Art and Social Media Success: Sometimes all that Interaction Just Becomes too Much!

I have been thinking quite a lot about social media and "art and artists" recently. 

In response to yesterday's post, @donnadavisart made some good observations about the need to find balance when you're an artist — that is, the balance between actually creating art, and how much time you spend online, trying to promote yourself and your work.

After reading her comment, I got to thinking further about the couple of artists we represent at the gallery... who seem to have gone somewhat "overboard" in their pursuit of "likes" around the web.

Social media really does become a distraction, after a while.

"Too Much" can go Both Ways

Thinking about the artists we represent who seem to have gotten caught up in "too much" social media, it seems like the results can go in different directions.

One painter we work with is involved with every conceivable form of social media, and the thing we've noticed most about her "popularity" is that whereas she enjoys a great deal of commercial success selling prints of her paintings from the past 4-6 years, we very seldom see new original work from her, these days.

Of course, it's not easy to make an objective evaluation there: On one hand, she has managed to achieve what few artists do: She is making an actual living from her art. And that's awesome! On the other hand, it seems like 80% of her time these days goes into managing web shops, doing social media promotions and filling orders for prints and cards. 

I suppose my ultimate question becomes: "Yes, but are you HAPPY? Is this what you wanted to achieve with your art?"

The jury is still out on that one... although when I talk to her, she often sighs and says "I really need to find time to create some new pieces." And she seems slightly sad.

Meanwhile, Closer to Home

Although I don't talk much about them on this page, my own particular artistic expression comes in the form of my hand painted mandala stones. 

A collage of hand painted mandala stones

I started painting on stones some 10 years ago, and I find it relaxing and rewarding. 

In spite of the fact that I am the keeper of multiple blogs, I spend very little time on social media, promoting my own work. I promote our gallery, I promote my wife's non-profit, I promote my two eBay businesses, I promote a couple of blogs... but not my art. My "excuse" is always that I (a) don't have time because of my "day jobs" and (b) when I DO have time, I'd rather be painting than working on the computer. 

Although this really is a topic for a different post, stone painting (as art) has gotten very popular over the past decade. When I started (circa 1998), the number of "serious" stone painters I knew of numbered in the dozens, worldwide, IF even that many.

Today they number in the thousands, in large part due to the surging popularity of "Rock Painting Groups" around the US and beyond.

Anyway, one of my original colleagues — who, ironically, lives less than 50 miles from me, as the crow flies — capitalized on social media early on, and yet stayed true to her art and intentions. 

As an example of what "attentive" social media can accomplish, her artist Facebook page today has 145,000 followers, and her original painted stones are always sold out immediately and now sell for six times what we were charging, ten years ago. 

By comparison, my own painted stone Facebook page has about 550 followers and I am still selling for pretty much the same prices as a decade ago. Except, with so many wannabe painters out there, I'm lucky to make any sales.

What is it We Want to Accomplish?

Of course, the greater story — and question — is "What do we want to ACCOMPLISH, as artists?"

On a personal (artistic) level, social media "matters" because one of my original objectives — aside from simply enjoying the process of creating — was to share my art with the world.

That is not said so much in the "commercial" sense, as in the "connective" sense. Long before we had Red Dragonfly Gallery, we used to go to a lot of festivals and street fairs... and the "Joy of Art" came from the many people who'd see what I was doing and exclaim "These are really COOL!" 

Half the time, we would end up giving away as many as we sold, "just because."

I still give away lots of my stones to kids. Because they enjoy them, and I enjoy sharing. 

Notice I didn't mention "make a living." Although that's definitely something I'd like to accomplish, it's really not "on the table" at the moment because I am too busy doing other things, simply for the purpose of making ends meet. Which is a common thread, among many of the artists I know. 

But anyway, I am more an example at the "not ENOUGH social media" end of the scale.

Wherever you fit, just make sure you don't let your worries about doing social media "right" materially interfere with your creative process.

Feel free to share your own thoughts about art and social media in the comments, below! What's too much, how does it work, what's not enough?

Thank you for reading! Red Dragonfly is a proud member of the @sndbox creative initiative.

The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.