You don't need THIS to make money as an artist

[@_Azula]

I've noticed this a while ago and no one seemed to talk about it. The artist I looked up to as a teenager, who looked through my sketchbook and whose Artbook I have bought at conventions - they have 500 followers on youtube and not many more on instagram. Mind you that they're doing it fulltime too

[@niicespiice]

whoa

[@SirIzak79]

who

[@_Azula]

@@SirIzak79 Steampunkwitch Kalidra, or Inga Semisow as she is actually called :)

[@_Azula]

like I said the socials don't really do much for her but google will show you her books and other stuff she has made money with

[@Szczurzyslawa]

Well yeah, if they go to cons it's true. If you're not able to go (you need a lot of money to invest to be able to go), idk how to deal with dead SM if you're not working in the industry/for companies.

[@bvghosts]

I deleted social media and immediately got better at art 10/10 would recommend

[@pestiforousalt]

Same. I hated posting art and hating my work after posting. I actually got better once I stopped caring.

[@salsabillahputri5858]

Best decision honestly. We're too used to get exposed with ridiculuos standard of "great art" and made a huge expectation on ourselves, not even being forgiving at our own level. Quitting social media helps us realized that our slow and small precious moment when focus on drawing is exacly the progress that we actually need to get better at drawing.

[@bvghosts]

@@salsabillahputri5858 its true. Every time i made art i wanted to make sure it was good for social media which held be back so much and i would always compare myself to people with more followers and such. Also i could never stay with a consistent style because i just wanted to be anyone else but myself. Now, i have my own style that i love drawing with and im impressing my teachers, getting praise from people irl which is so much more valuable than someone pressing like on your post.

[@raviolialamode]

Saaame. I never realized how much I was stagnating because I felt like I constantly needed to chase art trends rather than enjoying the craft and making what I wanted to.

[@SHADZA4321]

Welcome brother

[@alejandropupo]

Don't even have 5k followers on Twitter but still get consistent work because being professional and providing a quality product is the thing that always matters the most. Make good art, have clear and timely communication with your clients, and finish your work on time. I don't even consider myself that good especially compared to my peers, but at the end of the day, you need to work hard, and thats all that matters

[@TheMetalValkyrie]

What do you think gets you consistent work is it commissions?

[@AlfredEiji]

Communication skills and professional conduct is highly underrated and not discussed enough.

[@TheSenMaky]

"You can't eat followers" I WAS PLANNING ON DOING THAT 😭

[@leezard7696]

I mean you CAN but it's a lot of work and also illegal, so take that as you will

[@2Btoobee]

lol

[@randomcitizen0]

hold up! wait the minute!

[@leetri]

@@leezard7696 Actually, cannibalism itself is legal in many places like for instance the US. There's just a bunch of other laws that make it exceptionally difficult to actually engage in it legally, like it being illegal to desecrate corpses or to mutilate a human even if they consent.

[@fxlmine]

@@leetri reminds me of the guy who ate a taco of his own foot together with some friends. the foot had to be amputated and he somehow?? for reasons i don't know?? got to keep the meat of it. apparently it was a thing he and his friends had talked about before in a "if you could, would you ever do it" sense. this whole thing is somewhere on wikipedia's "list of known cannibalism incidents" page

[@Zantetsudex]

I'll be that person, but whenever I hear the mantra that a sizeable presence doesn't really matter it's always coming from people who have a sizeable presence. Though I agree in that the average person will always be buried in social media unless, like with any other job or career, you have connections and can easily network with your peers. Building bridges with other artists and creators can give you a significant bump in your career, as while tens of thousands of followers is nice and all what ultimately matters is having the clients that will feed you.

[@vickypedia1308]

Ironically, the reason why you never hear people without a sizeable presence say this is simply because they don't have the reach. So, for all you know they could be saying this, you just don't hear it because the algorithms don't push them.

[@salvadorsanchez5057]

if you dont mind me telling you this, ive NEVER had a big following, i have like 200 followers on my art account, and yet ive still been able to get jobs as an animator on several studios, some in really nice productions. while yes, followers and connections do help, if you have a good enough portfolio studios will pay attention to you even if you dont have them.

[@bagelisdead]

true, but if you ever try to find the social media accounts of professionals in the industry, they rarely have many followers. the people i stumble upon rarely post because they're too busy working an actual art job to post consistently.

[@ShoulderMonster]

I think it's a matter of, having crossed that bridge, gaining an understanding that there's other paths around. For example, I have 4 associates from 5 years total college, but will be the first to tell you college is overrated and, for the field I'm in now, useless. Well, my time in college wasn't useless, but the pathway I ended up finding (medical coding) could've been crossed with just 1 year's worth of self-study.

[@Ninetailsmaster16]

@@salvadorsanchez5057 key word being 'studios". people with this mindset often breeze past the part of social media that doesn't directly apply to them. You find success because you are someone going out and applying to INDUSTRY work. people who want to do artistic work but aren't interested in being tied up and led around by the industry studios DO need more eyes on their work. For you, nothing would happen if you just stopped posting art online and never did again from the sound of it. but for others who live off of their patreon supporters, commissions from twitter/other socmed followers, they'd lose everything if they just suddenly weren't a presence online anymore.

