Artists, Social Media, and Validation

Greetings, my little maggots!
Today I wanted to ramble about my experience and opinions on how social media affects artists and demotivates them.
The artwork in this video is a commission for cottan_ball on Instagram! You can find them here: / cottan_ball
ADOPTABLES:
toyhou.se/Rottika/characters/...
You can find my commission terms and contact links in the Carrd below!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♡SOCIALS♡
If you want to support me or see some of my art, you can visit the links below:
rottika.carrd.co/
For business inquiries (or to send fanart):
[e-mail]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♡PROGRAMS♡
To make my art, I use FireAlpaca. To record, I use OBS, and to edit, I use Lightworks Editor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♡FINISHED FEATURED ART PIECE(S)♡
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♡MUSIC♡
• 15 Minute Timer Lofi

[@Beetletheif]

I feel so bad for other young artists, I see people with great art around my age with like 2 likes and I’m like WHAT THE FRICK MAN?!?? LMAO

[@foxdemon0045]

I felt personally attacked by your past online friend gaining more traction faster than you. I had a super similar experience with someone who is known for their oc x canon in my respective fandom and I was friends with them, but they eventually left me and found friends with bigger creators in that fandom space, both gaining followers and friends in the process, leaving me in the dust. That friend even had the luxury of saying "I have so many dms from mutuals, I can't respond!!" which made me envious, but I eventually learned that it was unfair to be envious of them for their success and friendships. I have a much healthier relationship with my artwork now and have been putting more effort into it as of the last few months, especially since I stopped caring so much about numbers. Numbers still hurt, but they don't have a grasp on me as much as when I was younger. Thanks for the advice in the video, it was something I needed to hear today :)

[@dr_sus1122]

The notification of this video saved me from "getting over it" that game sure is hard

[@winrycarver7701]

I feel this. While I did not obsess over other people's metrics, I've always gotten sad about my works not getting as much attention as I had hoped. But, seeing trends in my own views (back in ye olde DeviantArt days) helped me to find a balance in what I liked to draw and what got attention. I still made pieces solely for myself because I thought they were fun, but I'd also try to make things that I liked and would gain me more of a following. Unfortunately, life circumstances outside of my control have struck several times. I've had to stop drawing for a while, and what I can make now is more limited. The gap in my creations has meant that I've probably lost all of my followers for the second time, and I'll have to start over from scratch. While I do want to create, and I see value in, art for my own sake, I also very much want to take on commissions. I likely cannot get a more traditional 'normal' job, and art is the most likely way that I can see financially contributing. It is demoralizing just how difficult it is to start up as a small business, and how easy it is to fall back into utter obscurity. I also very much feel the problem of "I've spent hours on X piece, but this doodle got waaaay more attention". I made some fan art combining Destiny 2 and Hollow Knight, two of my favorite games. I spent hours and hours on it, working on it over multiple weeks, and it got very little attention. I thought it was a cool concept, although a little niche, and it made me very happy to make, but few people saw it in comparison to other works of mine. I am still sad about that.

[@kaileychambers6969]

I've seen a good quote that fits here: Don't compare yourself to others, instead look to the person you were yesterday and see the steps you've taken forward. It's all about personal growth, and you deserve to be happy with yourself.

[@convoy7k]

I love art. Mostly I love making fanart, and learning about art techniques. I know it's a common idea that fanart doesn't "count" as much as original art, but personally fanart is how I started and it's a huge part of my life and art journey. I love that I'm at a point where I don't devalue my art or compare myself to others. I still take inspiration and try to improve, but I do it healthily which is huge for me.

[@rottika]

People that say fanart doesn't count as much as original art are out of their minds! I think fanart and fanfiction are just as valid as any original work (coming from someone who has written over 130 pages of fanfiction in the last few years and draws a lot of fanart, lol)! Thanks for sharing!

[@0xC2]

8:13 "In my head it was like if i couldn't get enough likes / if my follower growth slowed / if i didn't pump out content fast enough, people would forget about me..." This is absolutely real. Terrible thoughtloop to be stuck in and i still experience it every now and again.

