I find the social media thing quite difficult, but I know I need to be there. I find the scrolling leaves me with anxiety. Love this space though. thanks for your posts, I really appreciate them
I'm glad you appreciate this space, mirta. Social media rips off the creators and also their audiences, because that is not a good way for us to engage with one another, simply for the benefit of the platform.
I too appreciate your posts. I don’t draw, I love people who can and Imfind your posts bring a moment of different perspective and (as I’ve posted before) take me in that moment to life in another city in another country. Which is cool.
I am glad to hear that, Nicolas. I think constantly about the value of art in our lives (regardless of whether we are artists or creators) and that is perhaps exactly it.
I'm not sure I have struck a balance, but trying to. I think - for me - balance is found in not working alone (@reframeables is created with my sister so it's not just me alone with my ideas).
I like this interpretation too. I wonder whether part of the trick is to find another mental space for that existing on social media mode, one that leaves the rest of one in tact, not frazzled or anxious, and above all so overwhelmed that one is not able to do the work. It really is the work that matters.
And also, finding people, for example here on Substack, who feel as if they might be on the same wavelength so that one’s also-existence is accompanied by fellow souls.
I think it’s a challenge but one that one is equal to as long as one is sensible and true.
Well said, Nicolas. I think social media needs us to do some necessary things, without relying on it too much for results. I did the same things for 5 years with middling to no success. Then my account exploded. Since then, things have cooled again and I get little to no response on my posts (despite the massive following). Every time I attach expectations to it, I am disappointed. The only way to run it is to be detached and seek companionship, camaraderie, and communication in other spaces (such as Substack, and this very comment section!).
I'm primarily an oil painter who does both studio work and Plein Air. I want to feel more confident adding people to my paintings. I love your work and the speed and simplicity of it. My question is... how do you do this when people are always moving?? I am at the beach alot but capturing a person and their 'gesture' seems impossible when the are walking either to or from me?? Suggestions??
A lot of my figure drawings are completed in 15-20 seconds, roughly the time it takes for a person to appear in my line of sight and disappear again into the crowd. In accordance with my style, I consider that a completed drawing. But for the purposes of oil painting, a sketchbook practice could help you quickly capture essential poses and shapes, to drop afterward into your paintings.
I am glad to see you are trying to include human figures in your plein air work. You will find my Tiny People workshop very useful. It goes into exactly this kind of gesture/pose/gait capturing. I will offer the link to the next session in an email soon!
Looking forward to your post Nishant! I had a big year on IG too (over 100k now), but came over here to substack and have found such refuge and community here. I agree that social media is a complete rip off for creators and also holds audiences captive in such problematic ways. It was burning me out and I knew it wasn't going to be sustainable at the pace I was going. That said the vast majority of my subscribers here on substack are from IG, so it's a double-edged sword. One that I really hate holding. I would love to leave it altogether, but now is not the time--for me at least. I know you have thoughts on why you shouldn't leave it, so I'll be curious to hear more....
Glad to hear it, Nina. This is exactly the conundrum I am in as well. While it isn't the main source of my readership, IG is easily the second or third largest source. In trying to disentangle from social media webs, I have tried my best to get as many people do the email list. The results are not too bad.
Part of what I want to share this Sunday is this not-so-bad result, and some ideas for how social media can play a productive role in our larger digital identity.
I love the idea of kindness art or free little art... Like kindness rocks left out for someone to find. Very sweet. I have no aspirations for a big social media presence. I am looking to expand my network. Being a so-so artist, doing it as a hobby means I have to find my people around the world. They are the continuous line drawers, the ugly art people, and the ballpoint pen random sketch artists ( not the professional ones ).
Thank you for your thoughts, it made me thinking a lot! I completely understand your idea about having presence on social media, it’s so to say a digital twin, a portfolio and a proof that one exists on the art landscape. It also seems a place where most of the people share their work with each other. Also, I am aware that it is hard to grow organically e.g. here on Substack without having some people migrating from IG. I am just really confused about how IG works at the moment and I am not sure I can handle it. I love reading Astrid Bracke about her approach to marketing without social media by creating a more meaningful and intentional connection with the audience using a variety of approaches and platforms.