[@jamesheedrpg_god-boss3676]

i think people confuse artist and professional artist. and artist is someone how makes art, whilst a professional artist is someone who works 9-17 5 days a week. a professional artist is a regular job, sure there is art in it but its a regular job you have deadlines expectations etc. you arent hired because of your following on social media your hired based on education, portfolio and personality. also there is something about separating work life and life in general, i bet that a lot of professional artist are passionate about art but only do it in their working hours and maybe some small personal projects that dont take up time. there is nothing worse than working 8 hours only to get home and work more on the same thing, youl get burnt out, its why there is a saying about keeping your hobby a hobby and not your job.

[@Ninetailsmaster16]

This applies to people actually interested in working in the "industry" but for everyone else who's a freelancer who literally would not be able to get work as an artist if NOT for social media, yeh no it's very much necessary. a following number doesn't directly equate to better income but more eyes on your work means more POTENTIAL interest in wanting to support you as an artist so that you can continue to make things they enjoy seeing.

[@PocketBroccoli]

You can also advertise yourself in your area if that is available to you. Like hanging up stuff or asking if anyone, friends, family, or anyone who passes on your offer need any of your services. There's lots of ways to advertise yourself outside of social media as well! Having both social media and in person advertising can work well together :)

[@Evan_Manoso]

I’ve been attempting to do this, posting alot on my social media accounts recently and am barely actually trying to refine my skills via studying up on anatomy and other resources. This was really helpful to see and made me think, thanks! ❤

[@cryingwatercolours]

my social media is like an anchor. i used to have a bigger account but restarted when most artists began struggling with being shadowbanned. now it’s my personal portfolio, a place for me to share my art and it’s just there. it’s my mark. it’s somewhere to direct people if they wanna see my art and the artists i follow, on my stories. my posts get like 8 likes and it gets to me a bit but at the end of the day, some people see my art, and i have a place for all my thoughts and feelings

[@artbwoydarien3040]

Y'know, for a moment there I actually thought I was the one who wrote your comment. LoL! What you're saying is quite literally my experience with social media.

[@cryingwatercolours]

@@artbwoydarien3040 i love when that happens :) hello fellow artist

[@Dakham_]

@@artbwoydarien3040ha, tripllets.

[@raviolialamode]

Honestly, I think people are underestimating their local art markets in favor of seeking an audience on the internet. I went to a local art market and was impressed by the range of works being sold! Hell, there was a person selling genshin fanart next to an old man who was selling his oil paintings and they were both getting lots of attention from the crowd.

[@Szczurzyslawa]

Well, cool if you have something like that near you, but it's not the case for most people.

[@bagelisdead]

​@@SzczurzyslawaOP never said that everyone should try local art markets regardless of whether or not it's an available option, they just said it was underestimated, and i agree. my friend invited me to go to a local art market, and he showed me a lot of cool things he got (mostly jewelry and other trinkets), but there's a huge variety of arts and crafts being sold in art markets, so if you're interested in selling physical products (digital art can be sold as physical prints too) it's definitely worth checking out!

[@kittysatanicbelyah]

Such markets doesn't even exist where I live lmao

[@raviolialamode]

​@@Szczurzyslawa it's not like these things happen on their own. Artists reach out to each other and make it happen. Been to art markets in big cities that span entire convention halls and been to ones in small towns that were just a 10 people in a gazebo at a park. If you want to make something happen you can with a bit of effort.

[@Szczurzyslawa]

@@raviolialamode You need money and free time for that, which is not the things you have if you want to start making said money.

[@Maryna_MV]

I worked in the game industry as a 2D Artist for a couple of years. It was not a great experience 🤕 Now I'm learning children's book illustration and already feeling 100% better. Games and movies are definitely not the only way for us to earn a living.

[@Szczurzyslawa]

Yeah gamedev is brutal, I was 2D character animator 😨

[@Maryna_MV]

@@Szczurzyslawa And now the whole industry is going crazy 😵‍💫

[@Szczurzyslawa]

@@Maryna_MV yeah 😩 that's why I think this video is missing the point, I think people want to build audience to monetize their social media, not to find industry jobs because who would like to work in the current state of art jobs (gamedev, animation, voice acting and ai danger for illustraions or even mockups)

[@StrayBardArt-offical]

That's awesome! Just wondering how does one exactly become a children book illustrator? And how long does it take?

[@Szczurzyslawa]

@StrayBardArt-offical In my experience it's rare to be employed by any one publisher, you just go freelance and hope for the best lol 😭 look for open illustration job postings, facebook groups, getting reccommended by others, connections, having your portfolio found out by chance; like in any other freelance art gig (I made covers for few books, not kids tho). Waiting for OP's story /reply though 😌

[@ohdawns7735]

i mean i live off of private commissions so... i need that exposure but one day ONE DAY i can finally not have a large queue of work and work on my portfolio instead. im so ready to focus on that instead just have to wait till i earn enough to make working on personal projects viable

[@stevesketches]

@ToTheStars98 Don't do it, it's a trap. Make an indie IP or get a job instead. Once you get on the commission treadmill you can't get off.

