Jotta, online community for artists and creatives – Social Media for the arts?
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting directors from Jotta.com, an online and offline community for practising artists across creative disciplines including design, illustration, art, music and film at the offices of the Manchester Digital Development Agency.
The Jotta team have created a lush, visually appealing online community site focussed on offering advice, education, networking events and commercial opportunities to new and emerging artists in a host of creative disciplines.
In their own words, on Jotta:
“creative people and artists can create profiles and portfolios, manage, display, develop and commercially exploit their work, and network and collaborate with other creatives”.
The site currently hosts 3,500 portfolios and 11,000 pieces of content.
The world does not need another Flickr, DeviantART or Etsy site though and I was rather curious as to what exactly Jotta sought to achieve.
Having been involved with the NOISEfestival’s successful Creative Futures event in Manchester last year, I was particularly interested in what differentiated Jotta.com from other online community sites for the arts. NOISEfestival is a biennial virtual creative festival showcasing artistic under-25s.
It was reassuring to hear the Jotta directors talk about a jotta.com site focussed on offering emerging artists, predominantly graduates and post-graduates from the creative disciplines, opportunities for developing their work and careers.
The site combines a social network, online gallery and online magazine/newsletter with a carefully separated ‘Marketplace’ section where internships, commissions and commercial briefs from Jotta partners ranging from the BBC to Macmillan Cancer Support are listed.
There is also a Community section where groups form around “Adventures in Cartoon Hell” and Fashion Illustration.
The Jotta approach to a ‘specialist’ social network for creatives is of particular interest to me as Real Fresh TV is currently working on a digital development project for the Arts Council called Amb:IT:ion.
The Amb:IT:ion project has seen 15 arts organisations including Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, North West Disability Arts Forum, Oldham Coliseum and Colchester Arts Centre go through a sustained period of integrated IT and digital development across their business, operational and artistic functions.
The project is now at the dissemination phase with a number of roadshows planned to share lessons learnt. Alongside some content production and management behind the scenes, I will be liveblogging from each event (the first is on Thursday!) and cross posting information on the AmbITion Roadshow blog.
Jotta.com has been developed by a group of creative companies working with the University of the Arts (UAL), London. The University of the Arts is made up of 6 six internationally renowned colleges of arts including Central Saint Martins College of Art and and Design and London College of Fashion and the quality of work uploaded by artists onto jotta.com reflect this pedigree.
There are lavish illustrations, vivid paintings and stills from inspired animation.
As far as a social media goes, the site has some way to go before becoming completely social media friendly.
Whilst there is a Jotta Twitter account and the obligatory blog and Facebook group (can’t link to them I’m afraid, was only told they exist), there is no easy way to share content from Jotta’s impressive online gallery with others.
Enabling the neat ‘Lightbox’ feature which allows site visitors to ‘favourite’ images from the site to support this would help.
Jotta are looking to expand into the North West and will be putting on events in Manchester very soon. If you are an artist, designer, illustrator, photographer or filmmaker then check out the site and sign up, it’s free. Students and postgraduate students are particularly welcome.
I for one can’t wait. Watch this space.
Over to the artists, designers and illustrators who read this site? What do you think of Jotta? Be frank in the comments!
Related posts:
