Quitting Instagram and Tumblr for Lent was really, really, good for me. I was more productive, much less addicted to checking my phone every hour, and overall more happy with myself, my body, and my art.
Lately, Instagram has felt like throwing my art into a hole, hoping my follower count would go up.
I drew fan art I didn’t want to in the hopes of gaining followers. While I got some cool series out of it, it wasn’t what I really wanted to draw.
I researched how to please the algorithm, which changed constantly, as soon as I felt like i was on top of it. I even had a sticky note on my desk telling me the optimal times for posting each day.
This realization blew my mind. I charge people for my art. While I know lots of people use instagram as a way to show people their art, but in the end, Instagram profits off of YOUR art. Not paying you a dime, and punishing you if you don’t produce enough or enough of the right media.
Kind of dramatic, but you get the idea. I’m thoroughly disenchanted with social media as a whole, and happy to leave it behind
So I don’t know what comes next. I think I’m going to post once at the end of each month, with my favorite artworks of the month and point people here, to my website. I’d like to make this more the home for my art, and be a weird little house you can visit and see what I’m up to:)
What do you think? How do you feel about social media? I’ve heard both sides - I know it’s important as an artist to be visible to people, but there has to be a better way that living on Mark Suckerberg’s little app.