The first one is so spot on man."prioritise our growth as an artist over a social media". It took me almost a decade to figure that out. Artists often fall into this "social media trap" where they loose sight of their art and create for the sake of showing up on someone's feed to remind them that they exist. It's deadly when it goes on for long
That's the thing with social media... You never know when you'll make it, or if you'll make it at all!! If we're being real, most creators don't get to have this kind of success...and with social media being so saturated with artists rn, it's so much harder than it was a few years ago.
As an intermediate artist, I am glad I discovered Sam and its safe to say he's my new art teacher and inspiration. Thank you. Doing art actually helped me focus on my other stuff like finishing my school work instantly before working on my art skills. I'd love to learn more from Sam!!
I'm a beginer/intermediate artist, but i have an advice: when investing on equipment as as beginer/intermediate digital artist, buy something that is not only affordable for you, but can be useful for many things, like a tablet or a computer, that can also be used for work/school, leizure time, etc. Idk if this is good advice, but it worked well for me
That is a very good advice.... I bought a laptop for digital art ( I used to draw on my dad's and brother's laptop or my phone) and now I use it for attending online classes or editing videos... So I don't regret buying it even if I didn't draw often
two years ago when i started drawing digitally seriously, i used an android phone and my fingers to draw, occasionally a stylus. until today that's what i still use 😅 oh the convenience of having a bigger gadget, i hope to have one someday
Some social media advice for Artists 1)Prioritise your growth as an artist 1:00 2)Invest in yourself 4:04 3)Maintain consistency 6:05 4)Setting goals 9:23
It's true that people mostly look and follow according to the quality. It's true that we should do our shit and not for others. We should do it for ourselves and this video motivated me to love and respect my art style and not make something that the gram wants to see. I always look at my consistency but not my quality. I will encourage people especially young/beginner artists to focus on quality is better than quantity. Let's grow as beautiful artists! Thanks Sam!!
I really needed this so badly, today I got only 12 likes on my last piece after working on it for several times, I was about to throw myself out the window, I was so depressed and disappointed, cause I've been doing this al my life, I'm not any beginner and I know the basics and stuff.. you encouraged me again with just a few words, I'm gonna take that cheap pen tool and draw the hell outta me. Thank you Sam, you're an inspiration.
I know how you feel, it's this strange feeling of your hard work not being worth it to others... It's a horrible cycle to be in, and I'm glad you're motivated again
Sam, ngl I am aware that I am a good artist. Not the best but a very good one. But recently, I feel like my art just isn’t good enough because not enough people like it. It’s made me feel like I shouldn’t draw anymore because no one seems to care. It makes me think “am I not doing enough?” “Is there something I could be doing different?” “Maybe I should give up.” But seeing you give out this sort of advice genuinely makes me feel like I can keep going. And it helps me feel like I can appreciate my own art more. Seeing you upload every time is a comfort to me and it always helps me feel better about my art. So thank you for helping me see my worth.
i feel the same, i can also admit that im a pretty good artist but recently i posted something that im super proud of but the engagement is just not as good as i expected :( tho everytime this happens i always blame it on the algorithm (because my schedule is inconsistent) to make myself feel better instead of thinking that im not good enough
Fr. I know my art is pretty decent (not at sams level of course lol) but I do have some of the basics down, but people just seem to not like it and that really depresses me. But then my brother said something pretty interesting today, it was along the lines of "you aren't the best, but you're better than what you used to be" which I think really fits with this video. As artists we should be doing art for ourselves, not the internet, which is really hard because we are so attacted to the internet just to make a living... I'm probably rambleing 😅 but I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone, and your art is beautiful because it shows how much you have grown!
thank you so much for this Sam,, i just stopped my digital art journey earlier today (technicality related issue, i don't have a tablet and only use my fingers and phone to draw, i don't reccomend it) and really needed a boost. this made my day, i love how much you care for art babies
I use my phone but I bought a very cheap drawing tablet so I don't use my fingers to draw. My mom doesn't want to buy a good tablet for drawing because she's a cheapskate.
I'm not a digital artist and I just draw as an escape.. But seeing Sam helped me a lot! His advice is really helpful.. I just saw other people's drawing and I felt so self conscious but then I was like 'I do this for myself not for the happiness for others! I want to improve myself and like Sam said -Screw it! I'll focus on myself.-' Thank You Sam for being a helpful and motivational person!
Right when I needed it the most, I posted a drawing on Instagram for the first time yesterday and I experienced really bad anxiety right away, couldn't fall asleep for hours. This makes me feel so much more at ease and I absolutely love the first advice, always focus more on honing your own skill.
I've replied to this comment about 4 times since the morning but for some reason I cannot add the comment with my username. Edit: it's finally there, I don't know what I was doing wrong Edit2: ...I reloaded the comment section and my comment is gone again :''' Okay. Once again. It is ehhum and then a dot and then m. A dot between ehhum and m. The name is agapí
I really like the way you speak realistically about the root problems we face as creative people looking to build an audience. All these things we want: followers, engagement, money etc. is a result of a certain balance you have to strike as a human being. I agree it's not talked about a lot and I'm glad you're helping your followers see this.
I would like to add that for my social communications and journalism undergrad final thesis, I investigated about social media for artists and I also found that one of the most essential aspects for growth and for forming community is, as you mentioned with the first advice, the quality of the work and the artist's personal growth, their art! So it's really interesting seeing you mention it now :). Another thing I found is that it really does take time and consistency. So if you don't see huge growth in a couple weeks of months, don't feel too bad. It can take around 4-5 years to have a medium to big audience, and 10+ years to be like, really really big. (Also English is not my first language so I'm sorry if it reads weird)
Needed to hear the bit at 8:53 about the mental gymnastics you gotta do to deal and move on from bad engagement on social media. Thanks again, Sam. You're a gem
i came back to this video because i needed some motivation to start up my art career and take it as seriously as you do. You mentioned your patreon and book goals and i wanted to say I'm so proud of you for achieving them!
Yasss! That's what I always say: the content's quality should always go first, worries about the rest later. Of course networking helps, but nothing will help if our art is bad. If it's good then there will always be somebody who'll share it somewhere and people will start coming :)
To add on: Never ignore red flags on other people you network with! If there's behavior that isn't ok, do not tolerate it by staying in contact! For example, I got treated very badly in a groupchat with people I thought where my friends and I ceased contact with those artists/creators. Trust issues are still there, but at least I'm not being treated like garbage.