[@meanncat3050]

@@stevesketches Get a job and work on indie project part time...having an indie project takes SO LONG to get off the ground unless you have an actual ad budget or large following.

[@stevesketches]

@@meanncat3050 And that's why the commission trap exists. I've been doing commissions for a decade and want nothing more than to stop and work on my own stuff, but since I have to spend my time doing comms to make ends meet, I can't work on my IPs. Think twice before hopping on the treadmill is all I'm saying.

[@junkospace7573]

Wait, you guys are getting commissions ?

[@Poennator-qq1tk]

​@@stevesketchesmaking an indie project and getting it noticed with 0 audience and especially without the cash so you can focus on making it while not worrying about bills isn't as easy as "do an indie project" You should not be telling people not to do commissions just because it didn't work for you because it might be a perfect fit for people who love drawing other's characters or it's just a good fit in general It depends artist to artist..be careful about this kind of advice you're giving out please

[@Hello-hello-hello456]

This works only if you're in a country with a sizeable industry for animation, video games, etc. Anywhere else, you're totally dependent on social media.

[@Spika94]

Well, there are a lot of reasons. For some, social media, commissions and patreon might be their only options. Disability, mental disorders, social anxiety, and whatever else there is, might be getting in the way of getting jobs. Maybe you're just not even good enough for an art job yet, and can't find anything else to work as because there are no available jobs, or no one are interested in you, but you need the money now. I feel that things like this can be a big cause for why some people are desperate for a social media following. And Sometimes people with low self-confidence just needs a little validation to keep going, and I don't think that's bad. Giving them a little push and telling them they are doing a good job can go such a long way.

[@aeoligarlic4024]

Man i just MISS the days where social medias weren't steaming pile of garbages full of ads, scammers, and AI like we have now.. I miss how it was filled with genuine human interactions and not spam bots

[@jasonalcatraz5817]

This one. This one right here. They get it.

[@hikarishini]

I feel like social media should be the last option for artists with mental disorders and social anxiety. It's more chaotic than a normal job. There's no safety on social media. With the state of social media today where artists are harassed for picking the wrong skin color, it's not safe for vulnerable people to be there.

[@Poennator-qq1tk]

​​@@hikarishini also why'd you randomly bring up whitewashing ?? That's a legit criticism/discussion in the art community and not just some random social media issue...? If you know how to go about on social media and curate your own space it isn't a nightmare

[@Scarshadow666]

Very true! I wouldn't be surprised if it's such a common career path that most people gravitate towards because (whether it's working for art industries or not) a lot of job fields either suck and/or even the crappy jobs aren't hiring people/there's high probability of being laid-off (and sadly, this is even more true for people with disabilities, mental health struggles/issues, and neurodivergency). This also sucks for those of us that are trying to not work in online spaces, for the sake of mental health and general well-being, only for a lot of buisnesses to move online anyway... 0_0

[@Syiepherze]

This came at a really good time for me lol. One of my pieces blew up on twitter and it outperformed anything I've drawn by thousands of engagements and likes, and it was extremely exhilarating to wake up to. While I'm glad that many people liked and shared the work, there were a lot of factors at play here but i think it mainly comes down to two: - I was jumping on a trending subject - I was more involved with the process this time, brushing up and experimenting with my "style" to create something which felt unique and appealing In the long term, I think the latter is more important to your success. Getting noticed on social media is just like fishing. Maybe you're deliberately going to popular fishing spots, maybe you've been honing special fishing tricks.. but at the end of the day what matters is not how many fish you catch, it's how much sustenance they can provide. Go find the big fish, don't expect them to come to you (Idk if I worded this analogy right lol)

[@Eggz69]

0:18 or is it.... *vsauce ost*

[@omekapo]

such a good moment

[@cervineblue3767]

It made my nostalgic brain incredibly happy XD

[@NoHandle1739]

Hey Vsauce. Michael Here

[@Izo_Risu]

Hey Vsauce, pikat here

[@thgritic102]

I'm more on the traditional side of art (mixed media artist), but what I've learned is building an email list, applying for press pitches, just attending LOCAL gallery & art networking events, & applying into exhibits both public & digital is helping both trad & digital artists in my area. Some of these artists have small followings on SMs, yet when they are at conventions/shows/galleries, they have so many people showing up, buying their work, joining their email list, etc that puts bread on their table. It's why im slowly moving away from social media & putting attention back on my art & marketing outside of it.

[@zevbites]

I think there are still some good niches you can carve out to make money on social media (even if some people might make fun of it, furries are some of the best and nicest clients on the illustration market), though I feel like the current most successful art medium to make money with on social media is "physical art" (figurines, sculptures, selfmade clothes etc), possibly because the illustration field is so over-saturated by competition and AI slop. The most financial success I've had in the creative field, aside from furry commissions, were definitely working with smaller companies in the educational field that need accurate illustrations and/or animations. Also from tutoring at art schools.

[@Metal-Spark]

You're absolutely right but I do think it's worth mentioning that it depends on what kind of path you want to take. You don't need a social media following to submit your portfolio to a studio and get hired. However, if you want to be an independent artist and survive by selling your work directly to individuals then a large social media following absolutely helps. Not to mention social media like twitch and youtube where you get things like donations and ad revenue, an artist with 100s of thousands of followers will naturally do better on those platforms than one with 1-5k.

