How Can You Tell if You Wont Like Making Art

The Upsides of Social Media

If you're annihilation similar me, yous probably have a love/hate relationship with social media. It tin be an astonishing tool with huge benefits, specifically for artists similar us. I use Instagram the virtually, and information technology's helped me in numerous ways:

• Improved Productivity: I describe something every day and post information technology on Instagram.
• Accountability: I'm more than likely to post a drawing each twenty-four hour period (and thereforemake a drawing every day ) knowing that I've committed to it publicly on Instagram.
• New Connections: I've met astonishing artists from effectually the globe through Instagram.
• Inspiration: I see inspiring piece of work created past other artists on Instagram, and it gives me ideas, influences me, and drives me to make more art.

Overall, I think we're lucky to have this method of connecting with other artists effectually the world. Imagine how tiny our creative earth would be without it! But the benefits of social media can quickly dissolve and gave manner to the darker side of social media.

The Downsides of Social Media

Instagram—and any other platform—tin can go a harmful, stressful, and stifling space for artists with detrimental effects to our art. As much as Instagram has helped me, information technology's as well hurt me:

• Decreased Productivity: I go along to Instagram to scan "merely for a minute", and suddenly an hour has gone by and I'thousand still staring down at my phone instead of drawing.

• Pressure to Perform: Knowing I should mail service my piece of work adds extra pressure level to not only the act of drawing, but also in what I choose to draw, and I can fall into the trap of wanting external validation.

• New Comparisons: Seeing so many new and astonishing artists can ofttimes morph into the comparing game, leading me to believe my piece of work isn't good enough.
• Bad Intentions: I can draw something in my private sketchbook for the love of information technology, just if I draw something with the sole intention of posting it, the art can suffer. I brainstorm creating work for others, instead of for myself.

Take it from fellow Might Could Studiomate and super-inspiring creative person, Linda:

"Information technology could be but me… Instagram is a great place for inspiration and connecting with similar minds but if you are not careful it tin can be highly addictive and derail y'all from why we're here in the offset identify. I'm glad I've found IG (sort of) and tin can say with certainty I've fallen in those pitfalls… but I now consciously know that but even that nevertheless takes energy that could all used elsewhere."

It'south not only Linda. And it's not just you or me. Information technology's all of usa. We all struggle with how to play the game of social media and not lose our minds—and our art.

The Game of Social Media

We get so caught up in the game of social media, we start believing we have to play by the rules given to united states of america. Instagram is congenital to concord your attention for every bit long every bit possible and catch your eyeballs as ofttimes equally possible. They desire you coming back over again and once more, for longer and longer. They tell yous in club to win this game, y'all simply have to post more than, become more likes, and become more than followers. The more you lot sign in, the more yous post, the more you become, and the more y'all win.

More, more than, more.

Just I'g not here to tell you lot to delete all your accounts, give up social media completely, and offset protesting the tech globe. Social media can be beneficial to u.s.a. artists, remember? I still desire all those upsides!

The challenge is to go along the upsides, but get rid of the downsides. Nosotros can stop letting social media lure us in and rule the game, and instead we tin can accept charge. Nosotros can be in control. We can make our own rules.

So I'd similar to share my social media philosophy with yous. It'southward non perfect, and I definitely withal skid-up from time to time, but hopefully it tin assistance you lot begin to accept back control of your social media tools. Because remember, these are tools that nosotros use—we don't have to let them use us.

Make Art for You lot, Non for Likes

Social media and I are already at odds on ane major front: Social media does not like mistakes and imperfections. And I dearest mistakes and imperfections. Social media likes squeaky-clean-polished work, gallery-ready art, and magazine-photoshoot-ready desk shots. I like wandering procedure piece of work, quick doodles, and my desk-bound is always a mess.

So what do we exercise? Do we change our work to cater to the stranger-filled-mass of Instagram? Do we erase all the stray marks, clean up our desk, and obsess over photo editing every time we postal service a drawing? Exercise we change who we are to win the social media game?