@@joined_shores_art I had similar issues! With the first group of digital artists I met in real life (my environment isn't artistic). Most of them turned out to be very toxic and trying to eliminate competition while pretending to be friends (especially by giving really bad advice that they didn't use on their own or by constant backhanded compliments that made me doubt I'm worth anything). I ran from that group as fast as I could the moment I realised what was going on and now I'm sensitive to such behaviours when I see them online. I'm also very careful when I see people constantly complaining that they can't get followers or clients and instead of improving skills they keep lowering prices and asking others to help them share poor quality art they didn't put any work in. Of course sometimes they just need someone to tell them how to get around this all, but in most cases it turned out they had awful attitude and they think they are on level of professional artists working in the industry since decades and when somebody tries to help them they start acting really toxic :/ It's best to find other people, no matter what level they are on, that are hard working and humble. If they are much better they won't make you feel like you are worse, they'll just motivate you to work, if they are more beginner, they won't be jealous but they will feel motivated by you (and that's pretty awesome too).
Not letting low engagement get to you is very tough, especially if you are really proud of your work, however you gotta push through and constantly remind yourself to not compare yourself with other artists. Recently it's been hard, but I am going to push through, and so will you.
"Prioritize your growth as an artist over your growth in social media." I needed this reminder so much. As an artist who's been trying to grind to get his name out on social media, the whole engagement thing ALWAYS gets into my head and it just effing stresses me out because as much as possible I also wanted to make a presence too. It's often discouraging when you post then there's only very few likes, or any kind of engagement every time with your newly posted artwork. But at the end of the day, if you got goals, dreams, or anything you aspire to be will help you keep going despite being screwed by low engagement or low reach or no following. Painful, but I gotta keep grinding because I gotta keep growing as an artist. Thank you so much Sam for this vid, not a lot of people are actually talking about this.
If you want to be big on social media, it messes you up And when you finally make it, it just fills a hole in your heart you digged by yourself But if you just do what you love and post it casually on social media without any expectations. That's the only way social media attention is really good for you in the long run
Sam you are such an inspiration to so many. I am a 49 year old old lady trying to find my way and you always have your followers best interest at heart!
I have listened to many "Instagram Building" individuals, and you are one of the few that brings it all back to how our quality as an artist is more important than quantity or techniques.
A good thing to remember is that the vast majority of us will have no success online. For each successful artist you see on instagram or twitter, there are hundreds of other equally skilled and talented artists who don't get the same level of attention.
first time hearing an artist on youtube TALK THE REAL TALK. I am becoming a huge fan of yours. Your words inspire me so much and I admire your honesty and transparency! Thank you
Thanks for this video. I desperately want do be a self supported artist and it is very intimidating how much social media is a necessity in today's world. You are an inspiration and I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you do.
This is so important to remember as an artist trying to gain exposure on social media platforms - focusing primarily on gaining exposure (asap) becomes draining and demoralising in the long run, it puts a lot of doubts in our minds because we start taking the numbers personally, thinking that perhaps we are just “not as good as the rest”. It’s so easy to lose sight of what’s fundamentally important, so I remind myself every now and then that I started drawing because I enjoyed it. I shouldn’t be doing it for everyone else, I’m doing it for me, because I love drawing.:) your videos are easing my art block anxiety so much :D 🌸☀💙 thank you
The first point definitely hits home for me. When you look at advice on how to grow on social media, it's very demanding: post all the time, be on 20 different platforms, draw whatever is popular... Trying to grow my Instagram from just about 200 followers, I've gotten caught up in pleasing the algorithm and other people more than just making good art that I love. I'm trying to shift that and find a better balance between showing up consistently and making the type of art I want to make. It will take some experimentation, but it's very encouraging to hear this advice from you, Sam!
Honestly, I love how you focus on the really important things to keep in mind while being an artist on social media. Other accounts I've seen often promote ways to trick Instagram algorithm, but this video really made a deeper impact on me as an intermediate artist. Thank you so much, Sam!
The one that’s hardest for me to follow is consistency 😅 I’m fine in the summer, but whenever high school starts, my schedule falls apart. It’s not necessarily that I don’t have time, I just am usually using it to take naps because after school I’m completely exhausted
The dream is real, believe! Belief is a huge motivation and though maybe a little obvious/overlooked is actually extremely important, and shouldn't be overlooked at all. If you're an amateur artist just starting out or thinking of a professional career then believe the dream is real! It's merely a series of steps, like with anything, take those steps and it won't be as hard to reach as you might think.
Just started this year my art journey, yeah I'd like to be like my favorite artists with thousands and millions of followers BUT first i'm so far of their level. So on my instagram art account, I'm just posting everything I'm doing, just showing my growth, exercises, experiences. I wish that when I will be at the level I dream about, I'll still be able to see my first baby steps and show people where I started
Honestly you're such a motivation I'm discouraged a lot of times but y'know this made me feel like I should keep trying if it doesn't work then I'll cry 😂 but then try and get better hopefully 😄
Thanks a lot for this video! I’ve been getting really low engagements because I only recently began posting on social media, but this was motivating. I think the most important thing will be to stay consistent because I’m already pretty happy with the level my art is at
When you said "Invest in yourself", my eyes got teary. I'm still a student, no income of my own. And the watercolor papers ARE EXPENSIVE! Even though I see the local 'art paper' getting puddly everytime i try to paint, I keep delaying, and convincing myself that when I'll have my own income I'll buy watercolor paper. Your words made me realise that it's a good investment. I'm off buying watercolor papers!
