Hey guys! Hope this week is going well!

This week I wanted to talk about the importance of an Instagram account (or any social media to be honest). With the invention of the internet, artists have a lot of realization that they aren’t the only ones in their area who create. Jobs are a little more difficult to get because so many people can be competing for the same job. On the bright side, you don’t have to move away from your family in order to get a nice job in illustration or the arts in general. Gone are the days of losing to someone who lives in New York City, and here are the days of creating your own content, and actually having people from all around see your work!

Instagram is an especially great place for artists to share their work, as they have a very large gathering of artists there, and they make it super easy to tag and to post pics and progress videos. In general, an Instagram is basically a must have for any artist who wants to take their business to the next level!

There are a few tips I’d suggest, however, for both the new and the experienced Instagram user!

1. Switch to a business art account! There’s no need to be scared, just do it! Why, you may ask? Well, firstly there are a bunch of perks to it. You can to see what type of followers you have, so you can cater to them specifically. Secondly, you can see when they are most active, allowing you to post on times or days you know they will be there! Don’t be worried about the Facebook account that Instagram makes you sign up for; you don’t have to claim it at all if you don’t want to! You also get the added bonus of having “artist” on your profile, instantly making it a lot more professional!
2. Post short but relevant tags! On Instagram, tags are what get your work seen! It’s important to understand though that too many tags get the algorithms to think you’re a spam bot, too little, and it may not get eyed by the people you want to see the work! The suggested number of tags is usually 5, and those are usually the most relevant. Tagging things under “fun” or “instagood” might get some light, but are overflooded with irrelevant things as well. Instead post  “sketchbook” or “Sketches” or if it’s a challenge like “mermay” Stick to that. I also have a tag specific to just my original characters, so if I or someone else draws them, they could all be neatly organized under that umbrella.
3. Post frequently, but don’t spam! Just like on YouTube, a frequent poster, with a regular schedule, gets a lot of attention simply because people know what to expect! A simple post once a day is a great way to keep your followers interested, no need to go crazy! If you want to post that more, then awesome! But for those who can barely manage a post every day, try making some things ahead of time, sketches or warm ups all done on Sunday, for example. Then you can have pictures to regularly post without the worry of having to take time from an all ready too busy schedule! While on that, don’t forget to respond to your followers if they leave a comment!
4. Keep an art account, as just that! Too often I’ve seen people post private pictures on an account I thought was just art. I have an account that ONLY follows art accounts, and I have a private account. Many other artists are much the same, and like to follow other art accounts for inspiration, and to see what’s going on with the artist community online. They definitely don’t want to see 14 selfies of the artist, or what they ate for dinner. While social media is meant to be fun, if you want to be taken seriously, make sure you separate fun from your art. If you want to give some of your followers a slice of your life, or if they’re curious about your private life, instead post that stuff on a separate Instagram that your followers can go to, or even better, use stories! They’re there for a reason, they’re interactive, and you can save or delete them on your profile page if you like. But it still keeps your art separate!

That’s all I got for this week, but take a look at my own Instagram or message me on there if anyone has any questions! Until next week, keep on being creative!