Hi all! I’ve been working on some stuff for my art business, and while I’m a few months out at least from setting up a store, I was wondering if it would be prudent to start on social media now as opposed to later.
I was thinking about posting jokes about being an artist, stuff I’ve learned about digital/traditional art, and some timelapses. I am familiar with Youtube, and Instagram has been recommended.
I see that things of this nature tend to do well, but I also have little experience with actually posting things, as I’ve never had an account where I posted stuff before outside of a few writing forums. Should I start now so I can familiarize myself with social media?
I’d suggest that you start now, in a slow and gentle way at first and maybe post some artwork that you’re happy to show at this early stage.
Let people know that you’re new to it all and do intend to set up a store ‘soon’.
When it’s all running and ready, you can put links in your profile here.
Hmm it depends on what purpose it would serve. If it’s meant to be professional and a way for people to find you, then I would try to keep it professional, only post the best and relevant stuff. Put your primary page in the bio, etc.
I would be less strict if it was just a hobby account.
It would be something that draws attention to a future store, but I would also like to keep my options open if I desire to post comics one day (something I still would very much like to do) and share any art knowledge that may benefit others.
What would your recommendations for posts be in that case? I know I can’t post pictures of art I intend to sell for plagiarism reasons, but I was thinking that outside of that, I could do the occasional trend, bits of knowledge I’ve accumulated, webcomic recommendations, stuff about my own little hobbies, and jokes about being an artist.
I think it’s nice to start earlier rather than later if it’s something you want to do!
You will learn what works and what doesn’t and how it all feels. It is much better to get all that learning out of the way so that you more quickly reach the conclusions and ideas that work well. Also, don’t worry too much about posting what you think people would like. Post the things you like and care about, which makes it more fun, and in turn, makes you want to post more
Also, in my head I think of it like this: If Mona Lisa was the first art piece da Vinci showed the world, and he had painted artwork only in secret until then, then it would likely not be remembered fondly today.
You can post the best art ever, but if it’s for a couple of followers, then it will not get to the eyes of people. So it’s nice to build up
In my experience, it worked wonders to post just a ton of bad stuff on TikTok for fun and experiment, not really caring too much. I only got a few views here and there. But, many dusins of bad-performing videos later I got nearly 9 million views on my latest. That would not have happened if I hadn’t spammed it with content just for fun and find what works and not (and have some followers to see it). A ton of it is just pure luck, but when that luck strikes you, it’s better to be ready for it!
Honestly, I don’t think I’m qualified to give specific advice. I don’t even have a proper social media account yet (still don’t have “enough” artworks that are worth showing there IMHO). I’ll probably go with Pixiv or Twitter when I decide to go for it (because I’m anime style focused).
Running a social account with the purpose of growing it sounds like a painful and soul crushing task, to be honest… I watched a few videos on YT broaching the subject, but I think a lot of it is just pure luck. Of course you still need some baseline quality that won’t turn viewers off immediately.
Personally, I would go with what you enjoy and that doesn’t feel forced to you. Otherwise doing it for long will be hell. If your account is consistent, it will gain some viewership eventually. After that it should be acceptable to branch out slightly without hurting your following.
(still don’t have “enough” artworks that are worth showing there IMHO). I’ll probably go with Pixiv or Twitter when I decide to go for it (because I’m anime style focused).