I actually did a thing similar to what you did sam! Sold my PS4 last year which meant so much to me, probably the hardest decision I ever did so far, felt like I had to grow up and chase my dreams. I bought an Ipad with all the money I have + the money from the PS4, asked my parents if I could pursue art instead, shifted to a course I'm comfortable with, started growing my instagram following although quite slow, practicing like crazy this year, got my first freelance job yesterday (2 jobs actually) 😍, made a couple of artist friends, got into a meaningful conversation with one of my fav artist, and simply just being myself. It's so cool seeing a lot of things change in just a year by choosing to pursue something you love. I hope one day, everything will pay off 🙏 your story is such an inspiration, thank you for this!! 💖💖
you are so right. Alot of the times when we get too concerned over social media engagement rather than just focus on what we love it starts to take away that love of what we do wether its art music, photography etc.. And sometimes artists can get sensitive about the lack of engagement and take it too personally to the point of no longer having the will to create. I just have to keep reminding myself that i love doing it for me and I've been creating art and music my whole life and it has always brought me so much joy. That's the most important thing more important than the engagement i get on social media. I have a love and hate relationship with social media and miss the days when I could just post it for sale and didnt have to constantly share it on social media so people can find my art. thanks for sharing lots of great advice :)
sam i found your art on lofi music i saw your art work and then i started searching for the artist and i found you. you have become a part of the culture
Best advice I have heard on this topic!! I'm glad to finally hear someone talk about working to improve your art as the main priority in growing on social media... I absolutely agree!!
I would say I'm a begginer artist, and Sam helped me so much! I learned about how different types of brushes are important and it helped me immensively with my pieces!
I started on being artist just using android tablet and now I do commissions for almost a year now and I plan to upgrade my equipments. Keep up the good works and thank you for the wonderful advice
Why I am crying? 😭😭 your words was so inspiring and touching my heart! Yeah that’s what I wanna do. From now on I’ll be more committed and focused in my art goals. Thank you Sam! 🌟
I just jumped into digital art from doing traditional all my life, and it has really frustrating to adapt to the screen (I'm still not that good at it) but Sam has been such a good teacher, and probably one of the reasons I haven't given up yet ^^ Tysm for this videos, you are taking such good care of us art babies!
I'm really glad that you make this kind of video to help and encourage all the aspiring artists. Thank you so much, Sam :) All I ever want to do for this life is to become a full-time/professional/independent artist, but I'm currently battling with this full-time job that has been draining my energy and motivation to do art, and sometimes I become burnt out and I completely lose that inspiration to do anything and not just art. So I hope that I can get out of this soon and hope that the dream will is not too far out of reach.
Hi Sam Does Arts! I once gave up on building my social media account for art. But now, I am planning on seriously committing to it and thanks to your advice I now feel that I am on the right track. I am the kind of person that gives up the minute I notice that I am not immediately doing good on something such as every one of my posts flopping on Twitter or getting few likes because the quality of my post was not high-caliber, lazy, or my posts were inconsistently published. Whatever the reason, I disregarded it and put the blame on myself, and it secretly affected my self-worth as an artist. With your advice, especially about focusing on being better as an artist rather than being popular on social media and genuinely committing, not giving up on your dream of becoming a good, hardworking artist, has really struck me and now the long-gone flame of passion in my heart has now rekindled. All in all, thank you so much for your helpful advice. I am thankful that I was able to discover you relatively early into my journey as an artist and I appreciate your willingness to help other artists grow in their career. :)
This was honestly so helpful, thank you for making this video Sam! I've only recently discovered you, but both your art and the way you talk about art are so inspiring & motivational for artists like me! :)
Motivational and inspirational. Always saw social media as something negative full of ppl looking for external validation. But I've learned is more than that thanks to you and a lot of other artist and content creators. THANK YOU❣
Hey dude! Just wanted to say a huge thank you for this video. As an artist who has been growing their art on social media for 3 years now and doing it fulltime as a job (the art on my pfp is really old so please ignore that ) I fully agree with everything you had to share and I felt like it was something I needed to hear for myself. I've been getting swept up in the numbers again lately (which I can understand as it's part of my job to a certain degree ) and it's made me really hesitant on posting the kind of art I want and revamping my feed a little out of fear no one will enjoy it while I also have a bunch of things I'd love to share online with people. I look up to you a lot as an artist and as a person and really appreciate everything you do and all that you contribute with to the community 💕
I'm and young artist as well . Yes I agree with what you say . I love the digital art but I can imagine it isn't easy but it's beautiful to see some of these masterpieces . I know it depends sometimes what you use the quality of your equipments may affect how you art comes out like it may come out beautiful or it may come out not so high quality as you may want it to be . But when you keep practicing you get better and improve ,as from what I've experienced
Thank you! Your videos always motivate me! It's so important to focus on yourself and your own growth and not focus in the likes on social media; you'll get low engagement for sure at the start and you cannot be discouraged because of it! What happens on social media is not a reflection of your quality or potential as an artist. Believe in yourself is the best advice, sometimes we need to be reminded of it and keep working on our dreams 🤩💪
Hey thank you so much for posting this. I've been looking for some advice for social media because I've been lost and demotivated on what type of content to post. What I've taken away from watching this is that the best type of content are things that are helpful for yourself... and then by sharing it, others will find it helpful too.
When you told about publishing things at certain fixed time, it's reminded me about the Little Prince and the Fox. The Fox said that the Little Prince should meet him at certain time so he can feel the excitement when that time comes.
I swear, the universe knows what i need to hear. I recently started back posting to my art account and i decided heeeyyy even tho im scared like crazy i know if i stop again ill regret it forever
I just wanna say... The copying phase is really important too. Like I think as we start we're uncomfortable, but starting is half the battle. Over time as you get more comfortable like Sam you'll find your stride.
I think that's one thing that can be difficult is not just investing in yourself, but believing you're worth it and your work is worth it. I've been at this stuff for a long time, but I've never worked hard enough to actually make it do more for me. Now that I'm in a better place mentally (and physically) I'm able to focus better and really set my goals and prioritize where I hadn't been before. Thx for the words of encouragement Sam, I've loved following your journey.
I agree with you, especially as it pertains to engagement. I posted a painting about 2 months ago that I heavily invested myself in because it was an important personal piece, and I was so proud of it I expected others to see what I saw in it. It got around 5 likes...my account is small - I have just under 100 followers on IG, but I expected more from it. I just learned to accept that I'm posting my art for me - no one else, so if I can appreciate my art without the need for external validation then it makes social media far less stressful.
