As an artist there are so many different avenues that we can pursue when it comes to being creative. And getting our art into the world is no different. There are a variety of different places online to showcase our work and reach new viewers, and hopefully new clients. With that being said, it can be overwhelming when trying to decide where to post your work. If you're creating art full time, you already know how much of your time it takes to create. And each piece is different depending on the medium, complexity, and more. And so many people also spend a lot of time planning their social media posts in hopes that it will help them go viral, or be able to help them support themselves with their work. Trying to figure out all of that other stuff in addition to creating the art... it can be exhausting.
For the better part of the last decade or so, social media has become more and more integrated into our society. And at first, creatively speaking, it seemed to be a very useful tool to share art and discover new talents and make connections. But now... I think it may be time to move away from social media, at least for me.
To be completely honest, I've felt so inadequate when it comes to coming up with a "plan" to get the algorithms to work for me. I've never been one to really conform or go with the trends, so maybe that's part of my problem. I usually create pieces that are meaningful to me on a personal level, and if others like them too, great. But it has become very apparent that social media does not reward those who do not conform or do trends.
So, what does this mean for me? It means that my audience hasn't really grown much over the last 5 or 6 years and my "reach" has shrunk considerably. Granted, I did have family stuff going on that interrupted my ability to post regularly during that time. And that's all it took for me to lose any and all momentum that I may have even started to build. And that's very demoralizing.
Artists already have so many other personal issues that they contend with, like imposter syndrome, comparing our work to other artists and thinking that we'll never be on 'their level'. Most creatives that I know are sensitive souls, and are often easily discouraged. It's not limited to just artists, of course, but for this post that's who I'm specifically speaking about - and from experience. I really don't think that social media, at least what it's become at this point, is healthy. And I don't think the companies care about their users and content creators. And to be clear, when I speak of social media I'm talking about Meta, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.
What brought this on?
For me, it's several things actually...
I Can't Do It Anymore. I can't and won't devote any more of my time to a platform that changes the rules constantly at their whim and demands that I keep up without really offering anything substantial in return. If the platform can't be bothered to show my posts to my followers, what is the point?
Shady Business Practices. It's been said in the past that if something is free, it's not really free. You're the product. And boy is that true with social media. Each platform, in its own way, scrapes our information and data and sells it to whomever is willing to pay for it. This is wrong in my opinion. And then there is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) situation, which is taking over more and more. I don't give permission for my work to be fed into the AI machines for them to learn from, and I don't appreciate social media platforms automatically opting me into this without consent or a method to opt out. I understand that AI can be useful in certain ways, but if you want to keep creatives on your side, maybe don't exploit their work for your own profit?
Algorithms and Shadow-banning. If you don't appease the algorithm, your content doesn't get seen. If you post something that the higher-ups have decided doesn't need to be seen you get shadow-banned or your content flagged and taken down. I understand there are rules and terms of service. However, if the content isn't violating said rules or terms of service, why does it get throttled or removed? Who gets to decide those things and why?
Ads and Noise. There was a time where you would scroll and see an ad occasionally. But now, every other post is an ad. I hardly ever see posts from people I actually follow, but I do see plenty of "suggested posts" - and I'm sure I'm not the only one noticing this. Social media is supposed to be social.... if all I'm seeing is ads and suggested posts, where does the social part of it come in?
There's more that I could say, but those are the main reasons of why I think that I'm ready to leave social media behind when it comes to my art. They, the companies, took something that had so much potential to be something so special and world changing and just fumbled it. They have changed the world, but not in a positive way. We all want our businesses to be a success, but anything that has to exploit its users to get ahead and make money hand over fist has no business being in business. But, that's just my opinion. And yes, I know that most businesses these days have similar practices, but I don't have to support them.
Does this mean that I'm deleting my accounts completely? For the time being, no. Just for the sake of certain extended family members and friends who may need to get in touch with me through social media I will leave them for now. I understand that some may say that I'm not really leaving social media then, and this post is pointless. To that I say... you can think what you want, and you can choose what and how you want to do things. But, my art accounts will be shuttered/dormant essentially. No further posts will be made going forward aside from the announcement of me leaving social media and the accounts will stand as a portfolio or gallery at that point. And don't think I haven't thought about the AI art issue, I have. And for the time being, I'm going to leave it until they give me a reason not to. Just like DeviantArt. As soon as I was informed that my work was being scraped from their site for AI, every single piece of my work came down from their site.
So, if you're not on social media, how can we keep up with you?
You can find me here! And a few other places...
My Blog! I wanted a place where I could really connect with people, and while I do/did have a Patreon, and was using it kind of like a blog, it just wasn't growing after several years. As for this blog, there are two sections - the regular "Ramblings" section, and the "Supporter" side that has a monthly subscription fee. You can cancel at any time, just like Patreon... no strings attached. There's just a very thankful artist on the receiving end of those subscriptions. Right now I'm aiming for bi-weekly posts, but I've never done a full blog before, so I'm going to see what works best for me as I go along.
Monthly Newsletter! For those who only want the highlights and don't need all of the ramblings, the newsletter would probably be the best fit. At the end of each month I will send out a newsletter recapping the month. There will also be occasional emails about new items, sales, or events. I will never share or sell your information either - I do not like spam, and I don't send it.
Twitch Streaming! Several years ago I started streaming my art on Twitch. Again, I started to gain a little bit of momentum, and then family stuff interrupted and so my streaming was put on hold. Recently I've started streaming again, and am trying to get back into a regular schedule. You can watch me paint, draw, design, and of course chat with me. It's so very refreshing because it's very authentic when it comes to this type of communication. And if you're not feeling so chatty or are shy, no problem, you can lurk to your heart's content. It's all good.
Discord Server! As a companion to my Twitch, I also have a Discord community that is ready to go with multiple categories so that we can all get to know one another, share moments from our life, or talk to someone if we need to. It reminds me a lot of the AOL chatroom days, and I love that. So if you haven't signed up for Discord, but are curious, feel free to check mine out.
Pinterest! Finally, we get to Pinterest... which isn't really social media in my opinion. It's more visual, mostly solitary unless you want to comment and interact with people. In my opinion, Pinterest is just so calm in comparison to other sites, and really has a great vibe for creatives. I literally use it every day! You can follow me and see what I get up to on there, too!
If you would like to support me on this journey, I would be ever so grateful. I would love to have you as a follower/subscriber of my Blog and Newsletter. I would be ecstatic if you became a follower or subscriber on my Twitch account. I would be honored if you joined my Discord server and became a part of my little community there. And of course, I would be delighted if you followed me on Pinterest to see what I get up to and all of the inspiration and humor I find there.
In closing, I really feel like it's time to try something else other than social media platforms as a creative. We need to get back to something that feels more real. And if it falls flat and I fail, so be it. At least I tried. But if it soars, then we will have something so incredibly special. And that fills me with hope.
LLAP & MTFBWY (Live Long And Prosper & May The Force Be With You)
-Jenn
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