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I've been a struggling artist. I've felt that anger at the world for ignoring my hard work and my heart and soul. I've been passive aggressive online, blaming others for my lack of recognition.
You know what that got me? Nothing I'm proud of. https://twitter.com/cosmirenes/status/1288422566021996544
I've been a struggling artist. I've felt that anger at the world for ignoring my hard work and my heart and soul. I've been passive aggressive online, blaming others for my lack of recognition.
You know what that got me? Nothing I'm proud of. https://twitter.com/cosmirenes/status/1288422566021996544
It's a hard pill to swallow, but your followers don't owe you likes and retweets. Nobody deserves success just because they want it bad. Success is a combo of a million different things, including talent and hard work, but also timing, luck, and ability for marketing.
By being passive-aggressive towards your followers, who are the ones seeing your posts, you're alienating the people who already support you and blaming them for things they can barely control. I'd instantly unfollow someone like that, just like others were right to do for me.
At 22 or so, my art was mediocre at best, I wasn't consistent, I wasn't engaging with my audience, I wasn't following trends, half my posts were about how much I hated myself, and I had the audacity to be guilting my followers for not being loved enough online.
And it's really tempting to go there. It's amazing for it to not be your fault, or to have someone tangible to blame for your problems instead of luck or timing. But it's not what you should do, and by "not always asking nice" for attention, you get even less of what you need.
My advice is:
1) be patient. Create for the sake of creation, and until you find what you're good at and what people would want to see. You're young, and just because there's someone that's 14 and has half a million followers somewhere across the world, it doesn't mean they're
1) be patient. Create for the sake of creation, and until you find what you're good at and what people would want to see. You're young, and just because there's someone that's 14 and has half a million followers somewhere across the world, it doesn't mean they're
what you should aim for. THEY got famous for the thing THEY do. Which brings me to
2) YOUR journey is entirely different. Try to limit the (understandable!) negativity or disappointment to private places and not throw it at your audience. People look at art to be happy, not to
2) YOUR journey is entirely different. Try to limit the (understandable!) negativity or disappointment to private places and not throw it at your audience. People look at art to be happy, not to
feel like they're responsible for someone else's issues. Experiment with your style and themes, follow trends and hashtags, do fanart or your OCs or sexy art or furry art or concept art or comics or anything, ANYTHING else you might want, and you'll find your audience.
3) Change platforms. Maybe what works on one doesn't work on another. I barely get notes here but on Instagram my account is much bigger, and I do even better live at conventions, because I just work better in person. The medium plays a huge part in what you do!
4) It's better, both emotionally and financially, to have a small but loyal audience than a huge but pretty indifferent one, so do your niche stuff and there will be some crazy mofos somewhere that will be just as excited to see what you make as you are for making it!
5) Remember that success isn't linear. You do something that gets a million notes and sells 10k copies, and next year you're down and can't create anything. Or you try something for years and it doesn't work, so you decide to switch it for something else. That's not failure. It's
adaptation, and it's human. You're not a machine. Create what you want now and remember that it's okay to create things that don't do as well. You'll do better next time, but only if there is a next time.
6) Honestly, work on yourself. This applies to everyone. When you catch
6) Honestly, work on yourself. This applies to everyone. When you catch
yourself being overly negative or so mad at the world you can't function properly, therapy might actually do wonders for you. It did for me. I'm a better artist now partly because I'm a better person now. Work on your insecurities until they're so tiny they can't truly harm you.
7) Remember that capitalism is lying to you, and you're not ACTUALLY supposed to be rich and famous by your mid-20s. My mother and her bestie found both their true artistic callings in their mid-40s and -50s, and they're doing BEYOND amazing. You have time, and it's your friend.
In conclusion:
Everyone's artistic journey is different, and you can't force your wishes on other people. Be someone who deserves success, and don't let your disappointment let you down! We all have it from time to time, but if you drown in it and give up, you won't be able
Everyone's artistic journey is different, and you can't force your wishes on other people. Be someone who deserves success, and don't let your disappointment let you down! We all have it from time to time, but if you drown in it and give up, you won't be able
to give the world the amazing things you have to offer. Your time will come, and it doesn't have to look the same as anyone else's.
And here ends the letter to my past self and everyone who's struggling with this stuff.
I believe in you.
And here ends the letter to my past self and everyone who's struggling with this stuff.
I believe in you.
