Social media and the art nerd
Social media is scary.
I mean it's really, really awesome too. But it is a mess of unspoken rules, huge potential, and a HUGE variety of wonderful ways to fuck it up.
I'm not a social media queen, by any means. But I have been working at getting better at it, and recently, due to another day job, gotten the opportunity to really explore artist and creators social media from the point of view of someone looking for information about artist, to promote them, and between the two, would like to offer up some advice on some social media basics.
I mean it's really, really awesome too. But it is a mess of unspoken rules, huge potential, and a HUGE variety of wonderful ways to fuck it up.
I'm not a social media queen, by any means. But I have been working at getting better at it, and recently, due to another day job, gotten the opportunity to really explore artist and creators social media from the point of view of someone looking for information about artist, to promote them, and between the two, would like to offer up some advice on some social media basics.
This is all pretty basic stuff, but all mistakes I have run into in the last few weeks:
#1: HAVE A SOLID SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.
Your name should be unique and specific enough that when I plug you into google, I can get relevant hits off the first page. Google social media names before you choose them, make sure that you aren't drowned out by bigger companies, other creatives, or so generic it ends up in a sea of same.
#2: BRAND YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA:
If I google Terra Necessary Art, and find a twitter I THINK is right, and click on it, and it's bio is like "31/cat mom/Clamp fan" and the top 10 posts are videos you liked on youtube, I will have NO IDEA if I am in the right place.
If I google Terra Necessary Art, and find a twitter I THINK is right, and click on it, and it's bio is like "31/cat mom/Clamp fan" and the top 10 posts are videos you liked on youtube, I will have NO IDEA if I am in the right place.
This doesn't mean ONLY EVER post your art. Especially with places like Twitter....that isn't how they work. But have an icon and bio, a pinned post, a banner, etc that tells me I am in the right place. I am willing to dig for it....but lots of people aren't. Make is easy for someone to tell who you are and what you do at a glance.
#3 NETWORKING IS IMPORTANT AND EASIER THAN YOU'RE MAKING IT
Networking is just making friends and talking with them. Adds and likes cost you nothing and can get you far. Everyone wants a comment as bad on their twitter post as you do. If someone adds you, ESPECIALLY if they are in the artistic/nerd field, add them back.
I have gone through the twitter threads on here several times and added a chunk of people I wanted to write about, to only get a handful of adds back. While you may not dig my art....my other job has artist perks that all those people missed out. Networking is important, because you don't know what that other person might be able to tell you/teach you. While not adding me back wouldn't get anyone bumped, the people who added me back and have interacted just come to mind more often, and are gonna pop to mind first when I have an opportunity to share. And there are LOTS of people out there like me. Someone else may offer inspirational art you love, or a great friendship, or some other cool connections, or interesting advice...the point is more that if you don’t get out there and interact in your field, through adds, friending, and comments, you aren’t going to ever build a network.
You gotta put yourself out, and put in the effort, to show people why they should care about you. If you sit an wait for everyone to come to you....well, good luck! You'll need it.
#4 MAKE IT EASY TO CONTACT YOU.
Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to find you, contact you, work with you, and most important of all, pay you. If contacting you becomes a chore...there are literally hundreds of other artist who will make it easier for the person
(Beth Zyglowicz thankfully reminded me of this one on the amazing Artist Alley International group on Facebook, a must follow for AA pros.)
#5 FANART IS DONE FOR LOVE NOT ATTENTION
So, this only applies to fanartist, so you can skip to the end if that's not your jam!
Fanart needs to come from love.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't necessarily follow trends and get involved in popular fandoms. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing a piece for the superhero movie that just splashed big over your piece based on a 15 year old anime with 5 fans. But you need to LIKE that popular fandom. You need to be doing it because you love it. Dipping into popular fandom is scary, but can also be some of the best fun!
But.
(There's always a but.)
Just slapping something popular on paper rarely does it for fandom. They're fans, they know. Some people can get away with it, especially if they stumble on a unique style or idea, but a popular fandom comes with more than just a lot of fans...it also comes with a lot of people making art. That old anime fandom with only 5 fans means you're going to have 5 people who care A LOT, where as the mob of superhero fans may not give a shit. Being a big frog in a little pond has perks too. There are also trends within the fandom that you won't learn from the outside, such as popular tags, ships, or styles.
Don't feel entitled to retweets or shares. Don't burn yourself out making shit you don't care about because it's "popular." Make fanart you love, and while you shouldn't ignore the attention a big fandom can bring, don't expect Captain America's popularity to make up for the work you need to put into your self and your art/brand.
(This point also comes from Ian Fay in that same AAIN chat, although I riffed a lot on their actual point.)
Hope this all is helpful! Thank you so much for reading, and I love comments and thoughts!
#4 MAKE IT EASY TO CONTACT YOU.
Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to find you, contact you, work with you, and most important of all, pay you. If contacting you becomes a chore...there are literally hundreds of other artist who will make it easier for the person
(Beth Zyglowicz thankfully reminded me of this one on the amazing Artist Alley International group on Facebook, a must follow for AA pros.)
#5 FANART IS DONE FOR LOVE NOT ATTENTION
So, this only applies to fanartist, so you can skip to the end if that's not your jam!
Fanart needs to come from love.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't necessarily follow trends and get involved in popular fandoms. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing a piece for the superhero movie that just splashed big over your piece based on a 15 year old anime with 5 fans. But you need to LIKE that popular fandom. You need to be doing it because you love it. Dipping into popular fandom is scary, but can also be some of the best fun!
But.
(There's always a but.)
Just slapping something popular on paper rarely does it for fandom. They're fans, they know. Some people can get away with it, especially if they stumble on a unique style or idea, but a popular fandom comes with more than just a lot of fans...it also comes with a lot of people making art. That old anime fandom with only 5 fans means you're going to have 5 people who care A LOT, where as the mob of superhero fans may not give a shit. Being a big frog in a little pond has perks too. There are also trends within the fandom that you won't learn from the outside, such as popular tags, ships, or styles.
Don't feel entitled to retweets or shares. Don't burn yourself out making shit you don't care about because it's "popular." Make fanart you love, and while you shouldn't ignore the attention a big fandom can bring, don't expect Captain America's popularity to make up for the work you need to put into your self and your art/brand.
(This point also comes from Ian Fay in that same AAIN chat, although I riffed a lot on their actual point.)
Hope this all is helpful! Thank you so much for reading, and I love comments and thoughts!
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