Being a social media artist is a competition whether we want to admit it or not. Using social media for art is a wonderful tool to get exposure and share your art. But with it comes a lot of time, dedication, and an almost unstoppable output of content for artists which can lead to creative burnout and negative mental health effects. In this article, I’ll explain why being a social media artist is a competition that can be extremely difficult to be successful at plus some benefits of social media for artists.

Contents

1. Why Being a Social Media Artist is a Tough Competition
   • You’re Competing with EVERYONE
   • You’re Competing With Other Social Media Artists
     • How to Remove Yourself from the Social Media ‘Competition’
2. Benefits of Social Media for Artists
3. Artists Who Don’t Use Social Media

Why Being a Social Media Artist is a Tough Competition

1. You’re Competing with EVERYONE

One of the many benefits of social media for artists is the potential for almost unlimited amounts of exposure, reach, and a chance to build a huge audience for yourself.

But there are a few important words in that last sentence you really need to pay attention to. Can you guess which ones?

I’m talking about ‘potential‘ and a ‘chance‘ to build a big audience.

Why is this so important?

Because nothing is guaranteed, especially when you’re on a popular platform like Facebook or Twitter, which each have hundreds of millions of users. Or what about Instagram with it’s 2+ billion users?

That’s a lot of competition to get your art seen.

Yes, the numbers and exposure sound incredible. But as a social media artist, you’ll be competing with sheer masses of other accounts to get your work seen. It’s totally okay to be one of those artists who don’t use social media if using it seems overwhelming.

Why is it Difficult when Competing with Other Accounts Not Related to Art?

• More people on a platform means more competition for you
• More content uploaded equals more algorithms, more changes, and ‘new features’ to get more likes, follows, and exposure
  • Posting strategies from 3-5 years ago most likely won’t be the same as they are today and always change with big algorithm updates
    • It’s normal to have algorithm and program updates yearly, so be prepared to look out for ‘new features’ on social media platforms and new posting strategies
  • You need to keep up with current posting trends which isn’t as simple as posting just one image anymore
• You may be required to upload new artwork or content every day, just to keep up with the algorithms
• You’ll have to use the ‘new features’ for more exposure, which can be very time-consuming, like when Instagram added ‘Reels’ , a way to make short videos, a few years back to keep up with Tik Tok
• Social media platforms keep track of how much time you spend on a platform
  • The more time you’re logged in, the more exposure you’ll get
  • It’s a huge time eater when you’re a social media artist because that time could be used making more amazing art or just being offline

Keep in mind that a benefit of artists who don’t use social media is that they don’t have to compete with everyone on the platform nor are on a schedule to upload big amounts of new content fast.

2. You’re Competing With Other Artists on Social Media

You thought competing with millions of accounts wasn’t easy? Well, now we’re entering artist and creative territory. And it can get creative, fast.

• Not only are you competing with high and fast outputs of artistic content, you may feel that your content should be comparable to other successful artists on the platforms
• High expectations of the quality of posted artistic content
• Upload more content faster
• Need to make your art faster

Here are some quick tips when you feel that being a social media artist is a competition you can’t win.

Quick Tips to Remove Yourself from the ‘Competition’ with Other Social Media Artists

1. Find Your Unique Voice as an Artist
   • Make art that you genuinely connect with, that does something for you, not for your audience or who you think your audience is/will be – this is much more self-fulfilling and meaningful and help block out the need to compete with other artists
   • Try not to have the success of other artists drastically influence your artwork, whether it’s their art style, popularity, or subject matter – it can really change your art style and remove what makes you unique, from your art
   • Try to get in the mindset of artists who don’t use social media, meaning that likes and comments don’t matter and
2. Stick With an Art Style That Isn’t ‘Popular’
   • You’ll more likely attract a very specific audience that will enjoy your artwork and you’ll be the only few people online that they can get that type of art from
   • You’ll definitely stand out from the hundreds of millions of accounts
3. Stay Away from Your Feed and ‘Explore’ Sections!
   • In small amounts, your feed can be a great source of art inspiration
   • But too much of looking at other artists’ work can get you in your head and even cause serious mental health complications on top of losing your creative voice
4. Go At Your Own Pace
   • It’s so easy to get carried away with what other artists post and how often, that you might mimic what they’re doing to grow your account faster – this can lead to burnout and demotivation
   • Focus on what content you can put out now
   • Consistent artwork on a weekly or even monthly basis is more important than dumping out multiple art posts all at once because it show the algorithms you are in it for the long haul
5. Don’t Get Caught Up in the Vanity of Being a Social Media Artist
   • I’m talking about likes, follows, comments, all that engagement
     • Yes, it’s a huge indicator on how much the platforms’ algorithms will show your art to other accounts but it takes a while to get there
     • Instead, just focus on posting a consistent amount of content to the platform when you can, and you’ll have a better chance of increasing your engagement and follows
6. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER ARTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA – It’s Unfair to Yourself
   • Doing this can really lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, incompetence, and worthlessness
   • Instead, have confidence in your own abilities and art skills and just know that you’ll be able to grow your social media account in time, even if it’s not right now – you can get there with enough time and practice!
   • Have a growth mindset and know that if you keep up with your art and social accounts, that you’ll be better than yesterday
   • Artists who don’t use social media aren’t looking at other artists’s work on a daily basis but focus on making their own

In addition to these challenges, being an artist on social media can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety & depression. Check out this helpful article on 7 Easy Ways to Halt Depression & Anxiety When You’re a Social Media Artist .

We’ll now take a look at some reasons why social media is important for artists.

Benefits of Social Media for Artists

Yes, using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr can be difficult to build an audience and get your art seen but there can be some pretty nice benefits of social media for artists.

