I've given this a lot of thought. Trust me when I say that this seemingly trivial bit of information and the small seemingly insignificant question that follows are, in fact, very important to my success as an artist. Please read this carefully and give your opinion honestly.
h2. the future.
In the not too distant future, I will be represented online in the following fashion:
* revjim.net
** The public side of me: technology, life, politics, humor, electronics, poetry, pleas for the baring of breasts.
* djamesphoto.com
** The business side of me: Portfolio, Rates, Events, Sales, Projects, Travel Notifications
* somedomain.com/someclevername/
** The starving artist side of me: Photoblog, Five-A-Week, Donations, Casting Calls
* un.dis.clos.ed.com
** The intimate side of me: more intimate aspects of my life and personality
* myspace.com/revjim
** Links to the public side of me (and, under filter, the intimate side)
* myspace.com/djamesphoto
** Links to the artist side of me
* revjim.livejournal.com
** Links to the public side of me (and, under filter, the intimate side)
* djamesphoto.livejournal.com
** Links to the artist side of me
My public site will frequently link to my business site through the use of images in the article, as well as links in the side bar, and random images in the side bar. My artist site will also link to my business site with each posted image, as well as in the side bar. Somewhere deep in the bio pages of my business site, my public site and artist site will be linked to as well.
h2. the question.
So, there's only one remaining question to be determined: Where do I put my starving artist site?
Since my business site is merely the hopefully profitable wing of my artistry, it makes sense to include it with the business site, perhaps as a subsite within my business site. However, displaying VERY edgy images, asking for donations, making casting calls, and looking for subscribers are hardly "business like" things to do.
Since it's more an aspect of who I am and what I do, including it as a part of revjim.net makes a lot of sense too. People who take interest in my life and my opinion are also likely to take interest in my art and my vision. Therefore, I may find more patronage in this setting than I would from a site where I look more like a professional begging for handouts.
However, the artsy side of me and, therefore, my artsy work tends to draw an entirely different audience. Therefore, it may be better to keep it separate from revjim.net in order to attract more visitors and patrons. An alternative is to place the starving artist site at another domain all together, but that just seems silly.
Another alternative is to give djamesphoto.com a very edgy, quirky, honest yet still professional feel. In other words, state clearly on djamesphoto.com that photography is not my only source of income and, in fact, is not really a source of income at all. Allow djamesphoto.com to be artsy, seek donations, subscribtions AND paid customers all in one shot. Stop trying to "act professional" and just be who I am using the separate domain names to provide a separation of audience.
h2. the poll.
[poll=5]
Your opinion is very important to me, so please vote.
