Evaluating, Stripping It Down, and Staying True
An Art Business Overhaul for 2025.
It’s coming up on a year next month since I launched as a full-time Artist, my art business, and with that my online presence.
I jumped in, both feet first and tried it all. I felt like I had time to make up for. I should have done this before now. It’s been my life’s passion. Now that the stars had finally aligned, I was going to do it all immediately,as I tend to do.
Social Media Woes
As I’m coming up on a year for it all, except YouTube has been six months, I’m evaluating all of it. I’ve been so busy trying to play catch-up and doing it all, that I lost some of my personality in some of what I was putting out there. I started an Instagram & new Facebook business page, and the Meta Business page. I made my Pinterest a business page. I started a Substack and a Patreon. I made a website, website newsletter, 2 social link pages, and an online shop. Then I started a YouTube Channel in July. I signed up for Threads, Cara, and now Blue-sky. Yeah, I know, it’s a lot. Believe me, I know.
I’ve since dropped Cara, Link-tree, and Patreon. Link-tree and Patreon felt like a pay-to-play deal, to get professional results. Cara was just weird in my opinion. I’m not yet sure how I feel about Blue-sky and Threads. I used to be on Twitter, and they are both like Twitter, without all the meanness. As for Pinterest, I’ve come to see it as a search engine of evergreen content. I feel like I’m floundering there also.
The Meta Business page asks you to put out so much content, and in turn they show your content to more and more people. In theory anyway. I felt like I was having to meet these goals consistently or they dropped my numbers of viewers. Over the holidays, I found this to be absolutely true. I felt like my hands were tied if I wanted to grow my followers. That started to feel like I was being told what to do, pay to play, and started to eat at me.
All of the Social Media is necessary, yes, but it also isn’t quite going where I wanted it to. I was listening to some who said “Just put out content, that’s it”, “work the algorithm to get eyes on your posts which equals followers”, and “reuse your content, people forget”. So this is what I tried. I also had some personal things come up during the holidays and all of that life took me away from making much new content.
After dropping Patreon, I began to see how my body of what I was producing had become all about promotion, and that promotion was not much about my art. My time for making art suffered as well. What I make for online content is not my art. It’s more of my everyday practice and my trying new things than the art I actually make and want to sell. I used to sell art, then my life kept evolving and I haven’t sold much in the past 2 decades as I used to. I used to sell my art. I’ve had work in shows. I feel like now I’m selling my brand, not my art. Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
My New Relationship With Social Media, My Peers, And My Followers
As I started the new year, I looked back in reflection. What were some of my main goals when I started this business last Spring?
I was looking for a peer group of like-minded Artists, where we could share our different experiences about our different careers, and a Community.
I wanted to build a follower-base who would enjoy what I had to put out there, whether it be artwork, YouTube content, Substack/Newsletters content, and a Community.
The ability to sell my original Paintings and other 2D work, and prints as well, online and in person.
I want to share my knowledge, and art-life lessons on Youtube, in my writing, and also later down the road self-publish a book or two, and maybe start a podcast.
I wanted to be self-employed again like I was 20 years ago. It suited me.
I want to make Art. Period.
The New and Improved Art Business Model
I weeded my posts in both Facebook and Instagram and deleted the duplicates, the uninspired, and the rest that didn’t belong. All that didn’t say what I wanted it to say to my peers and my followers. I’m done chasing numbers, I’m going to put out what’s meaningful to me. I will still let people know about Substack and YouTube posts. I want my Substack to return to more writing. I want conversation, community, and my time back. Any extra time spent on reaching unattainable numbers in the sky.
My new and improved Business model has come after trying things out and not necessarily failing, but biting off more than I can chew. It comes after following advice that just wasn’t for me. I need to be true to myself. This was actually what I wrote my very first Substack post about. I’m going to continue on my original path. It’s what feels right to me.
What I’ve Come Away With
I had to jump in to it all. That’s being me. I jump in, learn as much about it all that I can, and then streamline. I know that’s not the best way, in theory, but I take it all on and fix it afterwards. Everything is a project that must be studied. The reflection comes afterward.
I’m going to move forward with the take-aways from my 2024 kickstart of my full-time business. I’m celebrating the victories. I’m celebrating the knowledge and experience of what I’ve decided to let go. Life is an ever-evolving education, as are every job or career I’ve held. I come out the other side with important takeaways and wisdom. I don’t regret the lessons I’ve learned.
I see 2025 as my business’s sophomore year, and a little more streamlined, focused, and better for my creative soul.
My hope is that what I put out there touches others, whether my art, my words, my videos, my shared experiences, and knowledge.
I’m coming full-circle and embracing my original intent.
I have and will nurture a peer group of like-minded Artists, where we share our different experiences about our different careers, and a Community.
I will continue to build a follower-base who enjoys what I put out there, whether it be artwork, YouTube content, Substack/Newsletters content, and a Community.
The ability to sell my original Paintings and other 2D work, and prints as well, online and in person.
I want to share my knowledge, and art-life lessons on Youtube, in my writing, and also later down the road self-publish a book or two, and maybe start a podcast.
I am self-employed again and it suits me.
I want to make Art. Period.
Some of my Substack blog posts you may enjoy:
I hope this article can remind all of us who needed this reminder. Prioritize, make lists, and remember you do not have to do it all, not at this very minute. Take care of you first and reassess as needed.
I hope this finds you well. Take care of yourselves and one another.
Until next time Ciao,
Elizabeth
If you have any questions, comments, or tips, drop them in the comments and we can start a conversation.
Other Places To Find Me
Sign-up for my Website Newsletter
