BeYourArt.com Helps Artists Become Their Art

Originally published in "The Improper North Shoreian," Volume I, Issue 11 - November 2008

Created by businessman-turned-writer Judah Mahay, BeYourArt.com is a site dedicated to helping artists navigate the cold halls and fiery-hoops of the business world. The site is free, artists pay no fee for the services that give them the resources, information, and community to help them be their art. It was born of Mahay's desire to get involved with and support the art scene on Long Island (where he lives) and around the world. The site is built on a core belief that one should not have to sell out or abandon their vision to be a successful artist. In creating BeYourArt.com, he sought to make his business knowledge available to the artistic community. In a way, he was giving back for the guidance and inspiration he received on his journey toward becoming a professional writer. Reaching beyond writing, he explored the wide venue of arts; spoke to visual artists, musicians, and those in theater. What he realized was that if everyone offered-up their knowledge and experience, then everyone would be better off. Putting his writing on hold for over three months, he channeled nearly every moment and ounce of energy into getting the site off the ground. His vision: to cultivate a free community of artists, not separated by distance or medium, who share and benefit in kind, facilitated by a website that is perpetuated by those it serves.

The homepage is visually appealing and allows new visitors to find what they're looking for quickly and active members to see recent site activity. This causes it to be somewhat overfull, but Mahay is aware and so has kept the navigation links at the top and site activity below. All of the site's content can be navigated to from the home page, with the majority of content accessed by tabs at the top of the page. The colors and scheme provide for easy differentiation between links and text, and headings are consistently used throughout. The color palette is subtle but cohesive, allowing for featured visual art to stand out. Looking over the homepage, you'll see recent forum activity, blog posts, new members, and "featured member" submitted works. Balancing professionalism and an appealing personal feel, it provides a comfortable venue. The "everything-to-hand" feeling that is essential to the design of the site is most apparent here.

BeYourArt.com, under Mahay's guidance, is member-driven and constantly being updated to meet member needs. Forums provide for both open and medium-specific discussion such as "visual art", "writers", and "theatre". In the forums and chat rooms members can bounce ideas off one another, share their successes or frustrations, or see what's going on elsewhere. Threads are easy to find either by their headings or by using the search option. For more business-oriented discussions, groups centered on a topic such as "Finances", "Conventional Marketing", and "Agents" allow artists of all persuasions to share experiences and advice with each other. A few groups are featured on the homepage and all groups can be accessed from the Topics tab. The specific group pages contain a discussion forum, helpful links, and an area for wall comments. In addition, members can create new groups (subject to review by site administration) if one doesn't already exist. Member input is constantly sought in improving and updating the site, Mahay expressing a desire to meet the needs of the community. It's a balancing-act providing the array of features that members want while making them accessible for new users, and Mahay manages it without fanfare. By providing consistent page formats, color schemes, and utilizing the navigation tabs, he allows users to easily navigate content and anticipate where specific information will be found.

In creating BeYourArt.com, Mahay wanted to find a way to feature members and their art. His intention, he says, was twofold. He wanted to give members a place to feature themselves, but he also wanted to reward those that contributed to the site's community. As a member, you can post content such as video, music, blogs, etc. and users can access member content by navigating the Artists tab. In addition, music, photos, and blog posts are featured on the homepage. Also on the homepage is the "Featured Artist" segment, where a member who contributes in a significant way to the site is rewarded with a month-long feature on the home page, in addition to being added to the "Feature Artist" archive. BeYourArt.com is as much a meeting place as it is a resource for artists. Artists can be a reclusive lot, and the artistic journey is often a very personal one. By providing a common space for artists to share their work, Mahay facilitates the community that is so vital to the success of the site.

The Directory tab links users to useful information about business-related topics such as "Medical", "Art Law", and "Unions". Links to related organizations and information are organized within their respective topic. Member-submitted articles and reviews, and other networking opportunities are listed under the Resources tab. Lastly, the Art News tab contains links to useful web publications and journals dedicated to an array of art forms. The community is emphasized but should not obscure Mahay's intention. He set out to provide a place where artists could find answers to questions about how to do the business of art, but he recognized that he did not, himself, have all the answers. Member suggestions are solicited and encouraged as the way to produce a comprehensive resource. It is through the active participation and contributions of the member community that resources of the site are improved.

Judah Mahay, having come to art by way of business, recognized the need for an art-related business resource that would not seek to dominate or own the artistic spirit. BeYourArt.com has the potential to be a tremendous resource for the artistic community. Dedicated to serving and promoting, it succeeds because it provides a place for individual artists to share their experiences with others, thereby enriching the community as a whole.