How Many People Make a Living Off Social Media Art
One year ago, I quit social media and deleted my profiles forever. I've asked you what yous'd like to know in an update, and you sent me many questions (Thanks everyone!!): almost how my year went, what changed for me business-wise and personally and what I do differently without these services.
I got a lot of responses, and I similar to answer as detailed equally possible, and then this is going to exist a very long mail. Sit downward and grab a tea when you read this. I've divided the post into 2 parts: We'll beginning with general and business questions like how to build an audience and how I do marketing, and and then in the second part (that'll come out soon) I'll tackle more than personal topics and if and how to use social media for learning and customs.
If you lot want to picket this Q&A as a video instead, you tin do and then here:
One twelvemonth afterward I quit social media 🌿 Q&A pt.1: Fine art Business, Marketing, Audience Building
If you tin can't see the video above, watch it here:
I year afterwards I quit social media – Q&A pt.one: Art Business, Marketing, Audience Building
Let's dive into the Q&A – part 1. For readability, questions are bolded, and my answers are marked below in interview-mode.
General questions:
How did my year get, what inverse for me as an artist (with a business organisation) and every bit a person?
Julia: Overall, my first twelvemonth without social media was great. I learned a lot, read a lot of books, worked a lot on my fine art skills, and I also had way more free time.
Get-go allow'southward look at how I quit social media: I had been taking lengthy breaks from social media earlier, merely this fourth dimension I wanted to change something essentially. I deleted my profiles in June 2019, kickoff my entire Facebook presence, which was like shooting fish in a barrel, because Facebook is frequently actually just an awful place where discussion turn ugly and you lose a lot of time. Plus it did nothing for my concern, my page didn't achieve a lot of people (that'due south standard these days, you lot have to pay for ads on Facebook to go attain).
At the same time, I put Instagram in a fashion that I recall is called Invisible. Basically all your posts are however there, only no-one can see your contour from the exterior, information technology's every bit if it doesn't exist.
I left things like this for a few weeks, and in July 2019, correct before I left for my summer vacation, I pressed the delete button on the Instagram profile. I knew I wouldn't worry nearly social media stuff for at least two weeks, and so information technology was a expert point in time to accept this pace.
And when I returned and started working over again, I basically focused a lot on all kinds of creative projects. I tried to go further away from the ingrained pressure to post and to being nowadays on the internet. It was fading, but still there, and I went through a phase of readjusting.
I know I felt gratis, like a huge burden was taken away, and I also didn't really know if I needed to do something unlike instead, or just continue every bit before just without social media. So information technology was a bit of a weird feeling.
And so at that place was too the fact that I had a paw injury during that fourth dimension, and so I couldn't draw for a while, and I went through a bit of a tedious phase and an art crisis because of it. As mentioned, I focused on other creative projects in that time. And information technology helped a lot to exist abroad from the earth of social media. It helped me to focus on what'south important for me.
And in the end I came back stronger and more motivated when I finally picked up the pencil once more. This process took a few months. In the mean time I entirely forgot there used to be such a thing equally social media that I once had to use for at least an hr a mean solar day, e'er struggling to mail something amend and more engaging. It's a hamster wheel, and one time you're out of it, you notice the pressure falling off.
I'd similar to think I've gotten more than confident considering I don't compare myself that much any more. By allowing experiments and diversion in my art practice I besides learn and abound in my techniques. This is something that I didn't really accept plenty fourth dimension for when I was on social media, because yous get rewarded for posting the same things over and over there.
I've stopped worrying almost what all the others do and if I should do the same to have their success, a thought that used to be very present before and that can patently not exist true. Quitting social media has shown me that there are just mentors and artists I can acquire from, and I take in what they take to say, and ignore the residual.
Cathee asked: Did you struggle with anything? Were your struggles with income, or followers? How did you lot become enough followers without beingness all over social media.
Julia: I worried earlier I deleted the profiles – that it would be a big mistake, that I would lose attention and a part of my audience. But none of this happened.
As mentioned above, I struggled a bit in the time after deleting my profiles to detect a new routine. It helped me massively to have plans and focused activities in place, things that I knew would bring my forrard and that I enjoy doing.
I didn't accept less income than in the years earlier. I also didn't notice a huge drib in my audience. I nevertheless had, and take my website and my weblog, and people used to find me through that before social media, and they still do, and since I also teach classes online on a platform some people also notice my work there and hop over to my website.