[@literallywhons4s]

i hate social media rahhh

[@TheSutanian]

Then leave

[@Yggdrasilincarnate]

As someone who can’t stand keeping up a social media account, this is very reassuring to hear!

[@jmepaintesque]

You reminding people of genuine communication and effort reminds me of the connections I’ve made thanks to kind people in my life. Being the one in my family who often carried a sketchbook openly, my parents often told me of their colleagues taking interest in my future. At first, I was skeptical, but looking back? It was because of those connections I was even able to achieve new levels to my own art journey, and even choosing my career while being recommended some of the funniest jobs I’ve yet to hear on a message board! A fun job I was recommended by a kind elder was a courtroom sketch artist. He even joked, “At least if you’re in there, it’ll look a little better” and I couldn’t help but laugh at that sass. He not only believed I could do something so significant, but he taught me something I never even imagined I could try! Be it for a book, or the buildings filled with art lining the walls! You’d be surprised to see your work out in the field, just like you. Thanks for the revelation of advice, yet again Pikat! 🙏🏽💟

[@ufoesferico1050]

This video came from heaven at just the right moment. I was thinking this and I thought I was doing it as a coping mechanism for the fact that i feel like everything I do is wrong and I don’t post enough on social media, but apparently is true! I think this validates me since I’m mostly focusing on improving my skills now, which mean I can still pursue a career in art, while I still manage to make a good portfolio and not necessarily get clout. Thanks for making this video ❤

[@Kiwikairii]

your illustrations are getting SO much cooler omg

[@pabgerdie]

I was told recently to focus more on social media presence in order to get commissions and promote the manga I'm working on. Well, my art has never been especially noticeable overall on Twitter since I especialize in a niche that is not really appreciated overall and I want to expand, and yet I'm trying all I can to get more presence, comment on professional animators works (because I want to make animated stinger transitions for commissions) and all I get it's an unnecessary frustration, because neither I feel like I'm making progress on expanding my community, nor being acknoledged by these animators. Thanks to your video I've realised I was indeed getting carried away by the idea of growing up in social media instead of keep honing my own artwork, so I'll try to limit myself just posting once everyday for whatever I have to say and then keep practising animation, drawing and overall keep investing on honing my art skills as I used to instead of tryharding social media.

[@stonewick0073]

Nice advice. Not to be completely dependent on it but it is a tool and if you know how to use it, you'll learn to use it for your advantage. It gives exposure to your work, sell your art merch and helps you find clients. This is not 1900s, if you wanna stay ahead i think it's one of the important thing for an artist. I'm still trying to figure out the social media thing.

[@reishou19]

This does feel like a good wake-up call for me. Im too worried about getting a social media presence. I should focus more on improving my skill.

[@cornflakes6605]

Peak-at dun droppped another banger

[@infamous635]

Pikat's videos are so dense with information that 8 minutes felt like 20, now that's value!

[@justsomeguy2886]

I like that you tackled the nuance of the subject directly but I would say on your point of word of mouth that social media is word of mouth nowadays, and a lot of growth on those fronts is unfortunately getting more important by the day, heck I myself was even told in the early 2000's that at the time the best I could realistically hope for to make money in art was to be a colourist as at the time artists were still at the height of being abused on mass and new artists that could support themselves were very few and far between, it wasn't until the massive rise in indie content at the end of the 2000's did it really start to seem more viable, and to flash forward to during and after lock down, ironically popular artist often were the ones able to keep floating after mass layoffs making being a popular artist online some how more reliable than working a "normal" job (at least across Canada and much of the U.S from what I and the artists I know had been experiencing). I do agree it's not a be all end all but if you can keep it from deteriorating your skill growing social media is one of if not the only thing art schools bring up that's actually relevant, at least from my point of view. (0>0)/

[@RodrigoMVarela]

I have the problem that I generally don't finish drawings or things I do. I started posting to give myself an obvious reason to at least make things a little polished and post them. I don't really care about visibility (although if someone wants to commission me, they're always welcome jajaja) But I'm using social media to create things and build a portfolio. Something I couldn't do before because all I had were loose practices.

[@Miyankochan]

This is a very important perspective. I see so many artist live in anxiety about likes, numbers, followers, the mighty algorithm and AI. Their lives revolve around fear when they could just focus on their carreer, improve and earn a living if they looked elsewhere. But first, they need to change their mindset. Which this video could be a puzzle piece for.

[@Mokkegeko]

As an artist that still posts but not care about followers or likes (hiding them if possible) and posting when I want, Its been a great stress reliever because I used to draw endless fandom work and now I'm already on my way to make my own book! So please everyone, improve OFF social media! It's the best choice you'll make.

