Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXTs4XPChcE&list=WL&index=35&t=528s&ab_channel=ArtProf%3ACreate%26Critique
These are my notes and what I took away from the video link above.
In this video Professor Clara Lieu and Art Prof Teaching Artist Alex Rowe look at how Instagram, an excellent platform for artists, can have negative effects on artists. They discuss how these things have affected them and give advice on how to deal and/or avoid these struggles.
#1 Everyone’s life seems better than mine
Everyone seems to have a really full and vibrant social life, going to museums and galleries, and I’m not. These feelings seem to be more noticeable on bad days.
Tip – try and not take it personally, realise when you’re having a bad day or a good day and decide if you are in the right head space for going on social media.
Instagram can make you feel like you have to post daily to get your artwork out there. Regularly posting is good, it helps with the algorithm which will push your content out to others who might not have seen it otherwise and helps to keep and build a following base. However, you don’t have to post every day, find a schedule that works for you.
Tip – assign days, only post on certain days and for the rest of the week don’t think about it.
#2 Every artwork on Instagram is so perfect and #3 Even other artists’ workspaces are beautiful.
Everyone else’s artwork seems to be finished and perfect. Pretty and neat sketchbooks and workspaces/studio.
Tip – find your working style
Embrace what your sketchbook tells you.
What can I say? What can I do? What can I bring to the table? You are unique and will have something that makes you stand out, there is always going to be someone with better technique, so focus on what makes you different.
Tip – instead of thinking “I will never be as good as this” think about how you would tell it, what is your perspective?
Some artworks doesn’t photograph well, and so it doesn’t look as good on Instagram as it does in person – keep this in mind when thinking about what you post.
Some people see Instagram as a competition, competing for likes, followers, attention rather than a social media platform, try and stay away from this way of thinking, Instagram does not have to be a competition.
Tip – on Instagram have 2 sketch posts and then a final if you wish to use your Instagram to be like a sketchbook/portfolio it doesn’t have to be that rhythm, but try and keep to a 2:1 ratio.
Only posting finished artwork can be too linear and it’s not as interesting for the viewer, so sketches and work in progress photos can help keep your Instagram followers engaged in your work.
Other social media and blogs can help but Instagram dominates within the visual arts and is currently where a lot of attention is.
#4 Everyone else is winning awards and I got rejected 3 times this week
Don’t reduce your artwork to numbers.
A number is concrete its like a grade after taking a test, and it’s normal to look around to see what “grade” (how many likes and comments) others got.
Instagram got really close to sorting this issue out, they should have provided an option where you can choose whether you want to see your numbers or not.
Choose to be happy for those who achieve and don’t let the jealous feelings take over.
It’s so much easier in the long run to feel happy for those people instead of thinking when are they going to happen to you.
Think about if you want your Instagram to be a mix of personal and your artwork or just your artwork? If it is just your art, not your face, dog, life around your art it can help with making sure that it is just the artwork being judged instead of the attention being on the artist.
#5 Likes, Followers, Comments
You have to take initiative and work to get high numbers on social media.
If you don’t know where you want your art to go, it might not be a great time to post on Instagram as the focus becomes more about posting it rather than making it.
Don’t feel like your art and your Instagram following have to grow at the same time.
The artwork that gets a big reaction on Instagram isn’t always good artwork.
Stay true to who you are as an artist and your goals, don’t make artwork to please the masses on social media.
Tip – make your own place on Instagram, you don’t have to fit in to what everyone else wants.
You don’t want Instagram to dictate your creative choices, it should be a separate thing.
As someone who does not post on Instagram, this was really interesting to watch, and I found myself relating to some of the things mentioned in this video. The reason why I don’t post my artwork on social media is because in the past social media put me in a bad head space where I compared myself to everyone else and attached my self-worth to my social media, so I deleted everything. I now have an Instagram account; however, I have not posted anything as I am afraid that I will slip into that head space again where I will focus on numbers and engagement and equate that to my success or lack thereof. This is something that I have been working on for a while, where I am trying to not compare myself or care too much about what other people say. Although I have come a long way from where I once was, I still struggle.