[@DineroEater]

While this is really different from your usual videos, like you said, I'm really glad you made it! Most essays I see on this are from people with bad attitudes who don't bother trying to see past their own perspective. It's really refreshing to see one from somebody who acknowledges both the pros and cons of how social media can affect artists and treats it as something multifaceted (or from somebody who actually understands what they're talking about).

[@lalzez]

great video, i can relate so much. comparing yourself to other people is such a huge thing nowadays and it hurts a lot of especially young creators.

[@Weeping_Roses...]

Ngl, This video is very helpful for any artist that is either New or Have been online for a looong while I agree with the fact that, you should create the stuff that you feel like your comfortable with making and not force yourself to make content that panders to a certain thing, Like Fandoms. More or less, If you aren't apart of the fandom, that goes the same with ship's! Believe me, I used to make content that was much more to get views from a fandom but it was never something I wanted to make my whole content, so take it from many that have done this before, that it's better to create something that you'll enjoy, instead of making something that'll make you unhappy or your very uninterested into making that type of stuff everyday

[@ArtisticKaimage]

I’ve been posting on and off my art since 2018 but it’s so hard and you have a rush to do it but then there’s that burnout that happens. And then you have barely enough engagement or not much people seeing the things you love or are proud of and following trends get fun but then hinder you to focus on certain improvement aspects and your portfolio. Which hinder your balance 😭❤️ Which is what I’m trying to work on. The balance, to have fun yet still build my presence.❤

[@0xC2]

Talent and popularity don't always go hand in hand. I feel like the way one markets themselves is a bigger influence on popularity than talent. Using this in a speech context, one might have a lot of amazing things to say but not being good at presenting them reduces the impact.

[@sashamystic5269]

I can relate with this so much, and also thank you so much for talking about this it makes me feel less alone when I know others struggle with this problem!

[@lucii_tan]

Yea, my most liked/seen/clicked artwork is fanart and I do think that sucks. But yea, it happens with the best of us. That won't make me stop drawing my OC's tho.

[@pinkieglitterheart]

hm. yeah not getting seen with my art bothers me. especially if I put effort in the drawing

[@Mothsaam]

I'm gonna admittedly be a little defensive about nsfw art for a sec being a nsfw artist myself: you're right that people shouldn't draw what they're not interested in/comfortable with just because it's popular, but especially nowadays being a nsfw artist is extremely hard because of the state of social media censorship and there being like maybe a few websites that allow you to post nsfw art at all. People sometimes like to attack nsfw artists and tell them they're just doing it for views and it's just another way to devalue artists that work really hard and are already in a vulnerable position. Just a thought.

[@rottika]

Oh! Figure I should clarify here because I agree with you: I'm an NSFW artist myself, and since I've recently left Twitter because it's on fire, I haven't been able to find a good place to post my 18+ stuff, so I get where you're coming from about the lack of websites that exist for posting that stuff and how difficult being a NSFW creator in general can be. Apologies if my wording there was lacking; I don't think NSFW art is bad or anything (quite the opposite, eheh).

[@Mothsaam]

@@rottika oh, whoops. sorry i ended up preaching to the choir! i didn't see your nsfw art, sorry about that. its just been kind of a lot of grief lately, yknow.

[@PupkinPumpkin]

So, my special interest is online popularity. I never struggled with impostor syndrome or from feeling discouraged when my art was not receiving much attention, because to me it was all like a little game, and whenever I wouldn't get enough likes I could pretty quickly ascertain why, and then just make a new account with new branding, repeat, repeat. But what I did struggle with is the constant stream of people saying that wanting popularity made you vain, giving me extremely low self esteem and feeling even more different from others than I already did due to my autism. Lol, my perspective is very different to most people. Although yes, I've had the sad experience of art you poured hours into, I kind of don't take it that personally, since it's all like a fun little game to me, and due to the fact I watch anything and everything I can get my grubby little hands on related to online popularity, I know that I draw it to enjoy it and the fact it's related to my other special interests. Also! I agree that you shouldn't compare yourself to others. Doing that since I was a toddler has given me HORRIBLE mental health issues that I still have not gotten over. I still do it online for research reasons, to learn how different accounts grow and such, but TBH there's a blurry line to cross between that kind of research and that EXTREMELY unhealthy practice.