I agree 100% It took over a year for me to stop looking at the numbers and start focusing on the art itself. I only saw actual change and growth in my skills when I focused on me. Thats also when I started to gain more subs. When I started enjoying my work more and began to finally enjoy my artist journey. This is a great video. Fantastic advice. :D
The setup problem is definitely real! I have been holding back on investing in good supplies for a monthly comfort, and now every time I paint or take a photo of my art, I suffer from it. The supplies are too low quality or there’s too little in the paint tubes to last me a good large painting, and my phone takes such bad photos that it’s practically impossible to take high quality photos that help sell the idea and mood of my art. now the low quality photos take away from my work and without enough good paints I am left making artwork I don’t enjoy making. Thank you for this video; I will do a “stupid” decision of using my next paycheck for some real supplies. There’s porridge in the pantry; I won’t starve and my career will thank me.
Actually, I forgot all about what you said in this video.. but now that I decided to pursue this career, all of this make sense, it hits me, especially the part "no room for laziness". Thank you Sam.
I wish i knew about you earlier!!!. OMG ❤❤❤ i finally meet the the artist who creating lovely pictures that make me fall in love with it. You're reallly really awesome man. You're my first favorite artist ever!
I was looking at the views of my post a lot and hearing you say work on my own work first really just helped me. I don't wanna stop doing what I love so thank you for the video😊
Wonderful insight, thank you, Don't know if anyone will see this, but what's more important , Consistency in Quality or Consistency in Frequency, for online success particularly when you are starting out and cant carry both.
I’m a small artist who is currently living in suburbs and still using my small phone to draw and recently it’s getting more difficult as it only have small capacity and prevent me to create more, lately I’ve discussed with my mother to borrow some money because i wanna invest in this field, that i’ve never felt so sure about taking art as my career. I’m really grateful i just randomly watched this video and just receiving such unexpected advice that i really need right now as an artist who just want to begin with her further journey, thank you so much Sam you just got my follow too
The part about investing into yourself including your set up is sooo important. I was trying to rely on my broken wacom pen tablet for years, my digital art journey was stagnant, and it affected me mentally and physically. Once I was able to save the money up for my iPad Pro and procreate, I was drawing nonstop for at least a month. In a few days I had over 200 thumbnail sketches!
Sam is so wholesome 😭 gonna watch this video every day and smack myself in the head for always comparing how many followers I have compared to other people..
thanks for sharing your experience.. not everyone is doing what you do for your comunity... your are real and you show the struggle and not just the "post daily" you give me the force to strive for the future
Being a university student and keeping the consistent work is quite hard for me. it take month for me to finish a painting with all the workload. And originally i look at the growth of social media and feel frustrated since there are no growth and lost motivation. But now I'm like screw it , I focus on my skill and fundamental, and " hope " it will do good in the future. By doing this i regain the interest and motivation in doing art when I first started. ty Sam, now i believed i made the correct decision.
My art improved incredibly during quarantine. I got so much better with lighting, backgrounds and proportions. Nothing much happened regarding growth, despite getting other socials which are just as dead as my IG. It's tough to know that I can't really make it my job since I'd get little to no pay. But I'm happy with my art, even though there are some inconsistencies.
Thank you Sam! I am a big fan of your art and even though my career is in music, a lot of what you said applies to my goal to grow my live stream and my fiverr gigs as well. Thanks for your advice, especially the one about focusing on your growth as an artist. I think we do lose sight of what's important a lot of times, since numbers are so distracting. I appreciate your work and time, keep doing what you love!
This was so helpful. Thank you soo much!! I'm an illustrator reinvesting myself in career. Been getting distracted with the analytics & everything so I'm so glad I ran across this. This is for sure healthier approach that I've been looking for.
Guys I'm slowly moving my uploads to Fridays now bc aint nobody wanna edit on a weekend 🥴
Understandable 🥴
Understandable 🥴
Understandable 🥴
Understandable 🥴
Understandable 🥴
The first one is so spot on man."prioritise our growth as an artist over a social media". It took me almost a decade to figure that out.
Artists often fall into this "social media trap" where they loose sight of their art and create for the sake of showing up on someone's feed to remind them that they exist. It's deadly when it goes on for long
oh my god its kesh
keshhhh
thats what im currently doing.. shit.. im gonna change it up
Ouch that hurts good
Need to shift my focus. It definitely can take the fun out of learning
"it's gonna pay off later.... *Hopefully*" 😂😂
Ikr😂
Lol
😂😂
LOL 😂😂😂
That's the thing with social media... You never know when you'll make it, or if you'll make it at all!! If we're being real, most creators don't get to have this kind of success...and with social media being so saturated with artists rn, it's so much harder than it was a few years ago.
As an intermediate artist, I am glad I discovered Sam and its safe to say he's my new art teacher and inspiration. Thank you.
Doing art actually helped me focus on my other stuff like finishing my school work instantly before working on my art skills. I'd love to learn more from Sam!!
samee
This☝️😳
Omg everyone here is just the best i learned a lot from Sam, Ethan, and angel their the art god Trinity👌
@@14bqdonk your comment translates to "do it" 😶 that's kinda creeepy
@@frxstedflakes6298 I just try to google translate it, and 'samee' is from somali language. xD
I'm a beginer/intermediate artist, but i have an advice: when investing on equipment as as beginer/intermediate digital artist, buy something that is not only affordable for you, but can be useful for many things, like a tablet or a computer, that can also be used for work/school, leizure time, etc. Idk if this is good advice, but it worked well for me
Yes! I bought my Ipad mainly for uni but it made me draw every single day on it :D
That is a very good advice.... I bought a laptop for digital art ( I used to draw on my dad's and brother's laptop or my phone) and now I use it for attending online classes or editing videos... So I don't regret buying it even if I didn't draw often
Agreed! I used my graphic tablet for school and art, using Photoshop with a mouse is awful tbh
True! Got an IPad
Procreate
Goodnotes for studying
RUclips and netflix for entertainment
Lightroom for photo editing
two years ago when i started drawing digitally seriously, i used an android phone and my fingers to draw, occasionally a stylus. until today that's what i still use 😅 oh the convenience of having a bigger gadget, i hope to have one someday
If you are a fanartist, draw rare-pair ships and you won’t think too hard about engagement since your audience is like 20 people
Hehe this is funny caz I'm following someone like that
Yea... Been doing it for over a year and only got 90 followers... I try to improve myself above likes but... Idk
My OC x canon ships: 👁️👁️
so accurate what-
I draw rare-pair ship arts that almost no one cares about
Can I ask whats a rare- pair?
