Do Artists Need to Be on Instagram?

I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with Instagram ever since I started posting daily illustrations back in 2015. Instagram held me accountable to my art habit after years of not making anything. For that, I will always be grateful. It was the push I needed during a dark time. Over the years, Instagram has been a source of community for me, and a great place to track my progress as I become a better artist.

These days, my relationship with Instagram is more complicated. I’ve heard a lot of artists feeling the same way. Many of us creatives are on Instagram because we feel like we have to be. To me, that doesn’t seem like a great reason. But how will clients find us without Instagram? How will people see our work? I can think of many ways to be found without Instagram, and I’m sure you can too. Even though we know this deep down, we continue to perpetuate these myths.

The way I’d describe my Instagram activity over the past few years is “sporadic.” I’ll post new prints from my shop once a week max. Every so often, I’ll share a story or video with an inside look at my process. Basically, I post when I feel like posting without any real consistency. When I get really busy, I log out and delete the app. I rarely interact with other people’s content, because I’m too busy making things. I haven’t felt a real connection to Instagram in a while, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.

One thing I’ve realized is that notoriety is not the same as income. Most creatives think more followers equals more money. I’ve spoken to artists with a many more followers than I have, and they’re barely scraping by. Success as an artist is having financial freedom, while doing what you love. I only have 2,000(ish) followers, and I’ve managed to make a good income from my Etsy shop and freelance business. When I do share a new print on Instagram, I rarely see any sales from my posts. Hardly any of my Etsy traffic comes from Instagram. My shop actually actually took off during a time when I was taking a long Instagram break. Followers have nothing to do with great art. You can have amazing work, and just be fighting the algorithm. Or maybe you aren’t connecting with your ideal customer on the app. If this is the case for you too, maybe it’s time to evaluate how you’re spending your time. If you put that energy into something else, you may thrive as an artist.

The second thing I’ve realized is that Instagram can make you feel inadequate if you aren’t as engaged as other people. Am I selfish because I put making my art before commenting on other’s art? I hope not. I feel even more awful for not liking good friend’s posts. I know my true friends wouldn’t want me to sacrifice my art to engage with their content. Making things consistently should be any artist’s number one priority. With Instagram, it feels like you need to be all in to get the most out of it. I hate to say it, but I’m never going to be all in. I think less screen time is great, so I could never spend all day on the app. I’m too busy making art and loving it.

Lastly, I’ve started to view Instagram as “spammy.” Maybe it’s always been that way, but I’m living in a different world. Things have changed a lot over the past few years. Covid has made it impossible to ignore our priorities and not put our actions under a microscope. As much as I try to follow accounts I love, I’m bombarded with ads and people selling products they don’t believe in. As someone who puts my blood, sweat, and tears into my artwork, I have trouble connecting with someone who’s just selling things to make a quick buck. It all feels very materialistic. Buying products I don’t need because influencers tell me to keeps me from having the financial freedom to live out my dreams.

So do you need to be on Instagram to succeed as an artist? No, you absolutely do not. Take a good look at where your income is coming from. All I’m suggesting is that you ask the important questions, and don’t blindly use the app. Are you seeing big results from Instagram? If you are, stick with it. If not, could you be spending your time elsewhere? I know the feeling of sitting on the app, hoping your ship will come in. One day, the right influencer will mention you and you’ll be a star. Well, maybe you’re waiting on the wrong ship. I don’t think we should ever be waiting for success to fall into our laps. Try a bunch of stuff, find something that works, and do more of it. That philosophy has yielded great results for me.

Every once in a while, I get a lovely comment from someone on Instagram who has bought my art and loves it. That makes my day. However, the interesting thing about these messages is that they don’t originate from Instagram. Usually, people buy my art and then follow me - not the other way around. Sometimes an artist says I’ve helped them in some way. Often, that pertains to my blog posts here, or an e-mail I’ve answered from them. This is how I know that Instagram isn’t worth the time investment for me right now.

This week, I decided to take an indefinite hiatus from Instagram. Me and the app are officially taking a break, and I don’t see us getting back together any time soon. While deleting my account all together would feel really good, I’m not making any hasty decisions. I figured it doesn’t hurt to leave it up as a portfolio page. After all, I put hours upon hours into those posts. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks I’ll be back!

So what does my world look like without Instagram? I’m still figuring that out. I’m going to put my efforts into my blog, my shop, my newsletter, interesting projects, and finally getting around to those darn courses I’ve been trying to make. Then, I’m going to assess the results. Is my business doing way better since I’ve gotten off Instagram? Who knows, maybe Youtube and Pinterest are more my scene. We shall see. All I know is that this feels right, based on everything I’ve observed thus far.

So how do you feel about Instagram? I realize that may be a loaded question, so let me know in the comments below.