I just re-read my posts and bio expecting to cringe after not looking at my website for oh, 5 months(ugh!).
But I didn’t cringe - I was happily surprised - I liked what I’d written. For me, any time I share anything personal at all, I worry that it’s too much - over sharing, egotistical, “does anyone care about this?”.. But, it felt ok… & then just after that lovely moment of realization, I immediately started the “why haven’t you done more?” ( exhausting isn’t it?)
Fair question, especially given the amount of of focus I put on social media in my day to day life.
I do a lot of reading and talking about social media. In my day job it is my responsibility to communicate Cape Ann Art Haven’s mission of art education for everyone, regardless of income, skill level or background. We are constantly trying new ideas - mini videos, interviews, stories, daily posting, 3x a day posting, quotes, instruction - you name it. It is fun and creative, and effective. You see engagement instantly. For my own art business, I have devoted far less time, been less focused and certainly less experimental.
Probably the biggest reason for this is that (embarassingly) still battle feelings of “who I am to have all of these opinions and show off my art?”. If I were talking to a friend or student I would say,”you have nothing to lose, you make work, you show it, someone may love it, may buy it or be inspired by it - if it sits in your closet none of that is a possibility.” Yay me, good advice - if you listen to it :)
To add to my awesome but often unheeded by me advice, is that what happens is actually worse than nothing. Those un-shown pieces of art sit there, and you see them piling up… Some days you say, “hey awesome, I am building a body of work.” But on so many other days, you feel like a loser because that pile hasn’t gotten any smaller, and you have no plan to change it, or your plan isn’t working, or you think your plan is crazy.. And then it begins, “well they probably aren’t that good anyway, I don’t have the money to frame them properly, and how do I price this anyway?… blah blah blah.
Or is that just me :)
So back to social media…One of my favorite distractions and inspirations is Gary Veynerchuck, who says rather than getting all freaked out about “creating content”, he suggests you simply document what you are doing. It’s a brilliant concept - much easier - and more revealing :) While I am intimidated by really going for it myself, I love this idea, not simply because it makes sense, but because it’s what I search for in other artists… I love seeing process, and how they solve technical “art” issues, as well as all of the personal stuff around it.
So let’s see how it goes…