Some social media advice for Artists
1)Prioritise your growth as an artist 1:00
2)Invest in yourself 4:04
3)Maintain consistency 6:05
4)Setting goals 9:23
Thanks needed this.
It's true that people mostly look and follow according to the quality. It's true that we should do our shit and not for others. We should do it for ourselves and this video motivated me to love and respect my art style and not make something that the gram wants to see. I always look at my consistency but not my quality. I will encourage people especially young/beginner artists to focus on quality is better than quantity. Let's grow as beautiful artists! Thanks Sam!!
It's very inspirational too,as a artist who's starting my new insta.i found it positive way more to grown up as artist of yourself
I really needed this so badly, today I got only 12 likes on my last piece after working on it for several times, I was about to throw myself out the window, I was so depressed and disappointed, cause I've been doing this al my life, I'm not any beginner and I know the basics and stuff.. you encouraged me again with just a few words, I'm gonna take that cheap pen tool and draw the hell outta me. Thank you Sam, you're an inspiration.
If you don't mind me asking, what's your Instagram? I can share them, I don't have a mega audience but I like giving artists support
would love to know your insta too!^^
I know how you feel, it's this strange feeling of your hard work not being worth it to others... It's a horrible cycle to be in, and I'm glad you're motivated again
wanna drop the instagram @😏??
Drop that insta besty 😍😍😍
Loved this Sam! A lot of great reminders. Especially love the one about investing in yourself and prioritize growth over social media.
Thanks Bobby!!!!
Sam, ngl I am aware that I am a good artist. Not the best but a very good one. But recently, I feel like my art just isn’t good enough because not enough people like it. It’s made me feel like I shouldn’t draw anymore because no one seems to care. It makes me think “am I not doing enough?” “Is there something I could be doing different?” “Maybe I should give up.”
But seeing you give out this sort of advice genuinely makes me feel like I can keep going. And it helps me feel like I can appreciate my own art more. Seeing you upload every time is a comfort to me and it always helps me feel better about my art. So thank you for helping me see my worth.
This! I know exactly how you feel! Horrible thoughts, they just keep on creeping around in your head and just make you feel bad...
i feel the same, i can also admit that im a pretty good artist but recently i posted something that im super proud of but the engagement is just not as good as i expected :( tho everytime this happens i always blame it on the algorithm (because my schedule is inconsistent) to make myself feel better instead of thinking that im not good enough
Fr. I know my art is pretty decent (not at sams level of course lol) but I do have some of the basics down, but people just seem to not like it and that really depresses me. But then my brother said something pretty interesting today, it was along the lines of "you aren't the best, but you're better than what you used to be" which I think really fits with this video. As artists we should be doing art for ourselves, not the internet, which is really hard because we are so attacted to the internet just to make a living...
I'm probably rambleing 😅 but I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone, and your art is beautiful because it shows how much you have grown!
thank you so much for this Sam,, i just stopped my digital art journey earlier today (technicality related issue, i don't have a tablet and only use my fingers and phone to draw, i don't reccomend it) and really needed a boost. this made my day, i love how much you care for art babies
Same, I use my phone to draw but I use my thumb :')
(Though I've been drawing on the phone for years so is not as hard anymore)
rip..
I use my old touchscreen laptop with mouse... (coz i don have stylus and I'm only 13 yrs old)
I use my phone and fingers as well. But i got pretty used to it in like a month so im pretty sure u will too! It sucks at first tho💀
I use my phone but I bought a very cheap drawing tablet so I don't use my fingers to draw. My mom doesn't want to buy a good tablet for drawing because she's a cheapskate.
I used to use phone but it was easy for me
Now I use tablet and fingers 😂
Every artist can get better at art, there's no limit to how much you can improve👍
bullshit
I'm not a digital artist and I just draw as an escape.. But seeing Sam helped me a lot! His advice is really helpful.. I just saw other people's drawing and I felt so self conscious but then I was like 'I do this for myself not for the happiness for others! I want to improve myself and like Sam said -Screw it! I'll focus on myself.-'
Thank You Sam for being a helpful and motivational person!
Right when I needed it the most, I posted a drawing on Instagram for the first time yesterday and I experienced really bad anxiety right away, couldn't fall asleep for hours. This makes me feel so much more at ease and I absolutely love the first advice, always focus more on honing your own skill.
Congrats on posting the first time if you don't mind I would like to support you by giving a follow
What’s your Instagram? I would love to follow you :)
Do let me know what you think of the drawing :D
I've replied to this comment about 4 times since the morning but for some reason I cannot add the comment with my username.
Edit: it's finally there, I don't know what I was doing wrong
Edit2: ...I reloaded the comment section and my comment is gone again :'''
Okay. Once again. It is ehhum and then a dot and then m. A dot between ehhum and m. The name is agapí
@@verystrselemaon7573 I guess something is wrong with youtube XD
I really like the way you speak realistically about the root problems we face as creative people looking to build an audience. All these things we want: followers, engagement, money etc. is a result of a certain balance you have to strike as a human being. I agree it's not talked about a lot and I'm glad you're helping your followers see this.
I would like to add that for my social communications and journalism undergrad final thesis, I investigated about social media for artists and I also found that one of the most essential aspects for growth and for forming community is, as you mentioned with the first advice, the quality of the work and the artist's personal growth, their art! So it's really interesting seeing you mention it now :).
Another thing I found is that it really does take time and consistency. So if you don't see huge growth in a couple weeks of months, don't feel too bad. It can take around 4-5 years to have a medium to big audience, and 10+ years to be like, really really big.
(Also English is not my first language so I'm sorry if it reads weird)
"I know that I can get better"
"I know that I can get better"
"I know that I can get better"
Do you get better?
Needed to hear the bit at 8:53 about the mental gymnastics you gotta do to deal and move on from bad engagement on social media. Thanks again, Sam. You're a gem
3:49 Sam: “Don't let nobody tell you what to do.”
me:
closing this video :D
i came back to this video because i needed some motivation to start up my art career and take it as seriously as you do.
You mentioned your patreon and book goals and i wanted to say I'm so proud of you for achieving them!
