When I find art I love, I'm usually compelled to share and promote it, because that's what we humans do when we're excited about something. With independent art, though, that can be tricky because sometimes the art you love is literally one-of-a-kind, or it's only available from the artist directly, or worse yet it's no longer being distributed at all. This means that the art needing promotion the most can be the hardest art to share.
There are a few things that make sharing artwork complicated, and they're not all restricted to independent art. Here are 3 things you can do to make your art easier to share.
When you're a starving artist trying to sell artwork that nobody knows about and therefore doesn't want, it may seem counter productive to grant permission to your audience to indiscriminately share your work. It's basically like putting a "steal me" sticker on your work. But if you look at it another way, it's also a lot like getting a bunch of free advertisement.
The entertainment industry doesn't seem to want to admit it, but it has demonstrably benefited from the public's ability to make and share copies of movies and music. The copies themselves don't directly generate income, but it can successfully get an artist into the public's view, and some subset of that public has disposable income to purchase more of what they've discovered. People with disposable income buy entertainment for lots of reasons. Sometimes they do it to support the artist, sometimes to legitimize their collection, or because they're completionists, or because they want a physical copy, or because they want a limited collector's edition, and so on.
The problem is, the entertainment industry works pretty hard, as many corporate interests do, to focus on direct income. They tell people that sharing art is illegal and immoral, and this has created an awkward environment where people love something enough to share but feel bad about sharing it.
As an independent artist, be explicit about your stance on sharing. If you want people to share your work with friends, then tell them that. If you don't want people to promote your work, then tell them that.
Selling your art but letting people give away copies isn't a guarantee that people will become fans and customers, but it does grant your fans permission to promote your work.
If your working in a digital medium, it's a real favour to fans to create an archive of your work. Back when I started collecting independent art I found on the Internet, it never occurred to me that one day I might be the last person with a copy of it. I have digital paintings and music albums and short films and podcasts and audio books from 15 years ago that I just can't find online any more. Maybe they're on the Internet Archive someplace, but I can't locate them.
I'm not a one-of-a-kind kind of guy. I don't like being the sole curator of amazing art that nobody knows about. I'd be happier for the art to be out there. I want other people to discover it, even if it is 20 years old and the artist had to give up and get a real job.
My point is that your art probably affected more people than you realise, or else it's affected one person more than you realise. Post it to the cloud someplace, or better yet a few places. Let the Internet be your archive. You may have moved on, or you may have work you're prouder of now, but to somebody that oddball work you did really really matters. As hard as it may be to admit, when you release art to the public, you've become part of the culture. Help preserve it.
Usually, as you toil away at your craft as an indie artist, you're pretty much on your own. That's part of the deal. Nobody knows what you're doing and even if they do, they can't help because you have an artistic process all your own.
But once your art is released, you're no longer alone. Tell your audience, even if it's just the one guy on the Internet, what they can do to help. Communicate how your fans can help. Communicate honestly, directly, and consistently. Maybe you need help promoting your work, or you need people to like and subscribe to your channel so magical Internet algorithms believe you're popular, or maybe you just need money. Whatever it is, communicate with the people participating in the art space you're creating. There's no guarantee they'll do it, but if you don't communicate what you need then there's a guarantee they won't.
I may be in the minority, but there have been times when I want to contribute something back to an artist and have no idea of how to do it. If you're an artist upset that nobody pays you for what you do, then you need to have a tip jar so people can pay you if they want to. If you're an artist in need of an exhibition space, then you need to have contact information on everything you sell.
Independent art isn't just for show. It's an interactive experience between artist and audience. Those interactions must have boundaries, of course, but by opening some form of dialogue with the people who appreciate your work, you build up not just a fan base, but also potential friends who are eager to support your work.