[@IAmSchwi]

THANK YOU 😭 I was so worried because I deleted Instagram cause I didn't like it anymore, but it's great to here it's not everything I need

[@RealBIack]

just gonna like and go back to homework

[@nirn_]

No you're not :D

[@Poennator-qq1tk]

Probably better to just document your art journey if you're looking for an audience on the side casually on a platform that works for you whilst applying for jobs I actually started growing more online as an artist when I i stopped solely focusing on building a following and just posting whenever I want to on tumblr and post whenever I draw and it also feels better in general 🙏🏼 but im definitely slowly fighting my way out of that mentality twitter makes you feel whenever you get 0 interactions on your work and you feel awful 🙏🏼 the validation mindset you spoke of is definitely something I gotta vent about more and get my mindset out of This video gave me so much inspiration and ideas on how to search for art jobs. Thank you!

[@thgritic102]

This is me but w/ Cara. Just casually posting on there, & i get some people who will randomly like & follow me. It's like the moment they do that, more people randomly liking my older stuff then travel to my new art. It's pretty pleasant, & im trying to see if I'll be able to get them into my email list one day. No rush from them nor the app. It's mainly my BTS portfolio.

[@Poennator-qq1tk]

@@thgritic102 i do that w bluesky+tumblr, since the algorithm is both better there and just generally more art friendly, plus I the ui and filtering systems o both websites do me better than on twitter

[@TheDarkZeroGame]

@3:13, the sound in her voice and then me replaying it to actually look at the video to see that laughing picture had me deep belly laughing.

[@nmbus2177]

same I laughed so hard

[@ChowwuArt]

Totaly agree with this...Be better at marketing doesn't mean having art skills to achieve those jobs requirements. Only works when some game studio/company need promotion from your drawings (promotional art)

[@mookmonstrr]

I needed this video. I honestly don't like posting or even being on Instagram or tiktok due to filling like I NEED to have those accounts in order to be noticed....only for the algorithm not to work in my favor. Thank you for this!

[@KiraAsakura14]

As a comment in an online artist tips channel would say "A common mistake artists often make is NOT DRAWING."

[@pureblur1234]

This is overall the gold advice for those who want to start off an art career. My lecturer starting off his director position recently with his children book collection.However, I don’t think it’s not great for someone who wants to learn art. There’s a bit of sugar coat on “off media and grind art” part because I believe not everyone lucky enough to immerse to art, nor they have a chance to get proper art education (me included, yeah). With more people starting to utilize the web, social media helps me explore more talented works, hence I have access to more resources for learning. My art significantly improved after observing and learning from Japanese artists.

[@Gabriel-y2o]

This is perfect advise. Thank you.

[@Zenkyuu8921]

I’m not even an artist, but the video’s just that good it’s applicable in different parts of life. Love it ☺️

[@LatifaPaywand]

Leonardo da Vinci did NOT have a social media account, but is still popular

[@SaHaRaSquad]

He was really digging the fundamentals

[@feliciasbasement]

This video couldn’t have come at a better timing. I stopped using social media for a month and now I am finally starting to notice my art improving bit by bit by working on my own webtoon!

[@jerryxpgaming4682]

The best artist are the ones that made the cave paintings

[@dundeecake]

my cloud mammoth

[@Rachopin77]

Professional artist here, I mostly do stuff in publishing like books and whatnot. I also do medical illustration. I’ve almost completely stopped engaging with social media professionally and most of my work comes from being referred from repeat or existing clients and word of mouth. For that initial few jobs, getting an agent might help. I have found social media to often be a huge distraction from finding more useful ways to get your work out there.

[@LT-jr3yb]

I really appreciate hearing this Pikat, it came at the right time for me. I love how realistic you are with art and career advice. The biggest thing I needed to hear was the entertainment industry isn’t the only way to have an art career. Honestly everything in this video is a slight wake up call. Thank you!

[@PhthaloGreenskin]

If you wanna make money as an artist, be a tattoo artist because you'll never run out of work and you can't be replaced by AI or machines. I don't think anyone would trust AI to make a permanent mark on their body.

[@BBJ111]

Although, many artists don't trust THEMSELVES to permanently mark on people's bodies either.

[@Syiepherze]

Damn, one of my friends in high school ended up becoming a tattoo artist a year or two after graduation and I'd say he's living his best life. Tons of clients and fun subjects to ink! His social media popped off too as a result but I think that's just a reflection of how good his craft is + the relative novelty of tattoo art online

[@Szczurzyslawa]

Idk here there's way too many tattoo artists, noone can find a job because the market is so oversaturated. I thought about it too but the market is just too brutal

[@FelixTheAnimator]

Are you in a big city?

[@Kouvierl_Elliyse]

​@@Syiepherze that sounds fun seems like i have to consider becoming a tattoo artist 💀since..i want some tattoos as well :PPP

[@yuri-hg5vz]

YOU'RE SO RIGHT 😭🙏🏻

[@thevioletcreator]

Fun side note: love the top and pants you drew for your full length character. Awesome vibe..now I need to buy myself one 😂

[@Val-xx]

Basically u need to actually differentiate and decide what you want your job to be. For some ppl social media IS the job, for others doing art/professional artist is the job. *Social media artist* -Your art is important BUT social media (trend following, content style, etc) is your craft - KZbin, Patreon, merch, commissions, and more, may be your source of income *Professional artist* - Your craft is (usually) solely your art - Networking, portfolio and skill are far more valuable than followers - Your income comes from who ever you’re hired by such as an animation studio or illustration agency

[@DFSDSSDF]

It's very interesting what you point out because I also noticed that many talented people have no presence at all on social media. During my animation studies at the academy, I met teachers and lecturers who were incredibly talented. I was shocked that they aren’t well known outside of the animation industry or even beyond the studios they work for. These are people who have dedicated 100% of their lives and time to becoming masters of their craft. It even depressed me a bit to realize that most of the most talented artists today are probably working behind the scenes.

