So-so Social Media

Social media... A web based launch pad thrusting creatives (like myself) straight through the stars and into the orbit of success, right? Hmm well the size of my Facebook fan base tells me otherwise. But you know what they say; It's not the size of your fan base that matters but how you use it... right?... er... uh anyway...  Lately I've read tons of articles online and in magazines about how everyone should be using social media to promote their craft. The writers are far too eager to point out all of the ways you can achieve greater success through social media. One thing I don't see very much of in these articles if any at all is actual real life success stories. These articles are chock-full of tips and tricks but no actual results. So this got me thinking.. I know.. here we go again....

 Since the dawn of myspace I've been creating profiles and fan pages on every social media website and art community that emerged, loading them up with examples of my work and the occasional witty status update. I believed that each post I made, each piece of art I shared was bringing me one step closer to world renown fame. This simply has not been the case. Has my artwork been exposed to hundreds maybe even thousands of people through social media that it wouldn't have otherwise? Yes, absolutely! Is that a good thing? Of course! But is it really worth investing as much time as I have? We're talking years of daily posts and uploads. Hours and hours of scrolling, liking, commenting and sharing. I believed that every interaction I had no matter how small or insignificant could be the one that set off the landslide of recognition that I had so desperately been seeking as an artist. I'm still waiting on that to happen.

 Now I'm not saying that could never happen... But how common is it really? Out of all the millions of people striving for acknowledgement of their craft on these sites how many have actually achieved this? My guess would be that the number is astronomically small. And if you take away all of the people who use gimmicks to attract attention, the number would be only a fraction of that even. Like Nolan Daniels who achieved social media infamy simply by posting a photo of himself holding a fake winning powerball ticket and encouraging Facebookers to share the photo. In turn he would choose one lucky person to give 1 million of his winnings to. His photo was ultimately shared over 2 million times! This event and others like it really prove my point. I mean sure I could have done the same thing if I had thought about it and yeah, 2 million shares surely wouldn't hurt... But how much of that attention would transfer onto my artwork? And how much of that would lead to genuine recognition? How helpful is 15 minutes of fame if it's not at least for what you want attention for? At this point I'm becoming less and less hopeful in regard to achieving internet fandom. It seems that the only real way to accomplish that is to do something outright ridiculous, crazy or even dishonest. None of these options tend to appeal to me.

So far it's beginning to seem like social media really isn't the best venue for creatives as myself to build recognition. Perhaps some simple math will either help us confirm or re-assess the topic. I've always been terrible at math and am not fond of it but when it comes to the cut and dry you really can't look anywhere else. So here we go. Myspace (founded in August of 2003) was probably the first social media site I created a profile on. I've also had or have profiles on Linkedin, Deviant art, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and many others not worth mentioning. Between all of the near daily posting, uploading, commenting, liking and sharing I have spent countless hours on these sites. Now honestly this is probably on the low side but for the sake of easy math let's say I averaged an hour of social media usage per day since August 2003. That's roughly 3,420 hours! That's a lot more artwork that I could have created with those hours! So now the question is; which would've benefited me more? I think it's safe to say at this point that I could have done a lot less social media networking the past ten years and perhaps be more recognized today as an artist simply because there would be more of my artwork out there.

Okay so that settles it! Stop promoting yourself on social media sites! Shut 'em all down! They're useless anyway! Right?? No, no, no, That's not what I'm saying. There's still some benefit to utilizing social media sites. But.... It is always better to simply do the work. Take a look at the profiles of the creatives who have already achieved the recognition that you are striving for. What do you see? 99 times out of 100 you won't see a person who built their career on social media but a person who did the work first. They are successful because of what they do outside of social media. Social media sites are only a tool they use to stay connected with the fans they already have and of course add a few more. With only few exceptions... like Justin Bieber... and we all know how much the world LOVES him... Really though, you will be surprised by how much more you benefit from just doing what you are passionate about than sitting at a computer telling people what you are passionate about. And guess what!.. You'll get even better at it! And that's just one more way to help you gain more recognition. Simply put, the best way to benefit from your talent is to keep doing it! Crazy thought right? But please don't go and put all of your faithful social media profiles to sleep. At the very least, they are still a great way to keep in touch with friends and family who live far away and yes you really should still showcase some of your work on them. There would be no point closing those doors completely. Just don't spend so much time on them. Don't rest your dreams on them. Instead maybe get back in touch with the original social networking site; Real life! Get out there and talk to people. Get to know them. Let them get to know you and who you are! And don't ever, ever forget how important it is to simply...

