How to Start An Art Blog In 2026 (creative blogging 101)
I love blogging. I’ve been writing online since 2017 and grown (and failed at) a few different blog projects. This site is one of my more recent ones.
I’m an artist and a musician, but I use blogging as a way to boost my brand awareness and authority (I know right, not social media??).
Social media is great, but blogging is seriously overlooked. It’s an awesome way to grow more passively through evergreen content.
Plus, you can actually show up in AI platforms like ChatGPT.
And it’s fun.
So in this guide, I share my exact process for how to start an art blog (or any creative blog)…AND actually grow your blog with reliable and consistent traffic.
Now let’s do this dang thing.
Hey, just a quick heads up that some links in this post may be affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but helps me keep the lights on. Thanks for your support!
Blogging for Creatives—Why Starting An Art Blog Is Freaking Genius In 2026
My thesis? Every artist/creative should be blogging. Here’s why:
It builds brand awareness and authority in search engines
It helps you show up in AI platforms like ChatGPT (*more than social media)
It’s passive evergreen traffic to your content and work (with the right strategy——more on that below)
Let’s double click into AI platforms…
Social media is powerful and smart for online growth, but it’s not necessarily the best strategy for LLMO (large language model optimization).
LLM platforms like ChatGPT are trained on things like books, websites and long-form publicly available content (like blogs).
They don’t use social media content as much because these platforms have strict terms of service that prevent third-party API access or data scraping.
I talk more about this in my post on why blogging isn’t dead.
When you create blog content, you’re increasing your chances of showing up in relevant conversations.
And when it comes to passive evergreen traffic, blogging is an awesome strategy.
Plus, there’s an overlooked platform for getting consistent and reliable traffic to your blog (and artwork) in 2026.
And it’s not Google or some new AI platform.
So let’s keep moving (I talk about my new blog traffic strategy in step 4).
How to Start An Art Blog
1. What’s Your End Goal? (because it affects everything else)
Do you want to be a full-time art blogger and turn your website into a money-making machine?
Or do you just want to add SEO value to your portfolio and boost your brand awareness?
Clarifying your blogging goals will shape how you blog and what you blog about. I skipped this step early on and my blogs always felt a bit aimless for it.
So here are some questions to think about for your art blog:
Why do you want an art blog?
What’s your motivation?
What’s your brand and vibe?
This will guide your content strategy and tone
Who will read your blog?
Who are you talking to? Write for someone specific
What do you want to blog about?
Do you want to teach what you know or share what you’re doing? (or something else)
How do you define blogging success?
More money? More followers? Something else?
Explore more:
➤ Become Searchable Content
2. Choose A Website Platform
To have a blog, you’ll need a website (unless you’re using Medium or Substack). But I recommend getting a website, because it’s great for your art business in general PLUS you own the traffic and get valuable data and more customization.
I made a post on my favorite website builders for artists here, but if you want my recommendation, I use Squarespace (I have 3 blogs with them).
But the best platform is the one you like the best. Because…
The platform you use does not matter.
What matters is how you get traffic and convert those visitors.
When choosing your website platform, just make sure it has:
A good reputation
A way to add a blog
The right features for your goals
A decent community for resources / tutorials
A vibe you like (personal preference is important)
Explore more:
➤ What Makes A Great Website?
➤ Squarespace for Blogging (my results)
3. Decide Your Niche(s)
Here’s why choosing your niche(s) is so important:
It keeps you focused and will make you the go-to person in your domain.
So when people are asking ChatGPT or Google about anything related to your area of expertise, you’ll pop up because all of your long-form content and branding circles back to that core domain.
“Each piece of content is a signal to AI and SEO web crawlers about who you are and what you’re an expert in. So the more cohesive signals you put, the better.”
For example, this site is all about branding, content and growth for multi-passionate artists. So everything I write about connects back to this theme.
This also creates a nice litmus test for choosing what topics to write about (and which to ignore).
So when someone is chatting about multi-passionate/creator blogging and content strategies, I’m likely (hoping) to pop up.
To put it another way, I don’t have just one or two articles about this domain. My whole library is connected to it.
That’s the power of choosing your niche(s). But keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to stick to just one topic theme.
Growing a multi-niche blog is definitely possible. It can even be a competitive advantage.