Here are just some of the benefits of social media for artists:

1. You Have a Chance to Grow a Huge Audience

This is a big benefit because with a large audience, you have people you can cater your art to. They’ll be willing to buy almost anything from you and can help increase your sales and exposure by a mile but only if you can put in the time, dedication, and tactics to get yourself to that point.

If you can’t grow your audience, that’s 100% okay! There are plenty of successful artists who don’t use social media.

2. Social Media Platforms Can Give You More Confidence in Your Art Skills

As an artist, it’s very validating to have a random person appreciate your art, even if it’s online through a like or comment because it shows someone notices your hard work and skills.

This can feel affirming to all the hard work you put in and can be a source of energy and motivation for you to keep posting art and continuing with it.

This is a few of the mental benefits of social media for artists. Just remember to not 100% rely on social media for validating your art because it won’t happen all the time, esp. at the beginning when growing your audience is tough. It can lead to things like anxiety and depression if you’re constantly dependent on social media for attention.

3. Potential for High Exposure on Your Art

With all the users on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, it feels the audience is limitless.

The more followers and content you put out, the more your art will be shown to other social accounts on the platform.

This gives you a better chance of growing your audience and promoting your art.

4. Social Media Promotion For Your Art and Generate Sales

This is one of those benefits of social media for artists that’s monetary.

Sounds great, right?

Social media is a great way to promote your art and get it seen by more people. I mean, that’s basically what is, a giant marketing platform to show off and promote whatever you want.

5. More Opportunities for Art Commissions and Jobs

With more eyes on your artwork, come people who want to pay you to do art in your particular art style, whether it’s through commissions or even job offers.

Below is a DnD commission I did made for a friend.

It can be easier on the artist to promote their art online and get some sort of monetary gain than it is to do it in the real world.

My Art Station account has helped me get a job working at a startup game studio.

But remember, you do need to have some sort of following on your account to help you get these types of art opportunities. It usually won’t happen with small numbers alone, which is why you need to post content consistently, otherwise your engagement won’t grow and you’re art won’t be shown to as many users.

6. You Can Make Passive Income from Your Art on Social Media Depending On What Platforms You Use

This sounds awesome! I haven’t monetized any of my social media because I don’t have big enough followings on those sites, except for Art Station where I have a couple products and some art prints. Even with my following, I don’t really make any money on there.

But Youtube, for example, can earn you passive income for the content you post by using ad revenue on your videos. But only if you reach 500 subscribers and around 3,000 watch hours on your content. Here are the full details.

Again, you will have to be consistent with your content uploads and put months or years of time and effort into growing your accounts. It’s possible but it may take you years or you may never reach that goal.

Just like there are benefits of social media for artists, there are also benefits for artists who don’t use social media.

Artists Who Don’t Use Social Media

What about the artists who don’t use social media?

Having a social media account for artists definitely isn’t necessary. As you read previously, there are benefits of social media for artists but it takes a lot of time and dedication to build, that not everyone has.

The main reason why I have an Art Station is because it’s a great site for showcasing my art in an online portfolio. Besides that, I’m one of those artists who don’t use social media a lot for my art. I don’t use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at all because it’s too time-consuming to grow those accounts and I get better results on Art Station anyway.

Benefits of Artists Who Don’t Use Social Media

Here are just a few of the benefits of artists who don’t use social media to (constantly) promote their art:

1. One of the pros of being in the group of artists who don’t use social media is that you’re not easily swayed to the art styles of other artists, allowing you to keep using your own artistic voice.
2. You’re also keeping yourself out of the mindset of being in a constant competition to upload new drawings or art content constantly, allowing you to not overwork work yourself. This is so important for mental health, as it prevents you from burning out and losing your motivation.
3. It’s much easier to concentrate on your drawings and art that’s in front of you, instead of thinking about expectations or hoping something turns out in your favor. Instead, you’re focusing solely on your art skills and output, not what engagement you may receive on your new art post.
4. Not being in a ‘competition’ with other social media artists mentally grounds you from being influenced by what artists on the platform have vs. what you don’t.
5. You won’t be wasting exorbitant amounts of time trying to create content that might not even be popular.
6. You have more time to focus on things that may matter more to you, like building actual social connections offline.

Whether you want to be a social media artist that will be competing for views and likes or just want to be one of the many artists who don’t use social media, each has it’s benefits and disadvantages. So take time to think about what you want to do with your art and where you want it to go.

As long as you keep pushing forward, you’ll eventually reach your goal!

More Related Posts:

Check out some of these helpful resources for more awesome social media artist tips, tutorials, and more:

• 10 Dangerous, Lasting Mental Effects When Using Social Media for Art | Post
• Social Media Artist: 7 Ways to Stop Depression & Anxiety When Online | Post
• Free Printable Copyright Cheat Sheet When Posting Art Online | Freebie
• Free Printable Stress Relief Cheat Sheet | Freebie
• NFT Art Theft: Why You Need to Protect Your Online Art Right Now  | Post
• How to Beat & Prevent Creative Burnout in 12 Simple Ways  | Post
• Art Success: 10 Brutal Truths Before You Start Drawing | Post
• How to Overcome Art Anxiety Fast & Be Confident with Your Art | Post
• How to Start Drawing with No Art Experience | Post
• Art Critique Vs. Art Bashing: How to Art Critique the Right Way | Post
• Free Printable Drawing Art Therapy Anxiety Activity Sheets | Freebie
• 15 Simple Anxiety Art Therapy Activities to Help You Feel Calm Now | Post
• Realistic Digital Painting & Step by Step Process | Post
• Behind the Scenes Working As a 2D Concept Atist | Post

Being a social media artist is a tough competition for anyone but I hope these tips help you decide if it’s something worth pursuing.

See you in the next post!