I became fully engaged at 1:24 this is one of my current hurdles, stop looking at the likes and look in to getting better as a artist.
Yasss! That's what I always say: the content's quality should always go first, worries about the rest later. Of course networking helps, but nothing will help if our art is bad. If it's good then there will always be somebody who'll share it somewhere and people will start coming :)
To add on: Never ignore red flags on other people you network with!
If there's behavior that isn't ok, do not tolerate it by staying in contact!
For example, I got treated very badly in a groupchat with people I thought where my friends and I ceased contact with those artists/creators. Trust issues are still there, but at least I'm not being treated like garbage.
@@joined_shores_art I had similar issues! With the first group of digital artists I met in real life (my environment isn't artistic).
Most of them turned out to be very toxic and trying to eliminate competition while pretending to be friends (especially by giving really bad advice that they didn't use on their own or by constant backhanded compliments that made me doubt I'm worth anything).
I ran from that group as fast as I could the moment I realised what was going on and now I'm sensitive to such behaviours when I see them online.
I'm also very careful when I see people constantly complaining that they can't get followers or clients and instead of improving skills they keep lowering prices and asking others to help them share poor quality art they didn't put any work in. Of course sometimes they just need someone to tell them how to get around this all, but in most cases it turned out they had awful attitude and they think they are on level of professional artists working in the industry since decades and when somebody tries to help them they start acting really toxic :/
It's best to find other people, no matter what level they are on, that are hard working and humble. If they are much better they won't make you feel like you are worse, they'll just motivate you to work, if they are more beginner, they won't be jealous but they will feel motivated by you (and that's pretty awesome too).
@@Silbusia yes, exactly!
Not letting low engagement get to you is very tough, especially if you are really proud of your work, however you gotta push through and constantly remind yourself to not compare yourself with other artists. Recently it's been hard, but I am going to push through, and so will you.
"Prioritize your growth as an artist over your growth in social media."
I needed this reminder so much. As an artist who's been trying to grind to get his name out on social media, the whole engagement thing ALWAYS gets into my head and it just effing stresses me out because as much as possible I also wanted to make a presence too. It's often discouraging when you post then there's only very few likes, or any kind of engagement every time with your newly posted artwork. But at the end of the day, if you got goals, dreams, or anything you aspire to be will help you keep going despite being screwed by low engagement or low reach or no following. Painful, but I gotta keep grinding because I gotta keep growing as an artist.
Thank you so much Sam for this vid, not a lot of people are actually talking about this.
5:02 That "hopefully" sounded so sad and real 😅
If you want to be big on social media, it messes you up
And when you finally make it, it just fills a hole in your heart you digged by yourself
But if you just do what you love and post it casually on social media without any expectations.
That's the only way social media attention is really good for you in the long run
Sam you are such an inspiration to so many. I am a 49 year old old lady trying to find my way and you always have your followers best interest at heart!
I have listened to many "Instagram Building" individuals, and you are one of the few that brings it all back to how our quality as an artist is more important than quantity or techniques.
A good thing to remember is that the vast majority of us will have no success online. For each successful artist you see on instagram or twitter, there are hundreds of other equally skilled and talented artists who don't get the same level of attention.
first time hearing an artist on youtube TALK THE REAL TALK. I am becoming a huge fan of yours. Your words inspire me so much and I admire your honesty and transparency! Thank you
Thanks for this video. I desperately want do be a self supported artist and it is very intimidating how much social media is a necessity in today's world. You are an inspiration and I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you do.
“Don’t let nobody tell you what to do”, he said, whilst telling us what to do.
This is so important to remember as an artist trying to gain exposure on social media platforms - focusing primarily on gaining exposure (asap) becomes draining and demoralising in the long run, it puts a lot of doubts in our minds because we start taking the numbers personally, thinking that perhaps we are just “not as good as the rest”. It’s so easy to lose sight of what’s fundamentally important, so I remind myself every now and then that I started drawing because I enjoyed it. I shouldn’t be doing it for everyone else, I’m doing it for me, because I love drawing.:) your videos are easing my art block anxiety so much :D 🌸☀💙 thank you
The first point definitely hits home for me. When you look at advice on how to grow on social media, it's very demanding: post all the time, be on 20 different platforms, draw whatever is popular... Trying to grow my Instagram from just about 200 followers, I've gotten caught up in pleasing the algorithm and other people more than just making good art that I love. I'm trying to shift that and find a better balance between showing up consistently and making the type of art I want to make. It will take some experimentation, but it's very encouraging to hear this advice from you, Sam!
Fantastic advice Sam. You are an inspiration for all of us that are in the journey of growing both our SKILLS and our PRESENCE
Honestly, I love how you focus on the really important things to keep in mind while being an artist on social media. Other accounts I've seen often promote ways to trick Instagram algorithm, but this video really made a deeper impact on me as an intermediate artist.
Thank you so much, Sam!
The one that’s hardest for me to follow is consistency 😅 I’m fine in the summer, but whenever high school starts, my schedule falls apart. It’s not necessarily that I don’t have time, I just am usually using it to take naps because after school I’m completely exhausted
The dream is real, believe! Belief is a huge motivation and though maybe a little obvious/overlooked is actually extremely important, and shouldn't be overlooked at all. If you're an amateur artist just starting out or thinking of a professional career then believe the dream is real! It's merely a series of steps, like with anything, take those steps and it won't be as hard to reach as you might think.
Just started this year my art journey, yeah I'd like to be like my favorite artists with thousands and millions of followers BUT first i'm so far of their level. So on my instagram art account, I'm just posting everything I'm doing, just showing my growth, exercises, experiences. I wish that when I will be at the level I dream about, I'll still be able to see my first baby steps and show people where I started
Honestly you're such a motivation I'm discouraged a lot of times but y'know this made me feel like I should keep trying if it doesn't work then I'll cry 😂 but then try and get better hopefully 😄
The most important thing is to NEVER GIVE UP!
@@paridmarketing Yup
I feel like quality and personality are equally important. People like engaging content, and supporting quality people
Thanks a lot for this video! I’ve been getting really low engagements because I only recently began posting on social media, but this was motivating. I think the most important thing will be to stay consistent because I’m already pretty happy with the level my art is at
"You're not going to regret trying, what you're gonna regret is not giving it a shot."