[@rottika]

I'm really sorry that you felt so bad due to how other people tend to view wanting fame as being vain. I've always thought that the "This person just wants to be popular for attention because they're an egotist" mentality was kinda silly. Pretty sure that everyone who posts online, for one reason or another, wants attention. Whether they want to be a huge influencer or a small creator with a few people out here liking their work, it doesn't really make that person bad for desiring attention or popularity! Regardless, I wish you luck in your artistic and online journeys alike!

[@PupkinPumpkin]

@@rottika I didn't expect you to read my comment, lol! This made my day :>

[@ArtisticKaimage]

Very well said ❤

[@ArtisticKaimage]

I’ve felt the same way for years

[@Alyssa_111]

Awesome video! this was actually helpful for me

[@ninalemonz]

FELT THIS!! This feeling was a lot more stronger when I was younger but I still get it sometimes to this day. I try not to let it bother me so much now and try to ignore it, but as someone who would love to make a living off of their art one day it’s hard! Awesome video! 🫶

[@Weather_44]

I rlly enjoyed the vid! Also I’m so glad u posteddd!!

[@smoojoo]

This is a really good video! I absolutely hate it whenever I post something related with art that I’ve put so much effort into that ends up being seen by no one. Just a question though, what brush did u use for the sketch? Love ur videos!

[@rottika]

Thank you! I used the pencil brush for the red sketch part, and then the pen with a tapered end for the lineart!

[@smoojoo]

@@rottika thank you so much!!

[@zhurricanechan8690]

What is your advice though on artists that want to make a living out of their art? I personally feel like social media growth is important in those cases and i don't know what to do or think about this

[@rottika]

That's kind of a difficult subject because I'm not exactly an expert in that field. My advice for you is to focus on creating good art that you like and maybe looking into some general marketing advice. You're more likely to grow online if you have a large portfolio of quality work, and extra efforts toward marketing your skills can also help as well!

[@mizzzombie]

Amazing video and thank you for making it! I really feel like this video speaks to me, as a super small artist who is still trying to find their way around the art community, I feel like I HAVE to draw NSFW or suggestive things to be seen. Not saying those who make those things are bad at all, it just sucks if its not something you really enjoy. I like drawing suggestive things from time to time, but I really shine with cute fanart. It really makes me question how my art looks. I know deep down I should just do what makes me happy but sometimes my brain is like, 'But if you did this people would see you!'. Art is forever hard lol. Sorry for the mild tangent, but again thank you for the video!

[@HopesLegacy]

I Struggle with putting my artwork out there besides my Amino... I enjoy making art and even have a drawing tablet... But I have a hard time getting myself to put myself out there into the art scene..... As well as on Amino I love every piece of art I make! I hope to soon make my own art channel as I feel ready to make a channel sense I have grown enough that I feel ready to bring my art to more people.

[@redfoxbennaton]

I used to feel intense envy when I was a teenager. It was literally like the only other thing I was good at. And the users of DeviantART always treated me like trash. Nowadays, I don't feel envious like I used to. I was shallow. Nowadays, I'm 28. I only mostly get ENVIOUS of people who are toxic and disgusting. Political opponents, wasted talents, and stuck up rich kids among other degenerates. But hey, that's just me. I'm so glad I've learn so much about myself

[@ImseriousIhaveratsinmyskin]

I relate but I don't feel like explaining why, also who's the skrunkly lil fella you were drawing? :D

[@belinalps]

In the very beginning, there's text that states that it's a commission

[@ImseriousIhaveratsinmyskin]

@@belinalps cool, thanks

[@Allosaurus1456]

I'm going through the same thing with my youtube channel.

[@yummiesgummiesbear]

Just don't feel bad for not getting fav on deviantart or pressure! Literally that site is popular for fetish content not all but mostly it is. And also takes alot of breaks! :) 👍

[@sezi9plays]

I certainly got trapped with the obsessing over numbers thing on Instagram. I am so much happier with my art now that I make it for my job and any other art I make for myself rather than relying on validation from strangers on the internet to determine whether an artpiece was good or not. I would definitely not recommend posting art on TikTok because it is so toxic on there.

[@galigaligali123]

On TikTok where I post my art I look at other small artists view to like rasheo to like check if ppl liked my art more and stuff like that 😭💀