Now, what are my reservations about IG. First, I personally don’t find too much value there, all the artists / creatives whom I follow I found outside of IG - mostly through Pinterest, YouTube, Substack and various podcasts and interviews. I only started following some of them on IG afterwards. It’s more of an address book to keep contacts rather than a tool for continuous engagement with content (I have a 15 minute daily limit on IG).
For example, I found Laura Horn through Pinterest, she had an interview with Sandi Hester, I started watching Sandi’s Youtube and listen to there interviews and this is how I found your podcast (and you!) Nishant. I only found your IG after I read this post! I find much more value in reading / listening to / watching something meaningful than just “engaging” with reels, stories or whatever on IG. There are zero courses I bought because of IG. I prefer to spent some time listening to an interview and understanding a person better, probably reading a blog, watching a Youtube video (not shorts!), join a newsletter, looking at the website, read a recommendation and then make a decision.
The other problem for me is how some people started treating their IG accounts (and by extension - their following) with the growth of the platform. One of the artists whom I follow started to have automated DM replies - something along the lines that they can’t answer all the messages now the business is bigger, please visit their site, etc., etc. They post lots of stuff and it is implied that people should “engage” with it, but they have no capacity, time or desire to meaningfully connect with the audience anymore. Which I can understand, because it’s probably really overwhelming with a large following, but I don’t like to be on the other side of this, being one number in a 10000 who happened to watch a reel.
And it’s not a unique example, across several interviews I hear all the same - “I can’t possibly answer all of it, people tend to be mean or they cross lines, now our business is much bigger we can’t afford to spend time on it” etc. The same people will be posting something like, “guys please support me by continuing to watch my reels, because it helps me!” And “oh, it’s not the algorithm it’s how you use it, if it needs more of this, just do more of this!”. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand that it is not personal, it is how things work and people try to run their businesses, I just don’t get it on a conceptual level, why we need to have this sort of inferior relationships with one another. Am I making any sense here??
Smaller spaces like Substack, even some devoted FB groups seem to have more real connection where people are valued as individuals, not as a homogenous “number of subscribers”. Even artists channels on Youtube seem to be more personal, when it comes to discussions in comments.
(1) "all the artists / creatives whom I follow I found outside of IG" - I encourage people to engage with art outside of social media, so this is amazing. I am glad this web of connections brought you to my work, and I am glad to have you as a reader.
I would much rather have 3-5 minutes of your time once a week, than bombard you with 5 sec reels every day. Both of us deserve better than that. :)
(2) "how some people started treating their IG accounts" - Absolutely true. Actually, IG is not designed for people to engage with their following. It is designed to 'grow' constantly or die. So artists are incentivized by the platform to see their followers as only numbers. Not real people. This frustration is felt by audience, but equally by the artists. I will go into it this Sunday.
(3) "I can’t possibly answer all of it" - This is unfortunately true. You would be amazed by how many DMs I now get, and how many of those are the SAME questions again and again. It is soul-crushing to type out of the same response, and it makes me feel like a machine.
Smaller spaces work much better. And a lot of artists I know are seeking the same. A newsletter relationship has allowed me to re-humanize both myself and the people that like my work. I instantly 'recognize' so many readers now because we have been speaking with each other for over 2 years in this more relaxed, less extractive space.
Again, the frustrations you raise are totally valid. And they will help me a lot in crafting this Sunday's essay. Thank you! And once more, I am so glad you found me through Sandi's work, she is truly phenomenal. ❤️
My new watercolor sketchbook arrived yesterday and I instinctively flipped through the blank pages when I opened it. I am glad I am not the only one to do that. I have a love/hate relationship with "the blank page". It is freeing and intimidating all at the same time. Today I am excited about the blank page and the infinite possibilities it holds. Here's to a new year of filling in many blank pages!