[@KeenDLC]

I appreciate this video, cause im researching game development in college rn, and after you said you had 10 years in the field as a programmer AND are now this great at drawing art. Makes me want to get started now

[@deathdere]

Thank you for this, it has oddly enough risen a pressure off my shoulders I’ve been feeling for a while when it comes to this topic, definitely needed to hear this.

[@beatrizlioness]

Dude this reduced my anxiety incredibly! As someone who can't find a work, drawing's the only thing that I can do to earn money. Seeing mutuals with thousands of followers always made me nervous. Now I'll work on what's more important - and even more fun - to me.

[@JohnTezlaNFS]

All very good points, there is nothing I can say or add but, more artist must see this

[@YoannDessin]

I 100% agree, I work in animation studios and most people there are super talented and almost no social media. For those kind of jobs, apply to it and be good that’s it.

[@skydreamer3727]

This video is something I definitely needed. With Meta and now X pushing AI I've felt like theres no place to go. But this was actually really reassuring--not that I rely on social media, I rarely keep active, but just hearing from professionals that it's not as important as we make it lifted a bit of weight of my shoulders.

[@tylervincent934]

I really needed this message, thank you!

[@muhammadzulfikarramadhan1652]

Very insightful video, especially for the new artist. In the end, all we need to do is just keep progress and improve.

[@AimiRoseArts]

Omgggg I needed this so much. Thank you thank you thank youuuu

[@user-ly5fe4kt6e]

"Gen-Z discovers applying to jobs" jk, great video!

[@painted_hedgehog]

Finally someone is speaking my language! Thankyou so much for making this video. Its a huge help! 🎨🌟😄

[@knightninja09]

I stopped trying to build my social media accounts because it was just too much work for me sure I wanted to try making money but i said I'll do that later. I'm pretty happy by just sharing my art with my friends I'll try social some years later but fir now I'll just enjoy my art journey. 😁

[@Meganbear501]

Yes, I feel that improving art skill is much more important than chasing following numbers, especially for most of us who can't even make good art yet.

[@nicohastegridy]

i dont know your, but thank you for make this video. In this year i stopped posting my art on social media, idk why, i just randomly stopped doing it, but at the same time it was bc i stopped drawing, which it frustrates me A LOT, cuz drawing is one of my passions ever, but with the months i slowly started drawing again, but this time i was drawing my personal stuff, and not just fanarts, and im happy with that, i feel more better without the pressure in post every week for the algoritm. more advices for get a art job i would add: you can make character design, concept art, for comics/manga, shows, movies, etc etc, an art teacher told me that, so i hope this can also help :)

[@sheepy1900]

To me, social media is more like a place where I store my art and record my progress, and hopefully some people can find and enjoy them as much as I enjoy other artists' works :)

[@YuYunaArt]

Thank you for this video ^-^ adressing this topic the right way is really important imo

[@Morecado]

I tried the social media route, but the algorithm was never kind to me. A few posts/vids popped off, but never enough to make focusing on that stuff full-time worthwhile. I admire artist who do have that endless flow of creative juice to fuel daily posts and whatnot. Regardless of technical skill level, they're all so cool in my eyes.

[@PiligrimmDi]

That was really nice and soothing 😮❤ Thank you for the insights

[@deej8979]

This was actually my realization since a year ago. I've been making art since I was a kid and since the rise of social media I had this goal to build an audience online for people to notice my art and eventual sell stuff. However, when my friend asked me to join an artist alley, my whole perspective changed so much. I saw a new way to share and even make a living out of my art while keeping a stable job. It made me realize that having a large following is one thing, but to have people consistently support your craft is entirely a different at most.

[@n0t5ki113d]

Aw man for a second I thought you were gonna tell me I didn't need to learn how to draw hands. Ah well, backnto the grind

[@bleed8812]

This should have been common sense to me tbh but thank god this video put things into perspective I do comms in small fanfic communities, with how tight knit and loyal those groups are if they got an artist in their midst you bet theyre gonna pay for your art and come back for more Theyre basically friends who just want to support you and while of course this isnt to a big enough scale that i could do it for a living, the sheer power of word of mouth is outstanding Its extremely validating to have loyal supporters even if its a small group of people who will likely never be known to the world Whenever i would try to focus on my social media i would be so caught up in worrying about it that i would actually communicate less with the people who do want my art and keep coming back

[@erickr7156]

i always forget about this and end up incredibly distracted trying to figure out how i should handle my social media presence, it always distracts me from actually creating art. thank you for this video c: it also helped with how you mentioned theres many non-social media ways to make money out there as an artist, my brain is coming up with a lot of new ideas now aasdfghjkl

[@AyuYea]

This has actually been a great help, thank you pikat for enlightening me once more

[@andrewkolimbaris8833]

I really like your videos pikat. Thanks for making them

[@Thesmus]

honestly, seeing how me, an artist, follow many artists in many social media apps, but most of the time, i don't actually do anything else. i will like/fave few ones, then go on with my life. i rarely look up artists constantly to see their feed. unlike in youtube where i always refresh my homepage or look at my notifs for any new stuffs.

