Keeping up with the Joneses – ruby charm colors
Not the Jonses, really, but social media. How do artists keep up? How does anyone keep up?
Ready for a little ramble? While connecting organically with my audience seemed to work well back in 2018, over the years things have drastically changed. I don’t have a ton of followers compared to others, but I find myself struggling to keep up with what I do have. I continue to resist automating my posts and I prefer NOT to use AI, bots, or “influencers” to connect with my community. It sorta feels gross to me to pretend to connect with people though those types of avenues as opposed to just being me and connecting with you.
Add to that the fact that Instagram and Facebook have changed, too. Gone are the days when I see posts from real people in my personal Facebook feed. I rarely go there anymore. Friends and family have been replaced by ads, sponsored posts, vapid influencers, more ads, and just a lot of junk, honestly. And Instagram got rid of a tool (it was a tab) I used to use frequently to see the most recent posts of people using my #rubycharmcolors hashtag. Now it is difficult to see, like, comment on, and share the fabulous colorings of those who set my lines on fire with their colorful visions. It is discouraging to say the least. I feel like I am operating in a black hole on Instagram. And then, because I have a Ruby Charm Colors Facebook business page, I keep getting sent to the bloated Meta Business Suite page to look at notifications and it is pure hell. I hate it. The only saving grace on FaceBook is my private Ruby Charm Colors group which is, in all honestly, my favorite slice of the social media pie. It is the only thing that keeps me from deleting Facebook altogether.
Throw into this mix a series of unfortunate life events (most notably the death of my son, then a dear friend, then my brother, then another dear friend) that brought my participation on social media (and my desire to create anything new) to a grinding halt for a bit. But here I am making an attempt to get back what I had. I started creating designs again and am working on a few new books … and I am trying to balance the time required for being creative with not only a part time job, but also with the need to connect to my online community. That said, I’d love to know what matters to you. What kinds of content do you like to see on social media and on my blog? I know what matters to me …. what matters to you?
More reviews of art supplies? Tips and tricks? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to start doing some tutorials again, but not until I am in a space where I can work uninterrupted, and with enough room to spread out all my stuff and actually focus. As we speak, I am at a smallish dining room table and it just doesn’t cut it. The lighting is pretty bad (almost too bad to even color) and I don’t have my trusty, comfy, wheeled office chair. It’s packed in my storage unit (along with a few boxes of art supplies and summer clothes) just waiting to be dusted off so I can firmly plant my butt on its ergonomic, leather seat again.
The important thing is that I am continuing to move forward⎯even if it is by small steps in fits and spurts. It feels good to reconnect with my blog and I hope I can keep up the momentum. Bear with me over the bumps and through the weeds, but I suppose ultimately, that’s what makes life interesting. Constantly learning, adapting, creating, motoring through and past the set backs.
Make the best of every day, my friends, and try to stay creative!