Why have a website in 2025?

It’s now 2025 and it feels like the internet is getting ready to shift. How? It’s hard to say. The only thing I'm confident about right now is that something is changing. And in particular, for artists. 

From where I'm standing, I've watched almost everything that was normal for artists break down. I could write lots of posts about the platforms and the ways I think they've failed artists. But instead, I want to focus on the people. Because when I talk to independent artists at conventions or online - I feel the exhaustion. So many artists out there are trying everything they can to get some sort of traction. And most aren’t getting it. Or watch it evaporate the moment they do.

Even when one website or platform seems to be working for an artist - it often isn't (or won’t be for long). There always seems to be some kind of cost. Financially, mentally, personally. I was shocked the first time I talked to an artist with a large social media following and found out they were struggling in secret. Now I'm not surprised anymore.

But most of my conversations aren't with people who are do well on these platforms. A lot are artists that, for one reason or another, just aren’t what these platforms seem to be looking for. They share their work and it doesn't help them reach their goals. They get some responses and engagement. But it takes a lot of work. Some of them think this is because people don’t like their artwork or perspective. Which makes me sad. Because I don't believe that's true.

But whether it’s working for an artist or not, a lot of them want to not feel so locked in the garden. But they don’t think it’s possible. They work and wait until they are forced to go. Sometimes they see it coming, sometimes they don’t.

So…why have a website in 2025?

Everything above has been on my mind a lot. And as Chuck and I look ahead at what could happen in 2025, I want to talk about websites. And why I think they’re still worth it for artists.

Because I make websites for artists. I’m a designer by trade. So when I pack up a website, pin fruit snacks to its jacket, and send it along - I hope it has an impact. For this reason I ask myself: what’s the point of website now?

I’ll give you my answer, but it’s going to take a moment. (You can probably see the size of your scroll bar. You know what you’re getting into.)

Deep down I feel that having a website is a good idea. It feels true to me. But I’m biased, so I try very hard to make sure I’m realistic about it. I’ve talked with app developers, artists, anyone I can. And I ask a lot of strange questions. For example, here’s one for you: what is a website? Is Tumblr a website or a bunch of blogs behind a login? Is Bluesky a bunch of websites on a different kind of internet? If you squint, a lot of “websites” are “apps” and a lot of “apps” become “websites”. It can make your head spin.

So instead of me getting into the technical parts of websites (which I can do another time), I’ll start by answering my own question above.

Okay, I’ll bite. What is a website?

A website is your space. A website is a house, a garden, a studio. But most importantly, it’s your house. Your garden. And platforms are, at best, a comfortable hotel room. That's the metaphor that makes sense to me these days.

Over time I’ve gotten more and more happy with the metaphor of a website as a house. Because owning a house is not especially easy (from what I can see). A house can be annoying. Your pipes can freeze. Your locks need to be changed because you snapped your key off while fumbling with the groceries.

That’s the annoying parts. But a house grows with you. It changes, adding features when you need them or losing them when you don’t. Platforms don't work that way. It feels like artists have been given a lot of walled gardens to grow in and told it was the entire world. You can't exactly paint your hotel room whatever color you want. And at most you can put up a temporary picture, which you know will get removed if you ever leave. (Or they tell you to leave.)

Why have a website?

So what’s wrong with having a comfy hotel room? Especially when you still have your artwork. Your books are all there on the shelf. Your painting might be right next to you as you read this. If this is how you view your art: that’s perfect. I would never feel comfortable forcing anyone into owning website. Just like I wouldn’t feel comfortable forcing someone into owning a home they don’t want.

But for anyone where the thought of owning your space feels good: this is why I think you should have one. Websites are cheaper than you think, as long as you know what you want. And that's honestly the real hard part. Because there are more tools to help you build a site than ever before. And guides, tutorials, youtube channels. The only thing you can’t find is an easy way to build the habit of updating your site. (And the restraint to not do it faster than you want to.)

But this doesn't mean websites are easy. Or fun. Or understandable, all the time. Even for someone that builds them like me. Because all the things you can do with websites have only gotten bigger. Weirder. And farther away over time. (Unless you happened to know someone that already knows how to do it.) For most of the last ten years we’ve had all kinds of features available to us. We could integrate newsletters into our websites for years. Make paywalls. And more. It’s only gotten easier to do these things. But it’s still more work than nothing. The same way that fixing up a house is more work than you might think. And for some artists, it can also be pretty rewarding. This is why Chuck and I at Black Candle would like our 2025 to be about helping other artists with making their own little homes, if we can.

What about you? What would you like to build in 2025?

Does Black Candle have a website?

To follow our own words: we do! Here’s Black Candle's portfolio page. A simple little links page made in 3 hours using Linkstack. Our little house. We're trying to grow slowly and organically, so it's small and simple on purpose. We want to take advantage of a website being built by us for us. Instead of force ourselves to do things we think we should do. That way I can save our energy for helping more artists set up their own little homes. And to build some for our own art. Ideally, I’d like to help make the internet a little bit nicer place for artists. 

I like our little house. We can grow it as we grow and change it as we discover who we are. But unlike a house, we can radically change it whenever we want. Chaotically and randomly. Like a human.

Thank you for reading this longer update. I hope all of you have a good start to your 2025. See you in the new year!

Cool Link Zone