I wanted to take a quick second to follow up on my previous blog post about social media. There were two things that I forgot that I wanted to mention as food for thought.
One of the major things is the idea of being featured on social media. This can be a huge way to not only gain followers but gain exposure to the type of people that can and will hire you. What do I mean by featured? Well I'm glad you asked! There are many accounts on pretty much every social media channel, but especially for me this applies to Instagram and Twitter, that have tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of followers that simply exist to feature other peoples work. Why not yours?! It will take a little while to find these accounts, but with a little bit of research you can compile a list that would be likely to feature you. Once you've found them start tagging them! Depending on the account you will either use a hashtag or tag them (i.e. #aaronandersonphoto or @aaronandersonphoto) and they can then see your work. Sometimes the accounts will ask you to direct message them with work, so just do whatever method they prefer.
A quick note on this...MAKE SURE YOU PICK ACCOUNTS THAT ARE RELEVANT! This will be a total waste of time for both you and them if you start sending your super conceptual poodle portraits to a surfing feature account. So make sure you do your homework before you hashtag. If you're looking for a place to get started just head over and Google "Top Instagram Feature Accounts", it'll get you heading in the right direction :)
Along the lines of this same idea is being featured by manufacturers or companies that are relevant to you. If you're an artist who makes your brushes? If you're a photographer who makes your camera, lenses, lighting, backgrounds, etc.? If you're a wedding photographer who makes the dress? If you're a...and the ideas go on and on. This type of exposure, if you can be featured, is extremely helpful and can not only aid in finding clients but funding your habit. Why not ask to get one of the latest pencils or paintbrushes to test out and feature on your blog? The worst they can say is no!
Ok, so my second thought, and this one is more personal than anything, is that I have a day when I don't post anything at all. In fact I try not to even look at social media on that day. I have a lot of reasons why I do this, the biggest one being quality time with my family, but there are many many other sources that say this is very healthy for you, even necessary. I am not the first person with the idea that social media is an emotional roller coaster, all the likes, the follows, the comments...it's a lot to take in and I would say addictive. It is important as an artist, and I would say as a human being, not to find your identity in this. You love to create, to make beautiful things, don't let people not liking your images/art stop you from doing that. On this social media free day spend it being inspired, and with people you love. Remember what it means to exist and take in beauty instead of thinking about how many people will like what you created. If you'd like more ideas on this you can check out another blog I wrote about being a Dad in our industry, which is not only about my journey but about time management...find it here: http://www.aaronandersonphoto.com/blog/being-a-dad
That's all for today! Below you'll see a screenshot of one of images that was featured on @downhilladdiction...just so you can see that this actually works! Until next time...be awesome!
