Start the List Before You Need It
Artists don’t need big news before inviting people to stay connected
By Sue Pendleton, Founder
I know email lists matter. That’s the funny part. I’ve spent years in marketing. I understand why direct contact matters. Social platforms change. Algorithms shift. People miss posts. Attention is scattered. An email list gives you a more direct way to reach people who’ve already said, “Yes, I’d like to hear from you.”
I know this. And still, when it came to my own art, building an email list somehow stayed in the “I’ll get to that later” pile. Not because I didn’t believe in it or understand the strategy.
I think I’ve been waiting for a sign.
Some natural moment when it would suddenly make sense. When the timing would feel obvious. When I’d have enough going on that the list would almost build itself. I think I imagined I’d eventually have enough “news” that starting an email list would feel necessary, natural, and maybe even easy.
But here’s the thing. I have had newsworthy things happen.
I’ve launched a set of art cards.
I’ve submitted work to shows.
I’ve sold paintings.
I’ve updated my website.
I’ve started taking my art more seriously.
I’ve had plenty of moments I could have shared.
So why didn’t I feel it was time?
Waiting for the magic sign
This is a pattern I recognize in myself. I often think there will be a magic sign.
A moment when I’ll feel ready.
A moment when the next step becomes perfectly clear.
A moment when the resistance drops away and I naturally flow into the thing I’ve been meaning to do.
But most of the time, that moment doesn’t arrive fully formed. At some point, I have to make the decision. Not because everything is ready. Because I’m ready enough to begin.
And email lists are one of those places where the “ready enough” part really matters. Because if I wait until I have a perfect newsletter plan, a polished design, a full calendar of updates, and a large group of people waiting to hear from me, I may never start.
The task becomes too big before I’ve even taken the first step. I start with one simple thought: I should build an email list. And suddenly it expands into:
What will I send?
How often will I send it?
What should it look like?
Do I need a lead magnet?
Where should the signup form go?
What if no one signs up?
What if people do sign up and then I have to email them?
By the time I’m done thinking, I’ve turned one small invitation into an entire imaginary media company. No wonder I put it off.
Stop waiting, just do it
I think the biggest shift for me is realizing I may have had the order wrong. I thought I needed news before I should build the list. But maybe the list is how I gather the people who want to hear the news when it exists.
That feels different.
An email list doesn’t have to begin as a fully formed newsletter with weekly essays, perfect graphics, and major announcements. It can begin much more simply. It can start as a way for people to stay close. A way for someone who likes your work but isn’t ready to buy today to say: Yes, keep me posted. That’s it.
Maybe they want to know when new work is available.
Are curious about commissions.
Want first looks at small collections.
Like seeing studio updates.
Bought something from me once and would be happy to hear from me again.
Follow me on social media, but don’t want to miss what I’m making.
The list gives those people a door. Not a heavy obligation. A door.
We need to invite ourselves, too
We’ve been talking inside ENSOhello about how artists need to make clearer invitations for their audience.
This piece is available.
You can find the card set here.
Message me if you’d like details.
Join my list for first looks.
Come see the show.
Those invitations matter because people can’t take the next step if they don’t know what the next step is.
But I’m realizing there’s another invitation happening underneath all of this. We have to give ourselves an invitation, too. An invitation to stand up and say: I’m here. My work is here. You can stay connected if you’d like to.
That may sound simple, but for many artists like me, it doesn’t always feel simple. Because inviting people onto an email list can feel like claiming space. It can feel like saying, “I’m going to keep making work, and I’m going to keep sharing it, and I’m going to create a way for you to follow along.”
That’s a meaningful step. It says the work is not only something I do quietly in the studio. It’s something I’m willing to build around.
Starting with a simple promise
One thing that makes list-building feel intimidating is the question: What am I promising? I don’t want to promise a regular newsletter if I don’t know whether I can send one. Or create another obligation I’ll immediately resent. I don’t want to invite people in and then feel like I’ve built a machine I have to feed.
So I think the promise can be much lighter. Something like: “I send occasional notes about new work, studio updates, available pieces, cards, shows, and other art-related news.”
Occasional is allowed. Simple is allowed. Small is allowed. We can build the rhythm over time. The first job is not to create the perfect newsletter. The first job is to create a way for people to stay connected.
That’s a much more manageable beginning.
No time like the present
I wish I had started earlier. That’s true. But I also know that regret can become another reason to delay.
I should have been doing this all along.
I’m behind.
Other artists already have lists.
I missed my chance.
None of that helps. There’s no punishment phase required before beginning. There’s only the next useful step.
Add the signup form.
Write the invitation.
Put the link somewhere visible.
Ask a few people personally.
Mention the list in a post.
Bring a QR code to the next event.
Start with the people who already care.
That’s enough for now. Because the goal isn’t to suddenly build a huge list overnight. The goal is to stop leaving interested people with nowhere to go.
The invitation is the beginning
I used to think I needed more news before I could ask people to join my email list. Now I’m realizing that the asking may be part of how the news begins. It creates a little more structure and intention. And perhaps a belief that the work is going somewhere and people might want to come along.
An email list doesn’t have to start with a grand announcement. It can start with a simple invitation:
I’m here.
The work is here.
If you’d like to stay connected, I’d love to have you on my list.
That’s not too much. That’s not bothering people. Or pretending to be bigger than we are. That’s building a small, direct bridge between our work and the people who care about it.
And sometimes, that’s the next right step. Not because the magic sign appeared.
Because we decided it was time.
