Index
And how to best use this archive
This archive1 serves as a course for autonomous learners on strategies I have evolved since 2005. It is a guide to empowering yourself via the internet by building a structure for your online presence, creating a system to communicate within it, and understanding how to convert viewers of content to collectors of art. It concludes with a comprehensive maintenance checklist.
The concept of creating a structure and system of communication online is not unique to artists. In relation to old media vs new media, Emily Sundberg2, the New York based founder of Feed Me, asked a small group of media executives, legacy journalists, and her most engaged paid readers their thoughts on the state of their industry. She collated responses in a piece titled, Magazines are dead. TV is dead. Hollywood is dead. In my opinion, the most insightful comment is that, "We're already at the point where the right setup will let you spend the majority of your time on the creative stuff – voice, reporting, taste, big ideas – and have the rest humming in the background. The people who lean in now are going to lap everyone else."
Actualising this concept is more complex in relation to art because we don’t report on others, we focus on originality; what we make is mostly physical; and our creations are more expensive than a subscription.
To best understand the ideas in this archive, I recommend that you read it in chronological order. An index is listed below. You can read about my accomplishments and what qualifies me to write this guide in the About section.
Please note that I will no longer reply to comments regularly, though I may check in occasionally. Outside of making art, I am refocusing on my online communications, which can be viewed as an ongoing case study of how I interpret and build upon the strategies I’ve written about here. I will continue using Notes, so please feel free to say hi there.
Wishing you the very best in art and in life,
Hazel
PS
A reminder to current paid subscribers, please view options for your subscription during the transition from column to archive.
How to live (in a new world)
Why everyone, especially creators, will use digital strategy in the future (which is already here)
How the artworld is killing its own market via the internet
A case study of what not to do when building value
How the artworld lost its authority
An overview of how we got to here and where to go from here
Tutorial: pro' photos with a smartphone
You don't need expensive equipment
Why profile pics matter
And how to take one that intuitively communicates who you are and what you're doing online
A video is worth 10,000 words
Why video is the future of online communication and how to develop your 'voice' in this medium
Tutorial: making simple yet effective videos
Filming and editing a broadly accessible, algorithm-friendly video
A re-introduction
Why I'm writing this column and what qualifies me to do so
How to Keep Calm While Adapting Hard and Fast
Stop jumping through algorithm hoops, start honing your digital strategy
Back to the Studio
Separating art from digital strategy
Visual Storytelling
A tutorial in making and editing a simple visual story
Social Media Platforms and the Dark Forest
Where we're at and where it's going
Your Online Presence: What, Where and Why
What I think creators should be doing online and why
A Step-by-Step Guide to Build Your Online Presence
Part One
Part two: a Step-by-Step Guide to Build Your Online Presence
With some brief observations on change
Why You Need a Website
And an inexpensive alternative for artists
The Internet is Forever Except When We Want It to Be
And what to do about it
Ditch the 'Attention Economy' Rat Race
A guide for artists on how to write email newsletters and when to send them
How to Write Even if It's Not Your 'Thing'
A step-by step tutorial
On Privacy
How to protect yourself online
Why IRL Matters
And is integral to digital strategy
Constancy is Consideration
Convenience belongs to the audience, not the creator
The Transition From Online to IRL
Via business cards
How to Convert Viewers to Collectors
The big picture
Artist Cooperation Online and IRL
Why it's worth considering
Why (and when) this weekly column will transition to an archive
DIY Web 2.0 Empowerment
Narrative Structure
Of life and art
Momentum
On building and sustaining it
Tending Your Garden
A checklist for building and maintaining your online presence
Please note that all artwork and writing by Hazel Dooney is protected by intellectual property laws. Copyright and licensing requests are managed by Copyright Agency.
Where the Dealmakers and Strivers Get Their Gossip, New York Times, 7 February 2025.
The Rise of Emily Sundberg, Brennan Kilbane, airmail.com, February 2025.
‘People aren’t snarky enough any more’: Why Londoners can’t get enough of Feed Me, Olivia Ovenden, observer.co.uk, May 2025.
Emily Sundberg on How Nobody Is Coming to Save Gen Z, bloomberg.com, June 2025.
Emily Sundberg says this is what she wants to do next with her Feed Me newsletter: Q&A, Peter Kafka, businessinsider.com July 2025.