ellipticalpointofview

Having looked at the general overview of industries on LinkedIn, I’ve decided to explore platforms allowing artists to connect and to build their profile with the public and other artists across a couple of posts – for this series of posts, I have restricted myself purely to Fine Arts, Visual Arts and Contemporary Arts.

Where can you find artists in the wild?

Initial observations are that there are a range of methods artists used to build their profile, none are mutually exclusive:

• Own website(s)/blog(s)
• Facebook page(s)
• Facebook profile(s) (either part of their “real-life” identity or as a separate “identity”)
• LinkedIn profile
• Specialist online art/artist profile and/or portfolio sites
• Behind Facebook group(s) exploring activities relating to their art practice

I am specifically interested in Australian artists, and would ideally like to drill down to Western Australian artists, to see what/where/how they are developing their profiles.

It is going to be a gargantuan (possibly impossible) task to document all the artist websites/blogs/Facebook Pages/Facebook Profiles/Facebook Groups. At this early stage, I think a poll of artists would work better to get data on what/where/how/why so I am limiting myself to profile sites, specifically:

• LinkedIn
• Specialist online art/artist profile sites

This post will look specifically at who/what’s on LinkedIn.com

Quick review of LinkedIn

If you’d like a detailed break down of industries and counts of profiles accessible via Advanced Search, hop over to my post Quick Overview: What industries are on LinkedIn?, otherwise a brief reminder about profile counts based on available literature:

• Globally: 225,000.000 members currently advertised total members (Source LinkedIn About Us page, 26 August 2013)
• Australia specific: 4,000,000 as at BRW article 4 million members and counting: LinkedIn Australia finds connections get you places (14 March 2013). As at 29 August: if I search for 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree connections and group members located in Australia there are 4,362,980 results returned (up from 4,362,553 on the 26 August)

Moving on to a drill down for relevant industries to see what profiles are accessible via Advanced Search on LinkedIn…

By Title (Current): Artist

Searching only for profiles with the current position title “Artist.

I searched on 1st degree connections, 2nd degree connections, group members and 3rd degree connections and everyone else, so I should have returned as many results that are open to the public as possible:

• Anywhere: 493,765 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&rsid=321480321377528175198&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O
• In Australia: 15,438 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&rsid=321480321377528252447&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 208 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&rsid=321480321377528175198&orig=FCTD&f_G=au%3A4916,au%3A0&f_N=F,S,A,O

These search results are visualised below:

This does return profiles with position titles like “Make Up Artist”, “Motion FX Artist” and other job titles. But given how subjective that industry flag is, can we assume that Visual/Contemporary/Fine Art artists would only be choosing industries that we think are most relevant?

We do need some way of filtering down to profiles that are more like to be relevant, so next up I looked at the 147 industries people can select from, and drilled down to the two (hopefully) most likely to be selected by a Fine Art/Contemporary Art/Visual Art artists: Fine Art and Arts & Craft.

Quick note on locations:

I note that some of my connections – who I do know are Western Australian (they are living and working in WA) – do not show up when I filter down to Western Australia. But they are showing when the location is set to anywhere, or filtered to Australia.

By Industry: Fine Art

I did a search of people in the “Fine Art” industry to see how many LinkedIn profiles identify as working within that industry.

I searched on 1st degree connections, 2nd degree connections, group members and 3rd degree connections and everyone else, so I should have returned as many results that are open to the public as  possible:

• Anywhere: 636,485 profiles (as at 25 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377416975715&orig=ADVS
• In Australia: 7,376 profiles (as at 25 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377417028907&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 77 profiles (as at 25 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377417110858&orig=FCTD&f_G=au%3A4916&f_N=F,S,A,O

These search results are visualised below:

Quick note on locations:

I do note, that some of my connections – who I do know are Western Australian (they are living and working in WA) – do not show up when I filter down to Western Australia. But they are showing when the location is set to anywhere or filtered to Australia.

