting Artists Out of Their Comfort Zone
TikTok art challenges are a way that the audience can challenge the artists to different ways of expressing their art. It is especially common among sketch artists but is not restricted to them. The advantage of these challenges is that the artist is forced out of their comfort zone, always given a new task to complete which they might not have thought of alone. Of course, the resulting art may not immediately be perfect, but such exercises are useful in improving the skills of artists and enabling them to explore new methods of expressing their art, and new themes as well.
Audience Interaction and Feedback
In traditional methods of art display, the feedback and interaction from the audience is only after the art is completed, and shown in an art gallery. On the contrary, TikTok might provide instantaneous feedback that the artist can learn from. Also, the audience is continuously interacting with the artist, requesting specific changes. This might give artists more confidence, or help them improve on their art.
Breaking the Rules
Gone are the days where art is only deemed acceptable if it follows a certain set of rules. Artists are encouraged to make their own rules and break them too. Posting art on social media such as TikTok encourages artists to be more individualistic, and less conformist. Generally, the more strange and shocking a post is on social media, the higher the chances are of it going viral. So more artists are trying to cater to TikTok by being more eccentric and unconventional.
More People are Interested
Due to the propensity for TikTok videos to be more widespread, more users are interested in art-related videos. In fact, the hashtag #art has over 140 billion views. This means that the younger population is more interested in art than any other generation before.
Earning Potential
In the past, artists relied on selling their art to earn an income through their hobby. Artists were not considered professionals unless they had sold some of their creations. However, TikTok has given artists a means to earn a substantial income from very short videos that may contain very basic art creations. As with any other TikTokers, these artists are earning money through ads, and possibly through the TikTok Creator Fund. This means that artists no longer need to be employed at a day job to support their hobby. Instead, they are able to turn their hobby into the source of their income. TikTok is making its way to the top of the food chain in social media. Artists are utilizing the widespread use of TikTok as a way to gain popularity and showcase their creations. The app enables them to develop their skills and earn money at the same time.