People who really want to stay in touch with my work are on my newsletter I suppose. And at that place are always new people who find my piece of work, who like it enough to join my newsletter. And from in that location I tin can be in contact with them directly. It'south a much more than powerful tool than social media, because you reach a much higher percentage of your audience with email.
I also started to post videos more regularly on my Youtube channel, merely I really didn't showtime this until early this twelvemonth, so I don't know that this helped a lot. I know that Youtube can be considered social media as well, but I don't use it that style, for me it'southward a tool to share ideas, a video library for learning cool stuff. If you lot have a aqueduct and put up videos, it likewise helps with your Google ranking, so that's a overnice side effect. And you won't get that from Instagram.
Questions around art business and marketing
rhapsodyinblue asked: I'd beloved to know how many followers y'all had when y'all deleted your account? I am facing a loss of 8k if I choose to pull the plug, and then I would love y'all to slap some sense into me and give me a push to nonetheless do it.
Julia: I had around 4K on Instagram and I've forgotten the Facebook number, around 1,500. Not many. 8K is not much either in the big scheme of social media, think that a big number of these people will never even see your posts because of the algorithmic insanity of Instagram (at to the lowest degree that was how information technology worked earlier I quit.
If you're worried about losing the audience, y'all can denote that you will leave earlier you lot pull the plug, and take these people with you to your newsletter or website – which you should have ready. This is crucial. Fix your ain platform where you tin can directly people to. Everyone who has a creative business should have their ain platform, their website which is the central part of keeping in impact with your audience. This is the cornerstone of everything. You can do very meaning things (=earn money) with an active newsletter audition of 4K, equally opposed to a social media audience of that size.
Aurelie asked: As an illustrator, I'm questioning more and more the production of gratuitous content to endlessly fuel instagram and FB. I started my web log in 2005, and information technology was such a joy then. But it's entirely different now, and I would like to detect a way to "become back" (or become frontwards) toward a simpler treatment of my social media.
Julia: I tin totally understand this, and sometimes I would dearest to be dorsum in the 90s when the internet was a much friendlier and more than fun identify. Things have changed a lot for creatives, and while I don't remember all changes are for the worse, I observe that virtually creatives are shoveling their own graves with social media.
You're correct to question this product of endless gratis content. It's not only a lot of work – maintaining a social media presence can feel like a full-time job – but information technology won't actually get you anywhere. It will devalue your artwork – fine art that you're supposed to earn coin from, posted and regurgitated every day for free on these platforms. Information technology's no wonder the prices become down everywhere. By posting on social media, artists are contributing to this devaluation of their work.
The business organization models of social media is to keep your attention and plough it into profit. And we artists are stupid enough to give these platforms the free content they need for that, out beautiful artwork, just because we believe it might bring even a tiny benefit. And normally it doesn't.
I still believe in the concept of a social internet (not social media platforms), then an net that is full of blogs and forums where people can see and exchange ideas, much like this blog. The blogging world was much more agile earlier social media, and I similar to think we tin can keep it alive (or revive it) if enough people make up one's mind against social media. Blogs are an excellent way to share ideas, long-course content and deep thoughts, and they make for a improve reading experience. Podcasts are also an first-class medium to dive deep into a topic.
I also believe it makes a huge difference in what course you consume content – the medium changes our agreement of things. If you read long, complex content, like in a book or long article or podcast, your heed volition process the data differently than if you lot set on it with short, disjointed bursts interspersed with ads, presented through an algorithm that's manufactured to keep you on the site as long as possible.
I believe (and scientific discipline suggests this as well) that social media makes united states harder for u.s.a. to form long, complex thoughts, considering of the style the information is presented. The medium influences the bulletin. Social media works mostly with short slogans and often with negative emotions. Content made for quick scrolling lacks dash. The slogans become the soapbox, and from there it'due south easy to end upwards with positions that are very distorted and simplified: correct or incorrect, pro or con, two sides. But the world is not like that. If you don't appoint with longform content forms like blogs, books or podcasts that await intensly at a subject and activate your deep thinking muscles, then you won't get nether the surface. That's where social media falls brusk and a deeper discourse gets lost. The earth is not elementary. Nosotros need room for nuance.
Plainly that's a whole problem in itself, but I personally don't want to add together to it. And so I don't make people go to these platforms, in the same fashion I don't get there myself.
Bethan asked: Practice you recollect your business organisation benefitted from being on social media in the beginning? Do you lot have to use it in the beginning to build upwards a certain level of loyalty and a big enough mailing list to then be able to continue without it?