Explore more:
➤ Defining Your Niche (as a multi-passionate creative)
4. Solve the Traffic Problem——Use Pinterest
A blog feels empty without eyeballs on it. So you need to solve the traffic problem.
I still optimize for SEO and showing up in Google or AI platforms…but I stopped caring about it. Because there’s an easier option: Pinterest.
I’m convinced it’s the best platform for bloggers (especially beginners) to use.
With AI disruptions and my Google traffic pretty much drying up completely (or at least, I feel like I have way less control over it), I’ve been forced to find alternatives.
And I’ve been sleeping on Pinterest for years! But dammit, I wish I started it earlier lol.
It feels like a cheat code. And a unicorn.
Pinterest is a visual search engine (with a social media vibe) that does not make me feel bad for spending time there.
Doom scrolling isn’t a thing and I always leave feeling pretty dang healthy, inspired and/or educated about something.
Plus, the audience is more engaged on Pinterest, often reading through multiple posts on my site after clicking through from a single pin.
Pinterest users are a higher income demographic and sit closer to a buyer intent (i.e. they’re willing to buy something).
Also, there’s a TON OF ART TRAFFIC on the platform. The art niche performs really really well there.
So if you’re blogging in 2026 (especially art blogging), use Pinterest as your secret traffic weapon.
Here’s an overview of my Pinterest traffic strategy:
Spend some time on Pinterest
Study what’s working for other artists/art blog
Get inspiration for topics to write about
Find specific keywords and topics using the Pinterest search bar
Pay attention to what gets autosuggested
Use Pinterest trends for ideas
Check search volume with Keysearch (free)
Write amazing posts about the topics you find
Each pin links to a URL (your blog post)
Make sure your post delivers what was promised (i.e. make high quality blogs with original insights)
Create multiple pins for each post
Make your pin designs pretty and clear
Study what works and replicate things, adding your own twist and branding
Change images, text, graphics and style to make each pin unique (good for testing different styles too)
Create 3-5 new pins everyday
Lean into pins and topics that get traction
You don’t need to make 20 pins/day…
Opt for manual pinning (not a scheduler)…especially early on
If you want, hire a VA after you grow
5. Keep Writing About the Right Topics
Topic research is an ongoing part of blogging. But it’s important to stay the course.
There’s a lot of shiny objects out there…
So don’t choose topics just because they have high search volume or a potential traffic opportunity.
No traffic is better than the wrong traffic.
Choose brand over money.
*Especially if you’re promoting your personal brand and original art through your blog.
You can always expand into new sub-niches and explore new topics later, but first focus on initial traction.
Build authority and clusters in a tight group of keywords and topics.
And stay organized so you don’t cover the same topics and keywords over and over (leading to keyword cannibalization).
I keep everything organized in a simple Google Doc (or Notion…whatever suits your vibe).
6. Build Authority
While your collecting topics and keywords, it’s smart to organize them into clusters.
Topic clusters are groups of related topics that interlink between each other, covering a category in full.
For example, I have a cluster of articles on blogging, which include the core topics someone would need to know about blogging (like how to do keyword research, SEO and choosing a good website platform).
Clusters build brand authority because they signal that you’re knowledgeable about a particular topic (i.e., you don’t have just one random article on the topic).
This builds trust, which leads to higher conversions and brand equity (and higher ranking in places like Google, ChatGPT and Pinterest too).
Explore more:
➤ Steal My Blog Content Strategy
7. Make Blogging a Habit
Consistency is key for (blogging) success.
But you don’t need to publish a new post everyday (it’s not social media).
See your blog as a long-term library you’re building from the ground up. Try to add new books (read: articles) every week.
And if you’re using AI, ALWAYS edit to add your unique voice, POV and experiences.
People are getting pretty good at spotting sh*tty AI fluff. And when anyone can write a novel in one afternoon, quality suddenly becomes scarce, making the quantity game less effective.
Explore more:
➤ How to Grow Your Blog to 10K Visits/Month
8. Double Down On What’s Working
After a few months of consistent writing and publishing, you’ll have data. I used to ignore the data. But don’t be like me. Don’t ignore the data…
Data literally tells you what topics and pins are most interesting to your audience and bring you the most traffic.
So just double down on what’s working.
Alright, that’s all I've got for you here. Let me know what questions you have about art blogging below!
Otherwise, later ✌️
