For a long time, I was not sure if I really needed to have a Pinterest account. After all, we all seem to have so many social media accounts that sometimes it can be hard to keep up with them all.

Every artist needs to have a Pinterest account and to be active on Pinterest. Pinterest is all about sharing visually, and so this gives every artist an added yet essential platform to get their artwork out there for others to find and see.

Besides being a platform for you to show your work to others, Pinterest also has many additional uses that can help any artist. Here are some of the uses and reasons I feel every artist should have a Pinterest account.

1 – Pinterest is Completely Free

First and foremost, Pinterest is completely and totally free. Setting up a Pinterest account will not cost you anything but time. Yes, that is right – it will cost you nothing at all.

All you need to do is go to Pinterest.com or click here for the link and then start a straightforward and easy sign-up process. If you are looking to sign up for your art, you may want to use the name you use for your art. For example, my account is Anita Louise Art. If you are interested, you can view my Pinterest account as an example by clicking here.

2 – Pinterest is easy to set up

Pinterest is straightforward to set up. When you first set up a Pinterest account, Pinterest will ask you what you are interested in so they know what kind of boards and things to show you. Once you pick them, then you can go ahead to set up some of your own boards.

Think of a Pinterest board as an actual bulletin board. Remember those old fashion bulletin boards that we use to pin things on that inspired us, or we put on things we wanted to remember? Well, Pinterest is like a new kind of digital bulletin board.

Each one of the files or photos that are on Pinterest is called a pin. When you see something that inspires you, pin it to one of your boards. This would be just like you had an actual bulletin board you were pinning things to, except this one is a digital board with digital pins.

Once you have set up your Pinterest account, you should then go to your settings page to set up your Pinterest account as a business account. A business account allows you to link Pinterest to your Instagram, Etsy, Youtube, and your website to your Pinterest account.

3 – No Limitations On Pinterest Pins

The beauty of Pinterest is that you are not limited by how many pins you can put on your boards. Pinterest does not limit you to boards or pins. You are welcome to put up as many pins as you like and have any many boards as you want. Mainly time and inspiration will be your limit on Pinterest.

It is suggested when you first sign up for Pinterest that you have about 10 boards with at least 10 pins on each board. This way, your board does not look blank. That may seem like a lot, but the reality is that pinning or finding pins is very simple on Pinterest. All you need to do is search for what you are interested in and then start to pin away. Pinning 10 boards with 10 pins each should not take you any more than 15 to 30 minutes of your time, depending on how many pins you want to look through.

4 – Great Source for Artistic Inspiration

One of the greatest things about Pinterest is that Pinterest is meant to be an inspiration source. This is one of the core values of this digital platform. What artist does not need to have some sources of inspiration every once in a while? I know that I do.

For example, if I am looking to paint a Portuguese water dog. Pinterest will then show me a bunch of photos of Portuguese Water Dogs. At the top of the page will be some tabs so I refine my search if I want only to show me brown or black Portuguese water dogs or maybe I am looking to find a puppy, so I can ask Pinterest to re-define my search to show me some the Portuguese Water Dog puppy photos.

This is a wonderful way for you to look for inspiration in your art. Pinterest can help you act like a visual search engine that will help you find the visual photos you are looking for to help you with your painting.

5 – Pinterest Shows Your Artwork.

Others can find visual content on Pinterest; by showing your work on Pinterest, you can also use it as a platform and way to get your work out to a wider audience.

Pinterest has a function that allows you to set up your own pins. This means you can take a photo from your website of something you have painted and set it up as a pin. Others can then find your pin and pin it to their boards. If they are interested, they can also click on the pin to go to your website.

Pinterest is another avenue or way that people can find you and find your art. But what makes this more unique than just a google search is Pinterest is all about the visual pins. This means that people will first find you by looking at your art, and then second, they can go to your website through the pin you have set up. It is another compelling way for you to expose people to your artwork and a way that people can find you and your work.

6 – Connect With Others On Pinterest

Pinterest is a social media account, so it is all about being social. This means that people can follow you, and you can follow others back, just like Facebook and Instagram.

Like these accounts, you want to build up your followers to try to get others to follow you as you follow others.

With so many social media accounts, many artists overlook Pinterest and what Pinterest can do for them. But more than any other social media account, Pinterest can help you drive traffic to your website. It can also help give your artwork added exposure. This is why every artist should look to have an active Pinterest account.

Related Questions

Do I need an account to use Pinterest?

To really use all the functions of Pinterest, you will need to have a Pinterest account. Since the Pinterest account is free, there is really no reason why every artist trying to sell their work should not have an active Pinterest account.

Can I see who is looking at my Pinterest account?

You cannot see who is looking at your account, but Pinterest will give you some basic demographic information to better understand your marketing demographics.

Is Pinterest a search engine?

Just like Google, Pinterest is also a search engine. So like Google, you need also to understand how Pinterest works. What makes Pinterest important for artists and others doing visual work is that it is a visual search engine.