Saturday, August 15, 2015

Social Media

 
Tonight I posted my 227th painting on Instagram, for the year. I'm still posting a painting everyday. I've managed to stick with it and today I woke up to find that I had 500+ followers on Instagram. I'm very grateful for anyone who follows me. I often worry about whether or not my paintings are good enough, or the lighting is good enough, or if my posts are interesting enough, or... So, thank you to everyone who finds me, my paintings, and my posts good enough to comment/like/follow. 

I have been enjoying this project of posting a painting everyday, even though some days it has been tough to accomplish. The commitment has forced me to paint more, which has been a great thing! However, the best part has been communicating with and following other people. I'm not lucky enough to be surrounded by lots of creative people in my everyday life, so social media has been an amazing way to connect with some amazing creatives. 

I have some thoughts on the downside of social media, too... It's tough for me because it feels a bit like a popularity contest and trying to be popular is out of my comfort zone. I was bullied in junior high school and I often still feel "not good enough" especially on social media. For me, Facebook is harder than Instagram because you have to "friend" people. I see people with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and I wonder how much they curate/edit their photos. I know some bloggers are concerned with their social media accounts being an accurate reflection of their "brand". I think I'm not a "brand" I'm just me. Also, are we doing anyone any favors if we edit our photos so much that they are completely different from the original. I know a big time blogger who does that. Isn't that the same as photoshopping pictures in magazines to significantly alter the appearance of famous people? Don't most of us think magazines shouldn't do that? 

Well, I don't know. I don't have the answers. I guess I'm just going to keep doing my thing and being imperfect me. Again, thank you for following along. I greatly appreciate the company!