Best advice right here
When you said "Invest in yourself", my eyes got teary. I'm still a student, no income of my own. And the watercolor papers ARE EXPENSIVE! Even though I see the local 'art paper' getting puddly everytime i try to paint, I keep delaying, and convincing myself that when I'll have my own income I'll buy watercolor paper.
Your words made me realise that it's a good investment.
I'm off buying watercolor papers!
I actually did a thing similar to what you did sam! Sold my PS4 last year which meant so much to me, probably the hardest decision I ever did so far, felt like I had to grow up and chase my dreams. I bought an Ipad with all the money I have + the money from the PS4, asked my parents if I could pursue art instead, shifted to a course I'm comfortable with, started growing my instagram following although quite slow, practicing like crazy this year, got my first freelance job yesterday (2 jobs actually) 😍, made a couple of artist friends, got into a meaningful conversation with one of my fav artist, and simply just being myself. It's so cool seeing a lot of things change in just a year by choosing to pursue something you love. I hope one day, everything will pay off 🙏 your story is such an inspiration, thank you for this!! 💖💖
Thank you so much for taking your time to do this videos, you are awesome Sam!!😭🤲✨💖
you are so right. Alot of the times when we get too concerned over social media engagement rather than just focus on what we love it starts to take away that love of what we do wether its art music, photography etc.. And sometimes artists can get sensitive about the lack of engagement and take it too personally to the point of no longer having the will to create. I just have to keep reminding myself that i love doing it for me and I've been creating art and music my whole life and it has always brought me so much joy. That's the most important thing more important than the engagement i get on social media. I have a love and hate relationship with social media and miss the days when I could just post it for sale and didnt have to constantly share it on social media so people can find my art. thanks for sharing lots of great advice :)
sam i found your art on lofi music i saw your art work and then i started searching for the artist and i found you. you have become a part of the culture
dude you are so wholesome, that last part was pretty inspiring. awesome video like always!
Best advice I have heard on this topic!! I'm glad to finally hear someone talk about working to improve your art as the main priority in growing on social media... I absolutely agree!!
I would say I'm a begginer artist,
and Sam helped me so much!
I learned about how different types of brushes are important and it helped me immensively with my pieces!
I started on being artist just using android tablet and now I do commissions for almost a year now and I plan to upgrade my equipments. Keep up the good works and thank you for the wonderful advice
Why I am crying? 😭😭 your words was so inspiring and touching my heart! Yeah that’s what I wanna do. From now on I’ll be more committed and focused in my art goals. Thank you Sam! 🌟
I just jumped into digital art from doing traditional all my life, and it has really frustrating to adapt to the screen (I'm still not that good at it) but Sam has been such a good teacher, and probably one of the reasons I haven't given up yet ^^ Tysm for this videos, you are taking such good care of us art babies!
The first tip was literally a goosebump for me.. we are all your students here i swear
I'm really glad that you make this kind of video to help and encourage all the aspiring artists. Thank you so much, Sam :)
All I ever want to do for this life is to become a full-time/professional/independent artist, but I'm currently battling with this full-time job that has been draining my energy and motivation to do art, and sometimes I become burnt out and I completely lose that inspiration to do anything and not just art. So I hope that I can get out of this soon and hope that the dream will is not too far out of reach.
Hi Sam Does Arts! I once gave up on building my social media account for art. But now, I am planning on seriously committing to it and thanks to your advice I now feel that I am on the right track. I am the kind of person that gives up the minute I notice that I am not immediately doing good on something such as every one of my posts flopping on Twitter or getting few likes because the quality of my post was not high-caliber, lazy, or my posts were inconsistently published. Whatever the reason, I disregarded it and put the blame on myself, and it secretly affected my self-worth as an artist. With your advice, especially about focusing on being better as an artist rather than being popular on social media and genuinely committing, not giving up on your dream of becoming a good, hardworking artist, has really struck me and now the long-gone flame of passion in my heart has now rekindled.
All in all, thank you so much for your helpful advice. I am thankful that I was able to discover you relatively early into my journey as an artist and I appreciate your willingness to help other artists grow in their career. :)
This was honestly so helpful, thank you for making this video Sam! I've only recently discovered you, but both your art and the way you talk about art are so inspiring & motivational for artists like me! :)
Motivational and inspirational.
Always saw social media as something negative full of ppl looking for external validation. But I've learned is more than that thanks to you and a lot of other artist and content creators. THANK YOU❣
Hey dude! Just wanted to say a huge thank you for this video. As an artist who has been growing their art on social media for 3 years now and doing it fulltime as a job (the art on my pfp is really old so please ignore that ) I fully agree with everything you had to share and I felt like it was something I needed to hear for myself. I've been getting swept up in the numbers again lately (which I can understand as it's part of my job to a certain degree ) and it's made me really hesitant on posting the kind of art I want and revamping my feed a little out of fear no one will enjoy it while I also have a bunch of things I'd love to share online with people. I look up to you a lot as an artist and as a person and really appreciate everything you do and all that you contribute with to the community 💕
Someone tagged someone who could “promote” my art but i just immediately blocked them :)) you teached me that, thanks
I'm and young artist as well . Yes I agree with what you say . I love the digital art but I can imagine it isn't easy but it's beautiful to see some of these masterpieces . I know it depends sometimes what you use the quality of your equipments may affect how you art comes out like it may come out beautiful or it may come out not so high quality as you may want it to be . But when you keep practicing you get better and improve ,as from what I've experienced
Thank you! Your videos always motivate me! It's so important to focus on yourself and your own growth and not focus in the likes on social media; you'll get low engagement for sure at the start and you cannot be discouraged because of it! What happens on social media is not a reflection of your quality or potential as an artist. Believe in yourself is the best advice, sometimes we need to be reminded of it and keep working on our dreams 🤩💪
Hey thank you so much for posting this. I've been looking for some advice for social media because I've been lost and demotivated on what type of content to post. What I've taken away from watching this is that the best type of content are things that are helpful for yourself... and then by sharing it, others will find it helpful too.
When you told about publishing things at certain fixed time, it's reminded me about the Little Prince and the Fox. The Fox said that the Little Prince should meet him at certain time so he can feel the excitement when that time comes.
