Creating art (and posting it to instagram) isn’t a competition
Some moments I look at instagram and what is does to our brains and I want to throw my phone outside the window.
But then it’s impossible to forget the positive impact it has on creativity and the connections we make here.
There’s art for everybody as well as space for every kind of work in the art world.
You create your beautiful artwork, and then you get to post and… -8 likes. Between bots, fake comments and NFT requests, it feels like it’s all about the numbers when it comes to Instagram.
And it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others on social media, especially when what you put out there just gets a handful of likes.
It’s way too easy to get caught up in the numbers game and feel like you have to constantly compete to get noticed.
Constantly post, constantly show up, and “create content”.
However, it’s important to resist the urge to compare yourself to others for a bunch of different reasons.
Drum roll please :)
Art is subjective
One of the biggest reasons why posting your art on Instagram isn’t a competition is because art is subjective. What one person may love, another may hate. There’s no right or wrong way to create art and it’s important to remember that everyone’s tastes are different.
Some people will argue that everything that come after 1800 isn’t art anymore. That abstract isn’t art. That paintings only belong into museums. Or whatever.
Let them talk. Art is what you make, regardless of where it sits or when it was painted. Ignore the Art Police.
It’s not about the numbers
While it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game on social media, it’s important to remember that it’s not about the numbers. It’s about creating art for the love of it, for the process, for the dirty hands and the messy canvases, and yes... sharing it with others. Not about how many likes or followers you have.
I don’t want you to think “easy for you to say when you have 129k followers”. Because it took me a lot, a lot, and a lot of work to get there.
And you don’t see that, unless you’ve been following me since the very beginning. And the volume of work I put in, isn’t relevant at the end. What speaks is the consistency in showing my work and it’s evolution.
It’s not about perfection
Creating art on Instagram isn’t about striving for perfection. It’s about being authentic and true to yourself. It’s important to embrace your flaws and imperfections and to focus on the progress you’ve made, not on what you think you should be doing.
If you feel like reading this blog post about embracing imperfection, there are so good suggestions there!
There’s no, race, competition nor comparison
Who’s going to get to the top first? Does it matter? Are you competing with someone?
Art is about enjoying the journey and taking your time to grow and develop as an artist. It’s important to focus on your own growth and progress, not on what others are doing.
It’s about sharing your art and connecting with others who share a similar passion. It’s about building a community and supporting each other, not about trying to one-up each other. Focus on your own growth and progress, rather than comparing yourself to others.
It’s not about validation
Yes, I get it, when people tell you that your work is beautiful, it does feel good.
But creating art isn’t about seeking validation from others. It’s about creating art for the love of it and being proud of what you’ve created. It’s important to validate yourself and your own art, rather than relying on others to validate it for you.
I think Instagram (or any other social media for what matters) should be really seen as a window. Not even a window shop, because the goal isn’t making a sale. I mean, yes it’s important to sell, but if you’re just there to sell, it’s not going to work.
Just a window. People passing by, someone will stop and admire your work, someone else might even think it’s the ugliest thing they’ve ever seen. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. The painting in a minute will still be there, inside the window. And you can look at it, like it, or not. And it’s ok.
It’s about self-expression
Creating art is all about self-expression and sharing your art with the world should be the same.
It’s about being true to yourself and your own artistic vision. It’s important to focus on expressing who you are, yourself and your own unique perspective, rather than trying to fit into a certain mould or compete with others.
You do you.
It’s about building a community
Instagram is about building a community of people like you, who are here reading this blog post (thank you), just because we share the same passion for art.
It’s about supporting and uplifting each other, rather than trying to compete with each other.
It’s growth. Of style, of mind and yes, maybe also likes.
But, at the end of the day, numbers will be irrelevant numbers, while your art… well, your art can only shine!
