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Artist Jeffrey Lipsky finds real-world success in the virtual world of Second Life
| Guest post by: Ross Fattori |
Article Overview: Painter uses virtual world to promote his works
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Free Download - Are you a no show? By Ross Fattori |
Artist Jeffrey Lipsky finds real-world success in the virtual world of Second Life
A recent article in the New York Times Magazine by Sara Corbett tells the story of Jeffrey Lipsky, a Boston-based artist who has discovered a rather new-age approach to marketing his oil and pastel paintings.
Lipsky tried the traditional methods of self-promotion – contacting gallery owners and appealing to art critics. But they didn’t get him very far.
He could have done what thousands of artists do when they discover that they can’t make a living from their art: They find a job at an advertising agency or a commercial art studio.
But Lipsky thought that there had to be a better way to promote himself and his art – especially in this digital age. And he was right.
In 2006, Lipsky signed onto Second Life, a virtual online community where participants create alternate lives and identities for themselves. The visual images of these online personalities are called “avatars.”
Joining an online community like Second Life made sense for Lipsky as much of his artwork is inspired by virtual world culture.
Lipsky created an unlikely avatar named Filthy Fluno, a short black man with an oversized afro and a couple of protruding teeth. Filthy Fluno promotes Lipsky’s art within the alternative universe of Second Life. He attends (and hosts) parties trying to generate as much interest as he can about his art.
Filthy Fluno also opened an online gallery where he posts images of Lipsky’s paintings. Other characters within Second Life frequently patronize the gallery and purchase inkjet copies of his work.
The popularity of Lipsky’s alter ego has spilled into the artist's real life as well. Lipsky’s online acquaintances in Second Life have purchased original paintings for real money, in the real world.
Filthy Fluno has become something of a sensation on Second Life. The New York Times article will no doubt bring this avatar even more notoriety and lead to more sales of Lipsky’s art.
This is an inspiring tale of the Internet making it possible for artists to find new audiences and customers for their art.
If you’re an artist of any stripe looking for new ways to promote your work, then Second Life offers a viable option.
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Related Forum Posts
Re: The Second Life Platform
- [quote="JBunion":fhe23fsu]Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.[/quote:fhe23fsu]
Hi JBunion,
I've heard about the site. So are you currently a member? And more importantly, have you tried to open a store front in that virtual world?
The Second Life Platform
- Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.
My reading log
- Hi OmnivoreInk,
Before starting my business, I read the following books as research:
-"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki
-"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm
-"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson
And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order):
-"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross
-"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom
-"The Twits" by Roald Dahl
-"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne
-"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener
-"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
-"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis
-"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following:
-"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson
-"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
-"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett
-"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch
-"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron
-"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey
Re: Virtual Blog Tours
- Hi Shri,
That was a really informative article. I understand a lot more of what a virtual blog tour is. It makes a lot of sense.
I'm excited to hear one of the motives behind it is to keep the author more at home, instead of having to travel around. The excitement of travel can wear out rather quickly, especially if one has family!
I thought virtual blog tours were for those who only had a blog. I stand corrected.
I really wish you the best as you develop your virtual tours! Thanks for sharing what you're up to.
Warmly,
Tami
Re: How do you monitor what people say about you in the web?
- Google Alerts are the free route to check what people say about you in the virtual world. A salient feature of this service is that you can create more than one alert, each with a distinct keyword or keyword phrase.
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