Unique Board: The Website Every Artist Should Know About

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Though we often like to deny it, networking is crucial to becoming a successful artist.

Even with incredible skills and a killer portfolio, it's unlikely that you'll ever make a name for yourself if no one is able to find your work.

This is something that Dan Kim, founder of the up and coming website, Unique Board, understands.

Kim started developing Unique Board back in 2013, dismayed at he and his artist friends' inability to find work. "I thought it was insane that there was no space for people like me to share their ideas. People still use Craigslist!" he told NY Times Magazine.

"Artists have to survive and the current options are not practical. So many ideas are wasted. We need each other."

Unique Board operates in much the same way as LinkedIn, except that it caters to the creative type--musicians, painters, dancers, models, designers, photographers, programmers, filmmakers, and the like. UB essentially acts as a middleman, connecting prospective clients and artists. It works like this: artists who sign up for unique board create their own profile pages with link to their portfolio and artist statement. Clients (or "project leaders") post creative projects which these artists ("project applicants") can then apply to.

Once a decision has been reached and collaborations are complete, artists can share their finished projects on the site and use them to bolster their repertoire. This system greatly benefits both parties because it provides a more focused search than sites like LinkedIn.

Ideally, that means no more fruitless want ads or hours of scouring the internet.

UB also provides members a chance to meet offline. So far, Kim has hosted two "Unique Gatherings" in the NYC area, which allowed local members to have face to face interactions, during which they wined, dined, and passed around business cards.

These events help further an artist's likelihood of being chosen for projects because they offer them the chance to make more personal connections with prospective clients.

Despite the fact that UB has been operating for a mere four months, it has already amassed over 200 members. It certainly looks promising.

This could very well be the answer that the struggling art community has been hoping for.

Not only is UB giving artists opportunities to land paid jobs and exponentially expand their portfolios, but it's also allowing them the chance to collaborate with one another and serving as a launchpad for new and exciting ideas.

So, what are you waiting for?