By Industry: Fine Art, Title (Current): Artist

Of course, you can work in the Fine Art industry and not be an artist – there are other roles. So next up was to look at profiles in the Fine Art industry who hold a current position title that includes the term “Artist”:

• Anywhere: 60,092 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377527484101&orig=MDYS
• In Australia: 1,608 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377527535452&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 20 (as at 26 August 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=38&rsid=321480321377527626515&orig=FCTD&f_G=au%3A0,au%3A4916&f_N=F,S,A,O

These search results are visualised below:

Quick note on locations:

Again, the figures for Western Australian profiles in the Fine Art industry who have a current position title that includes the term “Artist” will be out – with some of them identifying their location as “Australia” and not Western Australia.

By Industry: Arts & Crafts

Based on the 147 industries people can select from, I did a search of people in the “Arts and Crafts” industry to see how many LinkedIn profiles identify as working within that industry.
I searched on 1st degree connections, 2nd degree connections, group members and 3rd degree connections and everyone else, so I should have returned as many results that are open to the public, as humanly possib;e:

• Anywhere: 1,284,981 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378119707281&orig=ADVS
• In Australia: 30,508 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378119730405&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 540 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378119844751&orig=FCTD&f_G=au%3A4916&f_N=F,S,A,O

These search results are visualised below:

Quick note on locations:

Again: I note that that some of my connections – who I do know are Western Australian (they are living and working in WA) – do not show up when I filter down to Western Australia. But they are showing when the location is set to anywhere or filtered to Australia.

By Industry: Arts & Crafts, Title (Current): Artist

Of course, you can work in the Arts & Crafts industry and not be an artist – there are other roles. So next up was to look at profiles in the Arts & Crafts industry who hold a current position title that includes the term “Artist”:

• Anywhere: 107,788 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378120250418&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O
• In Australia: 4,659 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378120044744&orig=ADVS
• In Western Australia: 108 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=Artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=111&rsid=321480321378120336411&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A4916

These search results are visualised below:

Dealing with duplication across the “Fine Art” and “Arts and Crafts” industries

This time, searching on both industries to deal with profiles that have been listed as both “Fine Arts” and “Arts and Crafts”:

By Industry: Arts & Crafts and Fine Arts

• Anywhere: 1,974,226 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124021416&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O
• In Australia: 36,822 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124154321&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 631 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?openAdvancedForm=true&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124305026&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A4916

These search results are visualised below:

Quick note on locations:

Again: some of my connections – who I do know are Western Australian (they are living and working in WA) – do not show up when I filter down to Western Australia. But they are showing when the location is set to anywhere or filtered to Australia.

By Industry: Arts & Crafts and Fine Arts, Title (Current): Artist

• Anywhere: 166,838 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124539403&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O
• In Australia: 6,536 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124563910&orig=FCTD&f_N=F,S,A,O&f_G=au%3A0
• In Western Australia: 131 profiles (as at 2 September 2013) www.linkedin.com/vsearch/p?title=artist&openAdvancedForm=true&titleScope=C&locationType=Y&f_I=111,38&rsid=321480321378124712370&orig=FCTD&f_G=au%3A4916&f_N=F,S,A,O

These search results are visualised below:

Quick note on locations:

I note again that some of my connections – who I do know are Western Australian (they are living and working in WA) – do not show up when I filter down to Western Australia. But they are showing when the location is set to anywhere or filtered to Australia.

Notes and further thoughts

Locations:

It’s possible that Western Australian artists are not identifying their location as Western Australia on LinkedIn, rather they are identifying their location as Australia.

Meaning the figures for people working in the Fine Art or Arts & Crafts industries in Western Australia may not be a complete reflection of actual profiles belonging to people active in Western Australia.

When artists are on LinkedIn…why are they on LinkedIn?

Going back to my possible future poll (which is starting to look a lot more like a survey than the straw poll I initially imagined in my head), I think one of my questions have to question the motivations for artists who do join LinkedIn and identify as artists, e.g. what is their rationale for joining LinkedIn?

Are they primarily doing so:

• to develop and raise their profile as an artist? or
• to develop and raise their profile in the other professions they may occupy in addition to being an artist (e.g. artist/curator, artist/lecturer, artist/crimefighter, etc)?

In this sense, I’d be interested in finding out whether the motivation to join LinkedIn is more related to their other professions (which may, or many not, be within or allied to the Arts industry), than their profession as an artist. Again, that’s something for another day/post.