[@savageraccoon163]

I just want to say that I had 1k followers at max, and I was able to build a pretty decent PC through commissions, so you can make good money while also being a "nobody"

[@colebatson5032]

Thank you !!!! Great content 👌

[@SpaceOrenji]

3 days ago I was on the brink of quitting art, and thanks to some folks on reddit that gave me the validation I much needed I'm still here, making what I love so much, but yeah don't fall that deep into the rabbit hole of believing that social media validation is your "food" as an artist because you might starve to death as I almost do.

[@SpaceOrenji]

btw I'm not being dramatic, I've been drawing for my whole life and it's been a minute since I started taking it seriously, and these last 4 years or so, were rough since I still live with my dad, in this 3rd world country, and the pressure of the "21 crysis" did me wrong, not making a single dolar out of it lead me to think things on the lines of "there must be something wrong with me" "I should do something else", bc I know I'm good enough like I could be making a living out of this I'm just (not lucky ?), so yeah, and quitting art at 21 having done it all my life was like "partial su1cid3" if that makes sense, that's the way it felt and that's how I've talked about it. Imagine feeling like you're leaving a part so big of you behind that You feel like it's not gonna be "You" anymore... I don't have anxiety (as long as I know), but I felt anxiety for those couple last days before the post on reddit. I just want y'all to know I'm OK now, and if You're going through something similar, TALK ABOUT IT, wether is to your close ones, so some random redditors because you're to scared to tell your parents, to your friends, i don't care, talk about it, even if you don't have anyone, you can talk to me about it, just talk to me on twitter (@elio_in_orange) I'm not very active here on the comments lol. and keep it up.

[@Damian_DH]

Honestly i can relate. Is been a few weeks our team is brainstorming/searching/investigating/making surveys for a game we want to try and so far im not having fun social media stress me a lot. So last call in discord i dropped the bomb listen dudes i just wanna be in my cave producing stuff i dont give a gaddam hud about all of this. So here is the deal ill support you in any game u want to make but u get me out of all these marketing bs making, your brand, representing your values, making Instagram. And they were like deal! yea deal!. Now the only thing i hope is they dont put me to program things because i fking hate it but a deal is a deal so we'll see.

[@Keylessheart]

Thank you for the light. Now I can see my path

[@rae2400]

i love ur mindset

[@grildrago]

Yes, we dont need social media to applying jobs However, if your skill is sucks (which I definitely am half baked at everything) i dont think you can gain any income yet. Idk, it seems like I only reach for those other artists who also need some income like me so they probably don’t wanna hire me either. And endless art grinding is more torturing than grinding for anything in any games.

[@Bubble-Foam]

Right, but if the thing that’s stopping you from applying is a lack of skill, then that should be your first priority. Focusing on social media is just gonna get you stuck in commission hell. At least, that’s a risk you take.

[@grildrago]

@@Bubble-Foam well, I just recently stopped any social media and focusing on boosting my skill. It’s just mental roller coasters and rotting me from inside. Not like I even get any commission in the first place so why bother using it.

[@Li0nMa5K]

Finally! Someone spitting the facts! Art is about art! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! That's it! Footwork is for boxers and not for us!!!!!!!!! 😁😁😁

[@renzoelperipatetico]

I don't even like to draw. I just like your voice and your scripts. You sound pretty eloquent I think I'll be shaping my english to sound more like you

[@yami_tiww6904]

Marketing yourself and building your social media is legit the last class we take in my art school. Because without the first 3 year of crafts, you legit have nothing to back up what you are marketing.

[@ilovecookingmama]

It just depends on what you want do. I mean, if you're doing it for fun, draw whatever you like without pursuing it as your fulltime job, social media is the best option. You can always make it your fulltime job but that would need a lot more grinding and lots and lots of promotion of your art. I do feel like it depends on your mentality too, I mean for me, I'd rather grow my art account than get a job for it because having a fulltime job means you have responsibilities and meet to their conditions, when if you're just doing it as a side hustle like commissions, if you don't want to do a particular commission you can always refuse to it. The main problem with social media is posting consistently. If you don't want your social media account to be completely dead, you have to post almost everyday. I've seen artists with more then 100k followers yet some of their posts barely reach 1k likes. I do feel like giving time to your work rather than social media is probably way better because with trying to post a lot, your bound to make mostly rough sketches without the intention of ever completing them which leaves out room for improvement. But at the same time it depends on how you balance it all out. So in the end both having your work in social media or in a professional space, have their pros and cons, so just pursue what you want.