I swear, the universe knows what i need to hear. I recently started back posting to my art account and i decided heeeyyy even tho im scared like crazy i know if i stop again ill regret it forever
I just wanna say... The copying phase is really important too.
Like I think as we start we're uncomfortable, but starting is half the battle. Over time as you get more comfortable like Sam you'll find your stride.
i feel so grateful i can be able to know Sam, besides learning how to draw, he makes us smart as an artist too
I think that's one thing that can be difficult is not just investing in yourself, but believing you're worth it and your work is worth it. I've been at this stuff for a long time, but I've never worked hard enough to actually make it do more for me. Now that I'm in a better place mentally (and physically) I'm able to focus better and really set my goals and prioritize where I hadn't been before. Thx for the words of encouragement Sam, I've loved following your journey.
I love your tutorials its making me feel wierd cause I got use too screaming and happy ones you just sound so serious and relaxing. I love it.
I agree with you, especially as it pertains to engagement.
I posted a painting about 2 months ago that I heavily invested myself in because it was an important personal piece, and I was so proud of it I expected others to see what I saw in it.
It got around 5 likes...my account is small - I have just under 100 followers on IG, but I expected more from it.
I just learned to accept that I'm posting my art for me - no one else, so if I can appreciate my art without the need for external validation then it makes social media far less stressful.
I really appreciate the fact that you got straight to the point. I’m definitely going to take from these tips. Thank you.
I agree 100% It took over a year for me to stop looking at the numbers and start focusing on the art itself. I only saw actual change and growth in my skills when I focused on me. Thats also when I started to gain more subs. When I started enjoying my work more and began to finally enjoy my artist journey. This is a great video. Fantastic advice. :D
Thank you so much!!! This helped me and motivated me a lot. Im loving your content ❤❤
The setup problem is definitely real! I have been holding back on investing in good supplies for a monthly comfort, and now every time I paint or take a photo of my art, I suffer from it. The supplies are too low quality or there’s too little in the paint tubes to last me a good large painting, and my phone takes such bad photos that it’s practically impossible to take high quality photos that help sell the idea and mood of my art. now the low quality photos take away from my work and without enough good paints I am left making artwork I don’t enjoy making. Thank you for this video; I will do a “stupid” decision of using my next paycheck for some real supplies. There’s porridge in the pantry; I won’t starve and my career will thank me.
Actually, I forgot all about what you said in this video.. but now that I decided to pursue this career, all of this make sense, it hits me, especially the part "no room for laziness". Thank you Sam.
I wish i knew about you earlier!!!. OMG ❤❤❤ i finally meet the the artist who creating lovely pictures that make me fall in love with it. You're reallly really awesome man. You're my first favorite artist ever!
I was looking at the views of my post a lot and hearing you say work on my own work first really just helped me. I don't wanna stop doing what I love so thank you for the video😊
Wonderful insight, thank you, Don't know if anyone will see this, but what's more important , Consistency in Quality or Consistency in Frequency, for online success particularly when you are starting out and cant carry both.
I’m a small artist who is currently living in suburbs and still using my small phone to draw and recently it’s getting more difficult as it only have small capacity and prevent me to create more, lately I’ve discussed with my mother to borrow some money because i wanna invest in this field, that i’ve never felt so sure about taking art as my career. I’m really grateful i just randomly watched this video and just receiving such unexpected advice that i really need right now as an artist who just want to begin with her further journey, thank you so much Sam you just got my follow too
I always play your vids in the background while drawing or doing my school works. Helps me focus, thank youuu!
You’re so genuine and inspirational 💖 thank you so much for this!
thank you ...always golden advice ...so glad to have discovered you.....makes our journey easier
The part about investing into yourself including your set up is sooo important. I was trying to rely on my broken wacom pen tablet for years, my digital art journey was stagnant, and it affected me mentally and physically. Once I was able to save the money up for my iPad Pro and procreate, I was drawing nonstop for at least a month. In a few days I had over 200 thumbnail sketches!
And the way you design and have story’s in the background is what I really like about your work so keep it up
Listening to you has already been boosted my motivation ❤️☺️ thanks I'll do my best to what i like what I want to do...not what algorithm wants.👍
this is the reason i started looking up to you, i'm really glad i discovered you. you're such a inspiration to me! Thank you so so much sam!
Sam is so wholesome 😭 gonna watch this video every day and smack myself in the head for always comparing how many followers I have compared to other people..
Hey Sam, I don’t wanna seem overly dramatic, but you might have just changed my life today. Appreciate the advice.
thanks for sharing your experience.. not everyone is doing what you do for your comunity... your are real and you show the struggle and not just the "post daily" you give me the force to strive for the future
It's been rough these days and I felt like giving up, recently. This was really motivational. Glad I watched this. Thanks, Sam. 💕
Being a university student and keeping the consistent work is quite hard for me. it take month for me to finish a painting with all the workload. And originally i look at the growth of social media and feel frustrated since there are no growth and lost motivation. But now I'm like screw it , I focus on my skill and fundamental, and " hope " it will do good in the future. By doing this i regain the interest and motivation in doing art when I first started. ty Sam, now i believed i made the correct decision.
your voice is so calming that I feel like you're my therapist 🥲thank you for this video 🙏
My art improved incredibly during quarantine. I got so much better with lighting, backgrounds and proportions.
Nothing much happened regarding growth, despite getting other socials which are just as dead as my IG. It's tough to know that I can't really make it my job since I'd get little to no pay. But I'm happy with my art, even though there are some inconsistencies.
Thank you Sam! I am a big fan of your art and even though my career is in music, a lot of what you said applies to my goal to grow my live stream and my fiverr gigs as well. Thanks for your advice, especially the one about focusing on your growth as an artist. I think we do lose sight of what's important a lot of times, since numbers are so distracting. I appreciate your work and time, keep doing what you love!
Thank you so much for talking about this Sam, for all the advices and for giving us lots of positivity and reassurance ❤️ you're the best!
This was so helpful. Thank you soo much!! I'm an illustrator reinvesting myself in career. Been getting distracted with the analytics & everything so I'm so glad I ran across this. This is for sure healthier approach that I've been looking for.
love it when sam gets so serious like this for us🥺💛
Every single word makes sense. Thank you Sam!