A Reality Check: Let's talk honestly

There's been a lot of talk lately about social media. Negative talk.

I'm seeing this in online groups and on Instagram. Mainly the conversation is among people who have tried social media marketing, but now feel overwhelmed.

Their posts go something like this:

"Aren't we all tired of social media? Aren't we all overwhelmed by it? Don't we need to find another way to share our art? Something that is less pressured?" 

I understand this feeling. The social media platforms are becoming more and more crowded and there are lots of ads and it would be nicer if we could just paint. 

And of course, it's OK to just paint. If posting and sharing on social media is too much for you, you can choose not to do it. And for those who don't care about selling, that's fine.

But if you want to sell, you really have do check in with yourself. Because you have two options - you can do the marketing yourself and have complete autonomy OR you can find a "middle man" to show your work. You can look for a gallery or galleries willing to take you on and market your work.  

Maybe that feels like it would be easier but I very much doubt that it actually would. First, more and more galleries are interested only in artists who already have some kind of social media following. This makes sense - they want to know you can generate sales. (But if you can generate sales, do you need the gallery??)

But let's just say that you find a gallery who loves your work enough not to care about your social media presence - and let's say your work sells. Now the gallery will want more of the same kind of work. They won't want to wait for you to get in the mood - they will want you to start producing - and producing fast!

And if you want to try something new? Chances are that they will discourage you because you have already hit upon a winning formula.

Personally, this is why I have generally stayed away from galleries. My first ever gallery show closes today and that show was an anomaly. The gallery is a non-profit affiliated with the national park and I was keen to experience the process of creating a body of work to be shown in a such a gorgeous setting. I've really enjoyed it as a one-off experience, but I don't think it's a strategy I plan to pursue with any regularity. 

See, I like having control of my own career. And I feel so lucky to have social media to help me. Never, in the history of humankind, have we had such autonomy. Never have ordinary people had the opportunities that they have today. We don't need to have attended the top schools or be approved by the gatekeepers. We don't need to fit today's trends. We don’t need to shoehorn ourselves into boxes to keep gallery owners happy. We actually get to find and connect with art lovers all by ourselves, and our success is governed only by our own creativity, work ethic and initiative.

All we need to do is watch a few Youtube "how to" videos and we can get started. I am not saying it's easy to build a following on social media - it takes time and effort, like anything worthwhile.

But I am saying it's worthwhile. The people who choose to follow you and your work will be people who love what you're doing. They will want to see more of it and often they will tell their friends. And finding those people doesn't cost a penny.

You can eschew social media - of course you can. It's a free world and you get to choose. But don't fool yourself. If you want to sell art, but don't want to work social media, you will need to find some other way to market what you make. Yes you can set up your own shows or go to art fairs, but you still need to market those if you want people to know about them. Personally, I know of nothing that works as well as building a following on Facebook or Instagram or Youtube.

And if you doubt what I'm saying, consider my recent show. I sold 21 paintings to people who found me on some form of social media. There were only two sales made to gallery visitors who didn't already know me. If I had been counting on that gallery to sell my work, I'd be wondering how to pay my bills this month!

That's not meant to diss the gallery - it's a beautiful gallery and they did a lovely job with my show. It's just the reality of relying on someone else to sell your stuff. Art sells better when buyers feel a connection to the artist and social media allows us to build that connection.

That doesn't mean I love the changes that have happened over the last few years - particularly on Instagram. I don't like reels; I think there are too many ads; I don't see some of the posts I want to see. But I am practical about it - a few days ago I made a reel about my exhibition and posted it on Instagram. Within a few hours, I had sold two paintings. 

This is not something that would have been possible for artists even 20 years ago. To have the ability to share our work - free of charge - with people who might like it ... that is a true blessing. I feel grateful every day :)