Ah, Instagram. I’m so over it! I have a tiny account, around 3k followers, but abysmal reach, even when I post every day, use few hashtags/no hashtags/all 30 hashtags, even when I post reels. So at this point, I’m not even sure what the point is, really. And no matter how much I try and convince myself it isn’t about the likes, isn’t that part of why we are on social media?
The system is opaque, and there is no good way to tell what works. Even that can change on a dime when the algorithm switches around. Likes are also a terrible/essential part of social media, but chasing after likes is the worst position any creative person can be at.
I have been on IG with my current account since 2018, but had another before that. It took me longer than a year to crack 1k, and there were long, inexplicable pauses in growth at every stage along the way. Even this year, I reached a hard-stop at 325k. Almost like a wall. I saw zero growth for 3 months after that, which makes no sense at all!
I’ve hidden the like count on my posts to make it difficult for myself to see the number of likes a post garners. That did help quite a bit in not obsessing over the number, but I just can’t seem to crack the algorithm.
I’ve had this account since Instagram was an iPhone only app, so growth has been terribly slow by that account. Though to be honest, for quite a few years I treated it more as a visual diary than anything else. Once I got clear about what I wanted to do is when I saw some growth, but it has stalled and sputtered.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Instagram -- and checking to see if I do actually follow you there! If memory serves, I found you on Substack Notes!
I find the social media thing quite difficult, but I know I need to be there. I find the scrolling leaves me with anxiety. Love this space though. thanks for your posts, I really appreciate them
I'm glad you appreciate this space, mirta. Social media rips off the creators and also their audiences, because that is not a good way for us to engage with one another, simply for the benefit of the platform.
I too appreciate your posts. I don’t draw, I love people who can and Imfind your posts bring a moment of different perspective and (as I’ve posted before) take me in that moment to life in another city in another country. Which is cool.
I am glad to hear that, Nicolas. I think constantly about the value of art in our lives (regardless of whether we are artists or creators) and that is perhaps exactly it.
I like the idea of existing ALSO on social media - not only. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear it, Natalie. How do you find this balance in your life?
I'm not sure I have struck a balance, but trying to. I think - for me - balance is found in not working alone (@reframeables is created with my sister so it's not just me alone with my ideas).
Such a good point, Natalie. I am all by myself, and also think balance would be easier to achieve with two heads on it.
I like this interpretation too. I wonder whether part of the trick is to find another mental space for that existing on social media mode, one that leaves the rest of one in tact, not frazzled or anxious, and above all so overwhelmed that one is not able to do the work. It really is the work that matters.
And also, finding people, for example here on Substack, who feel as if they might be on the same wavelength so that one’s also-existence is accompanied by fellow souls.
I think it’s a challenge but one that one is equal to as long as one is sensible and true.
Well said, Nicolas. I think social media needs us to do some necessary things, without relying on it too much for results. I did the same things for 5 years with middling to no success. Then my account exploded. Since then, things have cooled again and I get little to no response on my posts (despite the massive following). Every time I attach expectations to it, I am disappointed. The only way to run it is to be detached and seek companionship, camaraderie, and communication in other spaces (such as Substack, and this very comment section!).
I'm primarily an oil painter who does both studio work and Plein Air. I want to feel more confident adding people to my paintings. I love your work and the speed and simplicity of it. My question is... how do you do this when people are always moving?? I am at the beach alot but capturing a person and their 'gesture' seems impossible when the are walking either to or from me?? Suggestions??
A lot of my figure drawings are completed in 15-20 seconds, roughly the time it takes for a person to appear in my line of sight and disappear again into the crowd. In accordance with my style, I consider that a completed drawing. But for the purposes of oil painting, a sketchbook practice could help you quickly capture essential poses and shapes, to drop afterward into your paintings.
I am glad to see you are trying to include human figures in your plein air work. You will find my Tiny People workshop very useful. It goes into exactly this kind of gesture/pose/gait capturing. I will offer the link to the next session in an email soon!
