Print vs. Digital
Finding the balance
Social media, websites, email, etc. There are countless ways in the digital world alone for me to output my work as an artist, a creator, a writer, and a photographer. With all the options out there I often feel overwhelmed and drawn to the simple notion of printing my work on real tangible paper. But when you look at the current options of print it is easy to become overwhelmed again.
Last year Medium helped me find a voice and output for my work online. I have found Medium as a place where I can write and share with people inside and outside of Medium’s community. Some of that stuff finds it’s way to my website but not all. I post my day to day life on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr but I also post my art. People that follow me just for my art are also introduced to who I am and my friends and family that follow me get to keep up with my art. It is a win win and I feel it has found it’s own balance.
This year I want to find my voice and output in the tangible world. This year I want to print.
This year I am going to get serious about something I have been attracted to for a few years now. Print. Books, magazines, zines, postcards, fine art prints… you name it. I might fail for a while, but sooner or later I will find the balance. The first questions I asked myself were; How do I make it unique? How do I market my printed work to a digital fan base?
Personalization. It is the one thing print on demand services lack. Sure they allow customers to buy a book of my work and it is shipped to them directly saving me the hassle of storage and upfront costs. But it lacks that person to person interaction that we often feel we are having online (which can be argued).
Below is my first attempt at this approach. It will be a small run of just 20 copies but each one will be numbered and personalized to the buyer for a cost of $16 (plus shipping).
I don’t want to discredit the value of digital output or the value of printed work. Instead I want to find a way for the two to push each other and to push my work further.
