Every artist questions their existence at some point but in this digital age, an artist without digital presence wouldn’t even have to. Without an online presence, does the artist still exist? We’ll leave that for you to decide but we do know this: in a world of complete information overload, creating and sustaining a creative personal brand becomes an art all its own, and carving out your own space on the Internet becomes an essential part of it.

Enter: your website and a .ART domain name.

A .ART domain will give you an undeniable presence and edge. Though you may already have a social media presence, these platforms come with significant concerns over user data privacy, copyright and a scenario that should never be discounted—a definitive shut down. There’s also the simple issue of usage and search. Unless the client knows your exact name or username, they may not be able to find you on a social network. While social media is a great tool to reach your audience and get quick, direct feedback, your website should function as a professional digital business card.

Five .ART Domains That Paint the Right Picture

Here are our top five favorite .ART domain owners who are successfully using their domain names to host websites that reflect their personal brand on the Internet–in a concise, informative and visually engaging way.

Mariana Yaremchyshyna is a skilled pianist, whose most recent success includes performing at the Venice Biennale. She’s also a performance artist and researcher, with a focus on animal ethics, time and intimacy. For her website, Mariana chose a black background to add an element of drama to her online business card. By using a black and white image of herself, she created a page that has a classic, artistic feel. With a CV, biography, vimeo links to performances, a press section and a contact page, this website is a great example of a digital business card for someone with multiple creative career goals. 

A Slovakian living in Scotland, Jan Maly is a unique artist with a ton of personality. Jan’s website exhibits an eclectic mix that speaks to the range of his work, from dark pencil renderings to colorful fantasy worlds. His website is easy to navigate, links to all related social media accounts and leads to an online store with posters and prints available for purchase. A business card like this means visitors are not only able to get to know Jan, but they can contact him or purchase his work directly—all key elements of any successful business.

Laura DeAngelis is a Chicago-based yoga instructor, choreographer, dancer, videographer and photographer with a website section dedicated to each of her creative offerings. By using a clean layout, Laura’s website is immediately easy to navigate and gives visitors an ample overview of her skills and aspirations. To make it easy for people to get in touch, Laura has linked all her contact information (e-mail, phone number and Instagram account) directly on the main page. 

Richard A. Forero Domínguez is a Vancouver-based character animator currently working at Sony Imageworks. His homepage features images of all the big-name projects he has under his belt. His website has a section for video, a LinkedIn tab and a classic contact page to make him easy to reach for future collabs or projects. Simple, informative and to the point, Richard’s website presents a fun but professional calling card.

The brains behind letzwrite.art are two English students from Luxembourg. The two friends decided to start a creative partnership to share their personal writing and publish various guest contributors to support each other on their creative journeys. Aiming to create “a conglomerate of artistic relief,” they publish a variety of poetry and musings as they work on developing their voices and honing their craft. Their website reflects this journey and serves as an invitation for others to join them and submit their work.

A .ART Domain Can Mean Business

Social networks simplify your content and make it more accessible. But no matter how big your social media following, a website is still the true digital calling card, highlighting your professionalism and unique style. A .ART domain is a digital address that serves to further cement you in the online artist space. Whether you work in one industry or several, are specialized or still searching for a niche, a personalized website gives you endless freedom of expression. Your .ART domain is a digital signpost that firmly establishes and markets your personal brand while inviting people into your own creative world.