A Reflection

“Social media is not a media. The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.” — David Alston, author

When I started this class, I had to admit I had no intention of really applying anything to my day-to-day life. This class was just another requirement. Another stepping stone on the journey to get my degree. But slowly, as the weeks passed, I realized that there were things that I had learned that could help me reassess how I approach my presence on social media. As I have said in earlier posts, I am, above all, an artist; I work with different media to create something beautiful or thought-provoking ( at least I hope so). And I share my work on various social media platforms with marginal success. By taking this course, I have started to apply different tactics to target the audience I want to attract to my posts. I also learned how to assess the creators around me and understand what they are doing to grow their platforms.

I watched these creators with a new eye. I looked at what they posted, what they used to draw their audience. I looked at the tactics they use to get the likes and the shares, including giveaways and surveys. I learned how to audit my pages and see where I could make improvements. These are things that eight weeks ago I would have never thought to do. Usually, I would post when I had finished a new project and only then. And sometimes that was more infrequent than I would like. I focused more on being excited about my latest creation than whether it was being seen. I would drop a pic on Facebook with a simple comment about what I used and what I named the piece. I would post a video on Tictok of a speed art with music I chose because I liked it without thinking about whether the sound was on-trend.

@shondarobb

Rain#procreate #artist

♬ In The End – Mellen Gi Remix – Tommee Profitt

But looking at it now, I would have kept doing what I always did and not understood why I was not getting the likes and the views. I would have kept posting the way I always have and never thought that it was the reason I wasn’t getting the attention, that it had nothing to do with my talent but more to do with how I was presenting myself online. Do I think that applying these tactics will lead to an explosion in my popularity? No, But I believe it will give me a chance to show myself as a professional artist and someone to pay attention to in the future.

@shondarobb

some of the journals and sketchbooks I designed on Amazon through Kindle direct publishing #book #journal

♬ Welcome to Wonderland (Live from Henson Studios) – Anson Seabra

These tactics and tools give me hope and a renewed vigor on how to manage my platforms online. Since I have taken this class, I have started restructuring how I post; I have been working on a schedule and trying to post at least once a week. I have also worked on promoting myself instead of just showing off my fun new thing. I have wanted to make sure that my posts are directed at the audience I want to attract. I know it will take time to see a difference in my audience, and I am not expecting a massive change overnight. I am just excited to see if there is an improvement and what I can work on in the future.

In Conclusion

As I look back, I will admit that I got more out of this class than I ever expected. I learned to look at social media through a different lens and understand that there is more of a method to posting besides what you had for breakfast. It gave me a chance to reflect on myself and how I have presented myself online and how the choices I make can impact how I will be viewed as an artist. It also made me consider myself a presence online and a brand that I can build to help me be the best version of myself online.  I have learned tools and tactics that I will now consider any time I post and know how to pay attention to the creators around me. I currently am aware of what tools they use and How I can take advantage of them myself. I also know the types of posts to avoid and how to interact with my audience in a positive way. I have learned about customer service and how it is not only for big business, and having a good relationship with your audience can only help me in the future. I will have to admit I am appreciative of the things I have learned in this class and will not regret what I have been taught.