Do the work!

The Significance of Being

I've been doing a lot of thinking (this is not unusual for me) and I keep encountering this concept of being vs acting. I find that in today's society little acknowledgement is given to the difference in these two concepts. As a matter of fact it seems that more significance is put on the latter. For instance when a parent gives their child a treat it is generally greeted with a warm thank you from the child. But is the child actually thankful? Are they being thankful? Obviously we all want our children to use manners. We spend time coaching and directing them on the appropriate responses to various situations. Then when they showcase their manners without reminder we in turn receive a small affirmation that we are good parents. After all manners are a good thing and we taught them how to use them. But are we teaching them how to BE them? Let's go back to the first question. Is the child actually thankful? Well let's see... One could argue the child is only displaying what they've been taught and have turned into habit. There's no direct evidence that the child is actually thankful. The only thing for sure is that the child is giving the appropriate response to the situation. They are reacting as they feel they are supposed to. They are acting out thankfulness. Now on that same note there is no direct evidence that the child is NOT being thankful. But if the child does not act out their thankfulness then it is assumed that they are not being thankful. The child is then reprimanded. We are all too quick to assume the child is not being because they are not acting. Now there is definitely a connection between the two but in the end they are two different concepts with different significance. But because of the developed awareness we have in regard to acting carrying more weight we ultimately begin to act without taking a minute to consider whether or not we are actually being.

Okay, so I didn't set out to give a lesson in parenting. That was just a simple way to separate the two concepts. So it seems obvious that as people we put a lot of weight on acting things out. As a relatively quiet and reserved individual I tend to spend most of my time observing and then pondering over my observations. I generally find plenty of opportunities to speak my mind but quite often will let these opportunities go by instead taking a moment to listen and consider. This has allowed many people to make assumptions about me based solely off my quiet nature. Perhaps this is what brought this on in the first place. I feel that these assumptions are largely inaccurate, sometimes even completely opposite of what is actually true. And all because I am not acting. Yet I can assure you that I am being. It's just not as easily perceived. So why not just focus on acting? That's what everyone puts emphasis on anyway right? Well... true... and trust me I have considered it. But what are you being when acting like something you aren't? A LIAR! lol Actually there are circumstances where this becomes more acceptable. When I worked as a manager in retail I use to joke with my employees referring to them as the lowest paid actors. This due to the fact that I would often see them toggle back and fourth from acting "in character" around customers and being themselves when that interaction was not taking place. This coming with the territory of having a job where the company would have it's employees appear and behave a certain way. GASP! What? The guy in the shoe department wasn't actually genuinely eager to help me remove my shoe that I felt unnecessary to do myself only to expose a foul smelling gangrenous sore and resist every urge to puke at my feet??  This actually happened and let me tell you that employee deserved an Emmy for his performance. But seriously don't get all offended that people in customer service aren't completely genuine. Just be happy that they are doing their job.

So what's my point in all this? The only thing I've shown so far is that people care more about the way you portray yourself as opposed to who you actually are. This is true but there are definitely rewards that come with being. When you receive a gift or a compliment take a moment to consciously BE thankful. No matter how small the interaction you'll be surprised at how much more enriching the experience is when you make that effort. Now don't forget your manners. It's still important to share your thankfulness with the bestower. Better yet, take random moments throughout the day to focus on being. Be thankful. Be happy. Be positive. Be imaginative. Be whatever you want! Just make sure you take the time to make a conscious effort. Careful not to ACT like you're being something! There is a difference people. And trust me when you are actually being all of your interactions become much more genuine and valuable.

Finally... For all you dreamers out there... BE your dreams. Forget that "fake it till you make it" garbage. BE it till you see it! Don't you dare let someone tell you that you aren't or that you can't. Show them what you are...


BE.