Should I post the finished artwork first or build up to it with story?

Invert your thinking—don’t lead with the finished image. Build the story first, then show the image. Think of it like an assembly line: don’t just show the beautiful product rolling off at the end; show all the steps that led to it. Or like a movie: don’t just show the ending where the hero gets the girl; show the journey, the struggles, the rising action, then the resolution. The finished artwork is the end of the story. If you only show the end, viewers miss all the value—the time, artistry, expertise, and your entire life experience that created this moment. Post the building blocks: your inspiration, your process, your challenges, your decisions. Build anticipation and understanding. Then when you finally reveal the finished piece, it carries all that accumulated meaning and value with it.

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Asked by a general teaching point · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-06-21