The question every emerging artist or creator asks is “where do I start”. The usual answer is “you need a website, Instagram, EPK, platform presence, newsletter, YouTube channel, LinkedIn profile…” — which is useful but overwhelming, because it doesn’t explain the order.

Without order, most creators end up spending time and money on things that seem urgent but should actually come later. Here is the logical sequence.

What you actually need now

Emerging doesn’t mean inexperienced. It means new to the professional sector — and the professional sector has its own conventions about how projects are presented. Knowing them saves you energy and avoidable mistakes.

01

A professional bio. In two lengths: short (three lines for Instagram, forms and quick introductions) and long (a paragraph for dossiers and press). It’s the first thing absolutely everyone will ask you for — organisers, journalists, galleries, programmers, grant juries. Without a clear and up-to-date bio, every opportunity starts with a delay. Read: how to write an artist bio.

02

Minimum press photos. A professional portrait and one photo in action or in your working context. Without this pair, you can’t send anything to any programmer, journalist or promoter. This isn’t a luxury — it’s the functional minimum. Phone photos taken by a well-meaning friend don’t serve the purpose. Ressona works with Pocallum for photography sessions for artists in their early stage. Read: press photos for artists.

03

A professional contact address. name@artisticname.com instead of artisticname2003@gmail.com. It’s a small detail with a disproportionate impact on how you’re perceived. Your own domain costs just a few euros a year and sends a clear signal that you take your project seriously. Ressona works with LinuxBCN to set up professional email for artists.

04

A digital presence point. It can be a Linktree or a simple page to start with — but the goal is to have your own website within a reasonable timeframe. The reason: platforms change their terms, disappear or lose relevance. Your own domain is the only digital asset you fully control. Read the debate: own website vs Linktree: when to switch.

05

A minimum EPK. It doesn’t need to be perfect — it needs to be functional and up to date. Bio, downloadable photos, project description and contact. An outdated EPK is worse than not having one: it projects carelessness. The goal is to have a document you can send today that accurately represents where you are right now. Read: what is an EPK and what it’s for.

What can wait

Some things seem urgent but, if you do them too early, you’ll have to redo them. Being clear on this helps you make better decisions about where to put your energy.

These can wait a little: the newsletter (there’s no point building a mailing list without regular content and a stable entry point), an advanced social media strategy (first you need a sufficiently defined voice and project), a brand redesign (if you’re still defining your project, redesigning your brand comes before having anything to communicate), and multiple EPK versions for specific disciplines or contexts (these come once you have the base EPK working and you start seeing opportunities in specific contexts).

The best EPK is the one you have updated

The perfect one you don't have has done you no good. A functional and updated EPK today is worth infinitely more than a perfect EPK that will be ready in six months.

An identity that grows with the project

A emerging artist’s digital identity doesn’t need to be built all at once. It needs to be built in the right order, with tools that grow with the project. What you need in month 1 is different from what you need in month 12 — and trying to have everything from the start usually ends up with a fragmented digital presence that’s hard to maintain.

The starting point isn’t perfection. It’s having the minimum pieces in order, so that when an opportunity arrives — a festival, a grant, a gallery, an article — you can respond in under an hour.

Ressona supports creators from the very first step — the Starter Pack is the entry point designed for those who are starting out, with the minimum tools in the right order and without spending on what can wait. Tell us about your project.