The Pros and Cons Of Twitter For Artists
Twitter Is Not A Visual Platform
Twitter is a wordy platform which doesn’t suit artists. One of the positives of Instagram is that all you need to do is post a photo. As a result you have a diverse group of people on the platform. This is purely anecdotal, but more of my family and friends are on Instagram then Twitter. Twitter seems to be where everyone who wants to build a brand is posting. For artists, you want to find every day people to discover you. From my perspective, people seem more comfortable in showing you snapshots from their life then giving you their opinions. Unfortunately Twitter has gained an unpleasant reputation for cancel culture and being an echo chamber. On Instagram you can post a hiking photo and unless you are purposely being provoking ,you are unlikely to be cancelled by people that take offense easily. In my opinion, I notice (just with my low number of followers) that all my followers are mostly artists (I love my peers, please do not think I don’t appreciate your support) whereas unlike on Instagram, where I had a lot of photographers that I found easily. We may both be taking part in an artist endeavour, but they are different mediums. I find it harder to find different followers because I am more visual and love seeing photographs from people’s adventures in life. In consequence,I find my personal enthusiasm for growing on Twitter waning. If you are a person who loves political discourse, you will love Twitter, but that is not me. Everything is tailored to posting opinions, not photos.
No Matter What, It Is A Social Media Platform
You never know who will see your work or identify with it. Twitter, as all social media platforms, gives you an ability to find a new audience. It is worth at least an effort especially for artists, in just finding one fan who loves your work and it is worth all the effort to grow your Twitter profile. Even if all you do is post on Artshares and post your recent work, someone is likely to notice you. It is said you only need one thousand true fans to be able to make your art a profession.
Artshares Are A Godsend As You Take Part In The Art Community
I don’t know who was the brilliant person who figured out starting an art share on Twitter, but I appreciate them. It certainly helps in being seen and showing your art on this wordy platform. It is easier to repost other people’s tweets as a result and people are happy to share each their work. You are encouraged to follow artists, and slowly you grow and find some friends. I love my artist followers. I learn about them and what inspires them because of twitter, and you definitely feel as if you are part of an art community. Art shares only further encourage you to meet more of your peers.
As With All Social Platforms Numbers Matter
People are conscious of other people’s follower count, and especially if you are coming later to a platform, you are on the back foot. Some people will refuse to notice you unless you are close to their follower count. That is not so much a symptom of Twitter, but people’s perceptions. That is something you have to be aware of. If you give people comments and likes, they may refuse to acknowledge you. This is not personal and you must accept that some people do not wish to answer or follow back. You are not big enough for them to follow. When you get to a certain number of followers some people wish to be exclusive with whom they follow. Barrack Obama follows everyone. You never know who will follow you back. Keep commenting and liking people’s tweets, and you will get followers. It is a slog at the beginning. Keep looking out for new social media platforms, the earlier you are the easier it is to grow a base.
Use The Wordy Aspect Of Twitter To Your Advantage
One thing that I learnt very quickly on Instagram was that no one read your captions. Here people read your tweets such as if you are having a sale, redesigning your website or unable to post because you are sick etc. It is a good way of being in touch with your followers. Everyone is quite social and ready to start a discussion about anything. If you have a project, you can bring it to life in a different manner than just showing pictures. Lin Manuel-Miranda, who wrote Hamilton, was giving people glimpses of it on Twitter to stimulate interest in what he was writing. He would show drafts and explain details about a project that was about to take Broadway by storm. Before it was ready to be performed they were already people who had been reading and came along on his journey from start to finish on Twitter. He already had people who were interested and intrigued by his musical before they heard one track. You can give a different perspective of your work because of Twitter, before you even have an exhibition. Thus, you may have a fan base, that feel a connection because they saw this project come to life.
Coauthored with Francesca Darcy who has more technological expertise then I possess and helps me with the technological aspects of my business. Twitter @francesca_darcy
