Do I need an Instagram?

So, some VERY interesting stuff has happened over the last 24 hours. Mostly, swmbo got a wildly unexpected raise.....to the tune of 28%. Like nearly a third of her current salary, added to the top. It's...kind of a lot. This changes my rules. Her and I have long agreed I don't fit in a job-job situation. I'm way too much of a troublemaker, and I have a real bad habit of doing things that get me in trouble in the name of (perceived) justice. Doesn't usually work in my favor, but I've long held the belief that if I won't fight my own battle first, I can't well expect anyone to fight with me. So- I need to figure out how to get money from the internet. 

This leads me to several questionable ideas. I've sold my art on several occasions, accidentally. (Dusterbd13 had a helmet that has my trash all over it, stickers have gone places...even to Belgium that one time. ) I've also started setting up to be able to do a short YouTube series on the upcoming Lego batmobile build, that I decided to document after I realized I had like half a dozen spare cell phones laying around I could use as cameras. 

This begs the (unfortunate) question. Can I make any of this viable without an insta? I've long railed against having one because of the constant "follow me on Instagram" culture that is so prevalent these days. Problem is, I think I need it. Instagram seems to be the going way to get exposure and point people towards ways to give me their money, be it shirts, stickers, selling designs outright, or even documenting things like said Lego build. I know we have a few YouTubers out there, a few writers, etc- any of you have any success WITHOUT insta? Or am I gonna have to sell my soul for precious freedom dollars? 

I think you'll need some social media presence if you're going to make a go of it. TikTak or Insta or Pinterest. Insta is probably the top for art stuff.

You need a marketing platform to raise visibility in the markets you want attention. Nowadays online, that's going to be social media.

Fortunately, TikTok, Insta, and Pinterest appear to be merely vapid, not toxic like FB or Twitter.

My daughter has her art stuff there and people see and comment all the time.  It's not for money just general putting it out there.  
 

Do it.

Aside from here, the only social media I use is insta. Also, I gotta say that the GRM page posts some pretty dank memes on the reg. It's worth checking out. 

Beer Baron said:

Fortunately, TikTok, Insta, and Pinterest appear to be merely vapid, not toxic like FB or Twitter.

TikTok at least has a bunch of toxic stuff, but their algorithm works such that if you don't interact with it, you won't see it. So don't like/follow/comment on stuff you disagree with and you won't be bothered by it. That does create an echo chamber for you, but I go on TikTok to laugh at dogs and babies and for music and get my politics from NPR and CSM, so I rarely get any politicky stuff. 

Dusterbd13 STILL HAS the helmet.

And ill be shipping you my new one when i get it....

I almost exclusively purchase art from IG. I follow as many art pages as I do automotive pages, maybe more.

I think IG is the best place to market and show your work in any field. 

Plus, IG in general is pretty awesome. The issues are the users and lack of self control and/or respect. 

People beat off. Figure out how to make them pay you to beat off. 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

I have way more markers this time. 

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

That's an only fans thing, I think. And I would say no one wants to see that, but there's a market for literally anything. 

Do it.

I can't see a reason not to show your art to the world in as many ways as possible.

We need more art.

Don't neglect etsy either. It helps to have a following first, but much like Pinterest, people will find you if they like what you're offering.

The problem you'll run into is that managing your socials becomes a full time gig. Luckily, there are a lot of automation programs out there than can turn a week of E36 M3 into a day of scheduling posts and follow ups.

Cross link everything. YouTube, patreon, insta, etc. I like link tree for that. 

Don't forget Discord!

There are discords specific for artists (mostly critiquing / idea sharing) but sometimes people will be looking for certain style of artwork and willing to pay that will be popped up in discords for other artists if the artist originally contacted is unable to fulfill the ask. You may be able to find discords to join from artist pages on Insta or TikTok or even on Twitch. 

In reply to DjGreggieP :

I find discord to be a hateful thing. I just cannot parse it, and I'm not even that dumb. I've tried. Lord have I tried. 

Mndsm said:

In reply to DjGreggieP :

I find discord to be a hateful thing. I just cannot parse it, and I'm not even that dumb. I've tried. Lord have I tried. 

I haven't tried that hard, but have tried 3-4 different times and given up. 

Discord hurts my head. My kids are all over it so it must be generational. Insta seems to be the best stepping stone.

Is your art more custom as needed or do you produce stuff?  Etsy might be a good avenue, too.

I think to get your name out there, you'll have to use all the social media platforms.  Luckily, they're pretty much all free.  I'd say start with every platform you can and just pare it down to whichever one you get the most hits from.

Also, I bet there's a site or app out there that will post to multiple sites with one click as opposed to posting everywhere.

-Rob

This thread is worthless without pictures (because your work is REALLY good!!)

I remember watching you do Duster's helmet. It was awesome!

In reply to chandler :

Discord is a lot like this forum, just live.

I'm very far from an expert but as a fellow fella that also is not great at the job-job thing I've gone down some rabbit holes on what it would take to do my own thing. What you want from TikkityTok and Instagram is the algorithm. You curate your best content, keeping in mind relevant trends like pictures v reels, voice over v appropriate music, etc... Then the algorithm gets you exposure (without a night in lockup). YT also has shorts, and I guess some people click them sometimes, but really it's there for longer format stuff when appropes. Discord is, in short, a powerful community tool that fits in well for interaction with a passionate fanbase (see forum comparison from above). Discord supports mods, push notifications, posting rules, pictures, gifs, embedded video, pinned comments, and it's all server side so it's scrollable and searchable. Etsy is great for that feeling of legitimacy and ease of purchase on the client side. Like RevRico said, crosslink all your platforms.

These platforms do other things, of course, but this is typically how I see them shoehorned into roles. YMMV, choose the tools that are appropriate for you. Or ask your business advisor if a social media manager is right for you.

Do you NEED Instagram?  No.  Will it expand your reach?  Tremendously.