Looking forward to your post Nishant! I had a big year on IG too (over 100k now), but came over here to substack and have found such refuge and community here. I agree that social media is a complete rip off for creators and also holds audiences captive in such problematic ways. It was burning me out and I knew it wasn't going to be sustainable at the pace I was going. That said the vast majority of my subscribers here on substack are from IG, so it's a double-edged sword. One that I really hate holding. I would love to leave it altogether, but now is not the time--for me at least. I know you have thoughts on why you shouldn't leave it, so I'll be curious to hear more....
Glad to hear it, Nina. This is exactly the conundrum I am in as well. While it isn't the main source of my readership, IG is easily the second or third largest source. In trying to disentangle from social media webs, I have tried my best to get as many people do the email list. The results are not too bad.
Part of what I want to share this Sunday is this not-so-bad result, and some ideas for how social media can play a productive role in our larger digital identity.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts! 😅
I love the idea of kindness art or free little art... Like kindness rocks left out for someone to find. Very sweet. I have no aspirations for a big social media presence. I am looking to expand my network. Being a so-so artist, doing it as a hobby means I have to find my people around the world. They are the continuous line drawers, the ugly art people, and the ballpoint pen random sketch artists ( not the professional ones ).
Later this summer, I am launching a new drive of art giveaways! I think you will find it fun. 😍
Thanks for your advice of just drawing. I recently started art school and I’m always so scared to draw but it’s being forced out of me.
Glad to help!
Social media is like school for me. You either become popular or you dont.
And to keep up with all the changes is so energy draining. A reason I use sites like Buffer.
But I really need to go to a coffee shop and sketch! Looks so fun 😁
I was drawn here
You offered a line
I could not decline
You are different
I need to react
Your work grants me facts.
<3
"Cocooned"
Love that one there!
Thanks again for the hook up!
Fantastic work!
Good catch!
There's lots of goodies in there!
Thank you for your thoughts, it made me thinking a lot! I completely understand your idea about having presence on social media, it’s so to say a digital twin, a portfolio and a proof that one exists on the art landscape. It also seems a place where most of the people share their work with each other. Also, I am aware that it is hard to grow organically e.g. here on Substack without having some people migrating from IG. I am just really confused about how IG works at the moment and I am not sure I can handle it. I love reading Astrid Bracke about her approach to marketing without social media by creating a more meaningful and intentional connection with the audience using a variety of approaches and platforms.
Now, what are my reservations about IG. First, I personally don’t find too much value there, all the artists / creatives whom I follow I found outside of IG - mostly through Pinterest, YouTube, Substack and various podcasts and interviews. I only started following some of them on IG afterwards. It’s more of an address book to keep contacts rather than a tool for continuous engagement with content (I have a 15 minute daily limit on IG).
For example, I found Laura Horn through Pinterest, she had an interview with Sandi Hester, I started watching Sandi’s Youtube and listen to there interviews and this is how I found your podcast (and you!) Nishant. I only found your IG after I read this post! I find much more value in reading / listening to / watching something meaningful than just “engaging” with reels, stories or whatever on IG. There are zero courses I bought because of IG. I prefer to spent some time listening to an interview and understanding a person better, probably reading a blog, watching a Youtube video (not shorts!), join a newsletter, looking at the website, read a recommendation and then make a decision.
The other problem for me is how some people started treating their IG accounts (and by extension - their following) with the growth of the platform. One of the artists whom I follow started to have automated DM replies - something along the lines that they can’t answer all the messages now the business is bigger, please visit their site, etc., etc. They post lots of stuff and it is implied that people should “engage” with it, but they have no capacity, time or desire to meaningfully connect with the audience anymore. Which I can understand, because it’s probably really overwhelming with a large following, but I don’t like to be on the other side of this, being one number in a 10000 who happened to watch a reel.
And it’s not a unique example, across several interviews I hear all the same - “I can’t possibly answer all of it, people tend to be mean or they cross lines, now our business is much bigger we can’t afford to spend time on it” etc. The same people will be posting something like, “guys please support me by continuing to watch my reels, because it helps me!” And “oh, it’s not the algorithm it’s how you use it, if it needs more of this, just do more of this!”. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand that it is not personal, it is how things work and people try to run their businesses, I just don’t get it on a conceptual level, why we need to have this sort of inferior relationships with one another. Am I making any sense here??
