Our project is primarily focused on bringing relatively unknown artists currently undergoing their educational program into the purview of a larger audience while fostering new connections and friendships between them. Our project will hinge on three main deliverables focused on bringing information to college artists, fostering a community among them, and exposing them to a wider audience. In 2023, roughly 20% of college students already owned a small business, and that number is continuously on the rise. Artists make up a large number of these small businesses. With this increased saturation and differing focus on social media, it is harder and harder for artists without a lot of time or experience to be noticed by the public. We plan to help change that by creating a more connected community for artists. While our project will also suffer the obstacles small artists face, grouping together the audiences of all participating artists will help to broaden the overall audience. 

 

One of the biggest issues with identifying the depth of the problem is that artists are not considered a mainstream phenomenon. As such, very little data is collected on their state. As art is also seen as a side hobby, little attention is paid to it as well, resulting in an abysmal lack of quantitative data to tell the story. However, many artists can still make themselves heard. This can be seen when talking to individual creators or in artist circles where one of the most common complaints is the lack of accessibility to an audience or the difficulty of getting to know other artists when sharing their creations with the world. Social media algorithms not only push the most popular and established content up, but also allow smaller artists to be found by bots that demotivate artists just starting out with soliciting messages. Many feel the wish to share their art with the world and turn to the internet, but only receive criticizing comments or no support, oftentimes leading to listlessness or even complete lack of self-worth. With the greater focus on quick, mindless content, genuine interactions are hard to find and making friends in the online community requires sifting through all the mud. Our project aims to bring artists into their own supportive community centered around their college or university identity. With the common stress of exams and school, artists can connect with other artists not only their age but also at a similar point in life. Presenting this information will help artists not only find friends with similar interests, but also artists in the same niche as themselves who they can learn from. With these connections, they can continue to learn and ultimately reach a greater audience. 

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