The Social Media Rat Race
Highs & Lows
Hey Friends
it's wild that I have written an issue basically every week for almost 2 years! This has been a commitment to working on Saturday for a few hours each week so with that being said I decided to turn on a PAID option for the newsletter.
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Much Love, Glue.
The Highs and Lows: Being an Artist on Social Media
I seem to always be playing this balancing act between being too invested in the work I post and too detached to even bother putting it out there.
I used to be such an advocate for more and more volume to get better and more comfortable with sharing work with the world.
It’s a freeing experience to post without algorithms or performance in mind but I’d be lying if those things don’t get to me.
I sometimes put so much work into a personal piece of design or YouTube video for example and when it performs poorly it’s hard not to be bothered.
On the other hand when it does well the dopamine rush is something I think most creators online continue to chase.
Also, I’m sure we’ve all also whipped something up in an hour or 2 that goes semi-viral. It’s such a weird game we play on these sites.
You have to fully detach yourself from the “successful” art to then not be affected by the “failures”
I think the quotes are fitting because success or failure in the social media landscape is often due to factors completely out of our control.
These days I’m leaning more towards not caring too much but the downside is I feel like I’ve lost some momentum.
I’m not posting personal design work online as much as I was the last few years.
This has potentially slowed down some progress as a designer or growth on social media.
However
It has allowed me more time and mental clarity to explore things outside of design and art, which I’m very grateful for.
And TBH I’m sure we can all agree that Instagram especially has become a shit show.
I have over 90,000 followers on there and some of my posts get seen by less than 10% of that.
Those silly kind of metrics demotivate me from putting too much energy into these Platforms.
My favorite way to interact online these days is with all of you on this newsletter
so Subscribe;)
As well as posting videos on YouTube.
My opinion on the social media landscape is ever evolving but that’s kinda where I’m at right now.
How are all of you feeling these days about the relationship between design, art, and social media?
Stuff to Check Out
Got a new Tee from this drop
Fav Design of the week below
Amazing Poster for Caroline Polacheck by Isha
Closing Thoughts
Touch Grass
Weekly Wrap Up
I Designed the Poster for an Upcoming Movie! (Fav video yet)
Secret Channel upload :)
Thanks for reading!
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Much Love, Glue.
I can definitely relate to this article. Focusing on social media algorithm became so pointless but at the same time is an important place to show your skills and it cannot be dropped, at this point, My advice, you will find work even without being so active, networking and portfolio is the real deal to focus if that is your objective, Social media would work as an alternative/experimental or a more personal part of your portfolio.
Really appreciate this one Jesse, been feeling similar in my own development. I think I need to indulge in a few more personal projects just to give myself some creative satisfaction. I remember when social media posts were everything for me and now I tend to avoid them, but I really do feel like there is a balance like you mentioned. We all need recognition in some way. Cheers bud.