Smaller spaces like Substack, even some devoted FB groups seem to have more real connection where people are valued as individuals, not as a homogenous “number of subscribers”. Even artists channels on Youtube seem to be more personal, when it comes to discussions in comments.
Lisa, these are excellent points, all of them:
(1) "all the artists / creatives whom I follow I found outside of IG" - I encourage people to engage with art outside of social media, so this is amazing. I am glad this web of connections brought you to my work, and I am glad to have you as a reader.
I would much rather have 3-5 minutes of your time once a week, than bombard you with 5 sec reels every day. Both of us deserve better than that. :)
(2) "how some people started treating their IG accounts" - Absolutely true. Actually, IG is not designed for people to engage with their following. It is designed to 'grow' constantly or die. So artists are incentivized by the platform to see their followers as only numbers. Not real people. This frustration is felt by audience, but equally by the artists. I will go into it this Sunday.
(3) "I can’t possibly answer all of it" - This is unfortunately true. You would be amazed by how many DMs I now get, and how many of those are the SAME questions again and again. It is soul-crushing to type out of the same response, and it makes me feel like a machine.
Smaller spaces work much better. And a lot of artists I know are seeking the same. A newsletter relationship has allowed me to re-humanize both myself and the people that like my work. I instantly 'recognize' so many readers now because we have been speaking with each other for over 2 years in this more relaxed, less extractive space.
Again, the frustrations you raise are totally valid. And they will help me a lot in crafting this Sunday's essay. Thank you! And once more, I am so glad you found me through Sandi's work, she is truly phenomenal. ❤️
Yes to all points!! Thanks a lot for your time and answer!
One useful illusion I have is that I can look on my paper and see something already there.
That is wonderful! I 'map' the page with my fingers before I begin drawing.
Loved it - glad to see the comeback. Illusions & impermanence are opprtunities for illumination :)
Thank you Rajesh for sharing that beautiful thought!
My new watercolor sketchbook arrived yesterday and I instinctively flipped through the blank pages when I opened it. I am glad I am not the only one to do that. I have a love/hate relationship with "the blank page". It is freeing and intimidating all at the same time. Today I am excited about the blank page and the infinite possibilities it holds. Here's to a new year of filling in many blank pages!
So good to hear that, Lisa! Enjoy the new sketchbook and may the pages be filled with many wonderful colours.
Ah, Instagram. I’m so over it! I have a tiny account, around 3k followers, but abysmal reach, even when I post every day, use few hashtags/no hashtags/all 30 hashtags, even when I post reels. So at this point, I’m not even sure what the point is, really. And no matter how much I try and convince myself it isn’t about the likes, isn’t that part of why we are on social media?
The system is opaque, and there is no good way to tell what works. Even that can change on a dime when the algorithm switches around. Likes are also a terrible/essential part of social media, but chasing after likes is the worst position any creative person can be at.
I have been on IG with my current account since 2018, but had another before that. It took me longer than a year to crack 1k, and there were long, inexplicable pauses in growth at every stage along the way. Even this year, I reached a hard-stop at 325k. Almost like a wall. I saw zero growth for 3 months after that, which makes no sense at all!
I’ve hidden the like count on my posts to make it difficult for myself to see the number of likes a post garners. That did help quite a bit in not obsessing over the number, but I just can’t seem to crack the algorithm.
I’ve had this account since Instagram was an iPhone only app, so growth has been terribly slow by that account. Though to be honest, for quite a few years I treated it more as a visual diary than anything else. Once I got clear about what I wanted to do is when I saw some growth, but it has stalled and sputtered.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Instagram -- and checking to see if I do actually follow you there! If memory serves, I found you on Substack Notes!
This was so helpful. Thank you.
Glad to hear that, Jon!
I enjoyed this article very much. It brings fresh perspective for me to a philosophy I have subscribed to for the past several years. Thank you 🌷
Glad to hear that, Celeste! 🙌 Best wishes for the new year.