Julia: I don't know if social media brought a lot of people to my audience. I had a blog and a newsletter before I was on social media, and I had both things parallel for a while. There were commonly more responses on the blog. It'southward just a more than personal way to stay in touch, then I always valued it more. It'due south also hard to say, because when you have a very pocket-size social media presence like I had, in that location'south no large affect from that. I know I tried to transport people to my social profiles so that these would proceeds followers, so it was probably the other mode round.
And the cardinal to building an audience is fourth dimension and work. Information technology does thing if you put it into social media, or your own platform. I put a lot of time into blogging on my website, getting my proper name out at that place in the search engines, so that people would find me. Information technology'south a good idea to take different means through which people can find you. It'due south true that social media can be one of them, but once again, I remember in terms of is it worth my fourth dimension to put so much energy into social media with so little return? I came to the conclusion that it's not.
Kathryn asked: I would like to know whether had you never used social media to build up a 'profile' and gained the confidence that can come from random strangers 'liking' and commenting on your piece of work, whether yous recall your blog and e-mail arroyo would be equally successful as it is?
Julia: Likes and follows give you a striking of dopamine, so that feels nice if you bank check it a lot. But that'southward not the same as confidence, information technology'south more like a dependency. Apart from that, whatsoever confidence I might have congenital up from likes and follows were always immediately crushed by not feeling acceptable enough when comparing myself to all the other awesome people in my feed. So actually my confidence went down. I've never felt every bit pressured and unhappy with my art and with myself when I was constantly consuming social media.
Jodi asked: How are you marketing?
Everyone is saying that you lot absolutely CANNOT sell, brand a living (I know it takes fourth dimension to grow any business) if y'all aren't on any social media. Can you address this, please. Including how to brand sure y'all are growing a valuable audience in your business organisation without social media.
Julia: First off, yous definitely can sell and brand a living without social media. I know several artists who do this, and obviously myself. And think near information technology this fashion: how exercise you think did artists brand a living before nosotros had social media? A lot of the strategies they used are all the same valid and working. Reaching out to the correct people in your manufacture, building personal relationships with your audience, making great and interesting work.
A website is a dandy place to start. This should exist your principal focus. By having a website and filling information technology with good-quality articles and posts about what you do, you will get found in search engines. Y'all don't need to dive into search engine optimization, but it'south helpful to remember that you can drive a good amount of traffic to your site if you offering manufactures or ideas nearly things people want to see. So if you lot teach something in an easy or very compelling way, or give insights into your niche, that's always a good place to start.
A discussion about growing an audience: What I benefitted most from are my website and blog that continually drives new people to my website. Then it pays off to build connections with other people in your niche, other artists, people who organize events with you and who will promote your work. Build 18-carat connections with those who value your piece of work, or who you value. These people will exist ambassadors for your work. That will e'er be better than trying to win over bearding people on social media.
The connections to people in my niche aid me to get known for what I do, and if people have heard your name before, and associate you with a sure thing, they volition trust you over fourth dimension.
I always ask myself if a tool that I use for my business will bring sufficient return for the price (time, energy, coin) that I put in.
Let me explain: A lot of people, myself included, started using social media for marketing, thinking it'due south okay if information technology will bring at least a pocket-size benefit. What yous should exist doing instead is asking yourself if social media equally a tool will bring yous sufficient benefits for the fourth dimension and free energy y'all put in. If y'all run a business organization, you usually recall most new investments in this style: will this particular be worth the cost? The positive impacts accept to clearly outweigh the negative impacts.
If you maintain a website and blog, you lot don't depend on your social posts going viral or getting a lot of views, you lot just have to write practiced posts that people want to read (combined with your art). Yes, this will also take a lot of time and energy, but these posts volition end up in search engines. And usually they volition stay in the search results for a long fourth dimension. Over time, that's a lot more powerful than social media. Instagram posts don't show up in whatsoever search engine, and I have to put upwards new things everyday. So for me, it became clear that the minimal benefit that I get from social media will non come shut to the benefit of regularly writing web log posts and building my own platform.
So again, you can apply social media every bit a tool for marketing, if you find it brings y'all sufficient benefits for the fourth dimension, energy and money y'all put in. Unremarkably when you're only starting out, that's not the instance, and it's much more than valuable to make use of different tools.