[@user-pm3wp9hn9q]

Honestly... , I live in a country that all things are deprived, Except for some old arts such as mat or carpet or music or something like that...And so I can't even put my own designs on the screen the way I really like or I really want...I tried a few times...But they told me that it is against the laws even if it is allowed in other countries...i really like digital art...And I really don't care much about social media...but I have confused...and...i don't even know what should I do...If anyone can help me, I would really appreciate it❤

[@ed2fun]

I see the market as 2 spaces with one edge that intersect and overlap with each other, in one side you have the general market and in the other what I call the individual market (I just don't know how to call it), all artists should be interested in both, one is the general market covered by companies and studios, if you get in that market you get paid by a company and have a salary or you are just a free agent (freelancer), the other is where you create a market by yourself with something like Patreon or KZbin, both have pros and cons, but at the end of the day what artists don't realize is very simple: to get money you need a product to sell, you can not eat likes and subs, just sharing your art not necessarily get you where you want, but more importantly what you think you want sometimes is very different to how you imagined, work in a studio is no different to any other job, and could be more stressing than you think, what make us artists is that self satisfaction to create something we like and are proud of, but work for a studio can be mental and emotional draining, but the same applies for an artist that make a living from patreon, then a simple piece of advice, if you don't want to be stress every end of month counting coins to pay your bills, CREATE A PRODUCT, you have an idea, make that idea a story and write it, to write it you can do it yourself, use AI to assist you or simply pay a ghost writer, all depends in your budget, that is your starting point, that written story can become a book, a light novel, an audiobook, a comic, a graphic novel, an animation, a movie and can potentially sell a big amount of derivatives (t-shirts, caps, mugs, stickers, etc you name it) after hard work you finally start seeing the income coming from several streams, even if some of them are small they all together add up, with that stream of income you can now sit and start a new project and you keep doing the process in repeat, after of a couple of years of hard work your economics will stabilize, at that point you will not only feel that self satisfaction but also that calm feeling of freedom and warm calm that help us keep creating, then use social media not to promote yourself but YOUR PRODUCT, just put attention how it works, you don't see companies and studios ads showcasing their artists but their PRODUCTS, like it or not, when money is involved become a business, and money unfortunately is part of our lives, then when you WASTE your time making a fan art, in your mind you are getting attention, but you are not, you are giving free advertisement to that product, people that like that character or product will like your post but they will not engage with you, if you are the kind of artist that have a lot of fan arts in your page, you only can see how people love some characters more than others and keep in mind every single follower you get is because each one of them is waiting to see if you make art of that specific character they like, their commitment is with those characters not with you, in the other hand if you want to get hired by a company, when they see your fanarts they will just skip it and keep seeing in your portfolio, they are looking for creative people, people that can add, they already have skillful people, hire you doesn't add anything new to the mix, fanart only inflate and cheat the numbers in your social media but gets you no money nor a job, to get people's money you need something to exchange, something to sell, a PRODUCT, the more products you have on sale, the more chances you have, that is how it works.

[@ARStudios2000]

Well said! pikat should pin this

[@AstronScion]

Thank you. Very insightful video❤

[@Kitsuyomi]

I love the subtle vsauce reference hahaha

[@sutureart2080]

The main reason i share is to get more potential commissioners (and it works), but you're, due to the time i spend working on drawings for others, i don't have much time to improve my skills as an artists with other things that need polishing up.

[@mika2681]

Thank you pikat :D

[@anguiba]

As a "defeated" artist, I've been struggling to arise my art career since I opened social media accounts to share my artworks, graduate under the major, and keep polish and trying to get better in order to become a great artist. But for some unfair twist of fate, I couldn't archive none of my goals and making everything worse this whole thing of AI art is quite discouraging because, only ask the software what you want and BOOM! A cool drawing in a mere of second. Right now, I'm in a limbo of keep drawing and let that passion live or give up and dedicate on something else. I hope everyone who is an artist will reach the light and don't let anyone and anything destroy your artist dream.

[@x3AnimeFanXD]

I can't feel but notice that I leave this video feeling more confused and overwhelmed than before 😂 It's a lot of information! I used to be on social media but I left because it was destroying my mental health and decreasing the quality of my work. Since then I've kinda gave up on making art because I wanna do something a lot of people want to do and I feel like my presence and existence is redundant. I think my art is good but it takes time and even more practise to make a quality portfolio. That is imo the true challenge. I don't want to half-ass anything and AI and mass layoffs make me scared to even attempt to apply. I'm ngl scared af. I'm still on a mental health journey. Doing that while trying to apply for jobs or trying to make a living with art is hard.

[@mist5669]

I find it strange when ever I have a art problem pikat uploads the exact problems. In the end it usually always brushes my worries away lol.

[@rollins1212]

i recently came to this realization checking out the artist for the new absolute batman issue, i really dig his art and i was surprised to see he has a really small ig account compared to many other artists i follow

[@grandpasunny7761]

感謝您的講解...我個人不喜歡用社群媒體，這總會讓我很分心和焦慮 所以提到"一定需要"利用社群媒體經營藝術家的職涯，總是讓我感到沮喪和許多的限制 我最近的確是想藉由線下的活動去經營藝術家的作品和工作！ 您的分享讓我更堅定還有其他方式去發展職涯 (也許時機成熟後我也會願意開始嘗試使用社群媒體了:)誰知道呢) 再次感謝🥰🥰🥰