Nosotros can so easily get caught up in the pursuit of pleasing others, and social media amplifies that tendency. We begin to encounter trends in what people like, and we begin to create for that random, cryptic group of people, when we demand to exist creating only for one person: ourself.

"Never play to the gallery. Never piece of work for other people in what you do. Always remember that the reason you initially started working was there was something within yourself that, if y'all could manifest it, you felt you lot would sympathize more about yourself. I think it's terribly unsafe for an artist to fulfill other people'southward expectations." –David Bowie, musician

If you brownnose your art to getting likes, yous'll probably find them. (Hot tip for the ladies: bear witness some cleavage and I guarantee you'll get 500 likes instantly—information technology's easy! **puh-lease hear my voice dripping with sarcasm** ) If you cater to trends and popularity, y'all'll become the likes you wanted, but yous'll also finish up with art that doesn't feel like you lot. You'll feel empty and unfulfilled in your work, and your fine art will reflect that.

Alternatively, if you create the art you want, and you similar, and that feels most similar you , you may or may not get 500 likes. But which is more important in the long run? Finding your vox and making art y'all're truly proud of? Or finding a horde of 15,000 strangers who intendance about work you don't intendance about?

Perhaps you're thinking now: 'well that's easy for Christine to say, she has nigh two,000 followers and regularly gets 100 likes on her work.' Merely to me honest, that'south all new to me but within the last 6 months. I sat at ~200 followers for years, and I honestly don't actually know what happened lately to change that. I've been posting my work regularly on Instagram since 2013 and information technology's taken this long to become more 2-3 likes on a mail—including my mom.

Let me tell it to you direct: likes don't matter. I know it feels so much similar they practice, just trust me, having a bunch of likes won't make yous feel whatsoever better about your work.Your goal of what is an acceptable amount of likes will but keep climbing higher and higher the more you lot go—it's a constantly moving, unachievable goal.

You recall you'll be satisfied and validated when y'all get 50 likes a post. Then you determine it's 100. Then 500. And then you see that artist over at that place gets ii,000 likes on every cartoon! Why can't I get 2,000 likes on my drawings?! It never ends.

"A goal is something that goes away when y'all hit it. Once y'all've reached information technology, it'southward gone. You could always set another i, merely I just don't function in steps like that… I approach things continuously, non in stops. I just want to keep going — whatever happens along the way is merely what happens." Jason Fried, author + CEO of Rework

And guess what—it makes no sense what people like, and it's close to incommunicable to anticipate! (Too, cleavage and puppies. Those are solid bets.) Sometimes I'll spend two hours on a drawing, recall information technology's amazing, post information technology, and… crickets. It gets 15 likes. Other times, I'll spend literally ii seconds on a cartoon, recall it'due south terrible, mail information technology, and… out come up the cheers and hooplas and 100 likes! What gives?! That affair was terrible!

People'due south opinions are weird and unpredictable. In that location's no sense or reason to cater your fine art to what you think other people like. You'll usually be wrong, and if you lot happen to be right—cough, cleavage—information technology'll lead y'all down an even worse path of inauthenticity and deep confusion in your art.

We can't control what other people think of our work or how oftentimes they similar it on social media. We can just control how much attempt, fourth dimension, and thought nosotros put into making our art. Nosotros can just control how much of ourselves nosotros put into our art. Nosotros can but continue exploring, keep drawing, and keep sharing.

Practise what you accept to do to brand social media piece of work for you. Find other outlets for sharing your work if you have to. I just desire you to make more art. And I want you to share your art, because I want to meet it.

When you brand art yous beloved, art that makes y'all happy to create, other people will see that, and they'll similar it. And I mean they'll really similar it, not just tap an empty heart icon on a screen.

You have to brand fine art for you, not for likes. You accept to make the art that speaks to you. You have to make the art you like.

And that'due south the only similar that matters.

cunninghampany1953.blogspot.com

Source: https://might-could.com/essays/social-media-for-artists-make-art-for-you-not-likes/

Share this post