Lynn asked: I struggle with social media as it simply makes me feel worse about myself, but if you don't use those platforms, how does an emerging artist get themselves known? Everyone says you accept to utilise social media if you want to sell your fine art.
and
Anne asked: Instagram in particular is ofttimes presented as a swell way for starting artists to build an audience that tin then lead to sales or patrons. What are your tips for starting artists to build a successful career without using social media? I've been struggling with this a lot: I don't particularly enjoy social media and quit Facebook, just in that location's something nigh Instagram that makes me nervous quitting… i'd love to hear your thoughts about this
Julia: It's truthful that Instagram can assist you a lot as an artist. But it will particularly help you lot if you lot are already established and have a huge following. The advice to build up a profile often comes from established artists who already had a adept following before social media existed, or who joined when there were not many people on there, and then that success was so multiplied during the early days of social media. That's why everyone keeps repeating it. I'grand sure there are exceptions, simply accept you heard of a ton of new or starting artists that tell glowing stories of how IG has helped them a ton with clients or sales? In the terminal five years or so? I by and large have heard the reverse.
The fourth dimension and effort that starting artists put into social media would be meliorate invested in building you art and business organization skills, and finding out if and how you lot can even brand a living from art in these times. Due to social media, the art world is very saturated, and new artists sally every single day. They all are on social media, because someone told them to, and they all hope they volition be discovered by their dream clients there.
The market is actually saturated, and the algorithms practise their best to hide the smaller channels. Honestly it'south non a great fourth dimension to start an fine art business. So your best hope is to build upwards your skills to a betoken where clients are really interested in what you lot have to offer them, and so you contact them directly, or yous build up your skills to a point where people desire to learn from you, or a combination of both. Both things only require a website with your work and contact info on information technology, and an active blog with interesting posts, if you want to teach.
If you want to sell your stuff, you need to find out who wants to purchase the kind of fine art yous want to make, and how you can reach them. Then my main tip would exist: Focus on making great art, or bully products, and on getting a website and maybe a web log in place, and learn about the business organization you want to be in. And put your fourth dimension into those three things, non into social media. If y'all find out later that social media can be a valuable tool in your strategy, yous can still open up an account or run some ads. But it's nigh ever better to build personal connections with real people in your industry or niche.
Pamela asked: My question would exist, how are you getting your illustration business clients without social media
Julia: I contact them direct, and often people find me through my website. Business clients usually don't take the time to whorl through social media profiles the whole day, and a targeted email to the right person will commonly get you amend results.
Christine asked: I accept a question about social media and business impact. I am a fiber creative person working with natural dyes. I deleted my facebook account in 2014. I am going to kickoff selling my piece of work on Etsy. I don't want to open another Facebook account, but I am concerned nearly the bear upon on branding and sales.
How have you built your business concern without having a Facebook presence?
Julia: Facebook has had no touch on on my business at all. I had a business page and it practically just existed for me to automatically cantankerous-mail service stuff from Instagram. If you want an additional web presence, invest in building a good website. People volition notice that more trustworthy and it'southward much nicer to present your business on a defended website. You can link from your Etsy store to it and the other way round – I personally would observe this much better as a potential client than a link to a Facebook page, which can come up off as a sign that the person behind it has non even invested in a website.
Heather asked: I've heard a lot of messages from artists that if you want to sell your art online you have to use social media. I'g not happy well-nigh that simply I've been trying to larn how to use Instagram more effectively anyway, because at to the lowest degree I'll have learned something…
Julia: I had about the same strategy as you – reluctantly learning how to get improve at it, only I really didn't enjoy it. What I think y'all learn on these platforms is how to create posts that generate likes – if they make sense for yous or not. I'm budgeted my art very differently at present without the need to post something every twenty-four hours. Information technology has been a very interesting development, because I approach my art a lot differently now.
And also think well-nigh if it'due south really a benefit to learn using Instagram effectively. Will it give you the results you're looking for? I explained this concept of sufficient benefits before, you have to abandon the thought that you demand to use social media because it might requite you a benefit, you should only employ it if the positive impacts overweigh the negative impacts. Everything else is non a good business conclusion.
Yep, in that location are a few artists who are very successful on social media. But mostly, these artists joined early, or already had a big following earlier they were on these platforms. They are successful on top of, and not because of social media.
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This is the cease of office 1 of this massive Q&A most social media, I promise y'all found it useful! Thanks again everyone who sent in their questions, we will keep with part two in the next postal service.
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