Instagram’s Worth To a Flow Artist
In the path an artist walks to find financial success, they eventually discover that the art of marketing is more crucial than skill in whatever art form they are pursuing. Those practicing less mainstream art forms, such as the “flow arts”, often have a hard time marketing themselves because they are a niche art form with a small audience base, which typically consist of other artists. Many flow artists come to struggle with the question: do I need to use social media — or Instagram specifically — to find success? As a flow artist of 7 years, I often struggle with this question, so I did some research to help you decide for yourself.
Instagram was released in 2010 and functions like twitter but with a reliance on “aesthetically filtered photos” instead of text (Pittman). Riding on the heels of social media apps like Facebook, Instagram became a household name quickly. A survey done by the Pew Research Center in 2014, only four years after the release of Instagram, researchers found that of American young adults ages 18–29, “87% use Facebook, 53% use Instagram, and 37% use Twitter” (Dugan). Facebook has dwindled in popularity over the last few years, but it is likely that Instagram has grown exponentially. There is no denying the prevalence of Instagram in the lives of young Americans, but is the virtual environment a good place for flow artists to find financial — or even emotional satisfaction? Ultimately, defining the worth of time spent is based on your own needs and desires. The goals you seek to achieve with your social media use will guide how you feel about spending time on it, so I outlined this guide to help you decide for yourself. Let’s start with the pros.
Pros as a Creative Outlet
Instagram can be a wonderful tool for visual artists because it can serve as a free studio to exhibit your art. Kylie Budge, a PhD in Art and Design, explains that the “virtual studio practices extend the creative capacities of the artist due to the social dimension they encompass” (21). She argues that the artistic use of Instagram qualifies under all of Rhodes four aspects of creativity “person, process, product, and press” (21). Instagram provides social access to and interaction with other artist’s work, it has a systematic process for constantly updating your work, it is a great place to showcase your artistic product, and there is great potential for organic or paid advertisements. The 60 second video format serves as a creative challenge to artists, and it allows for people to see an artists’ virtual portfolio. I use Instagram as a sort of creative studio that doubles a showcase for anyone who I hope to book a performance with. I describe Instagram as a sort of “living resume” for artists that is constantly available to potential booking agents. With regular updates, your content not only gives a sense of professionalism, but also gives you the opportunity to design your image and sculpt your audience.
Pros for Marketing
When it comes to Rhodes fourth aspect of creativity, press, Instagram can also be a useful tool. The prominence of social media has established Instagram as a key source of advertisement for many businesses, to the point where Instagram has a complex system for advertising optimization. The flow arts have a much smaller audience base, but its potential for reaching an audience is no less significant. One of the most prominent Flow Artists in the world, Ben Drexler, revealed in his popular YouTube show “DrexFactor”, how he makes his money as a full-time flow artist. In 2017, he made 31% of his yearly income on Patreon — a membership-based website where people can financially support content creators, often with the promise of exclusive content. This was his most lucrative source of income above performing, teaching, YouTube monetization, and merchandising. Patreon does not have any integral advertisement potential; however, an audience is drawn there through presence on other platforms. Without showcasing your work in places like Instagram or YouTube, people will have no reason to support your content on Patreon.
In another video of his where Drex breaks down his marketing strategies for online Flow Arts festivals, he explains “every time you post you’re going to reach 1–5% of your audience, so the more often you post the more likely it is that you’re going to hit those eyeballs that you need”. In this media saturation strategy, he mentions, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and mailing lists as his most prominent sources for advertising. In my own arts marketing journey, Instagram was the first place I became involved and I was introduced later to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Discord. Instagram thus, can be pivotal in bringing your audience to different platforms, which makes your reach even greater.
Pros for Emotional Satisfaction
The most shocking pro for Instagram is the potential for social satisfaction. Many assume social media is an inherently unhealthy place to invest time, but like many other addictions, it can be satisfying — and even healthy — in moderation. Instagram can be socially validating, not just as an artist, but as a human with social needs. A 2015 study found that “as one’s affinity for and activity on Instagram increased, self-reported loneliness decreased” (Pitman). I do want to emphasize, the “self-reported” nature of this study, because any self-reported study on the emotional conditions of a person has potential faults. Even still, it is significant that Instagram activity was correlated to a decrease in loneliness. I too, have had experiences with Instagram that are socially validating — though not to the same extent. I attribute my notoriety in the flow arts community to this platform, and there is something exhilarating about having a very talented person comment on your video. For niche art forms such as the flow arts, it is easier to make connections with prevalent artists because they have not achieved “celebrity status” in the conventional sense. Ben Drexler is one of the most famous flow artists in the world, and he only has around 31,000 followers. The potential for engagement with other flow artists is much higher because they are not receiving the amount of attention flooding that popular artists in other art forms experience. This makes the Instagram flow arts community (which even has its own hashtag) feel more interactive.
Cons as a Creative Outlet
Though there are profound benefits to the creative potential of Instagram, there are also problems. Mainly, the competitive nature of the internet. Instagram can detract from the drive that an artist can find in a physical community with other artists. Though Budge notes positive experiences with her use in the flow arts, she also recognizes that “creativity is stimulated differently for different people” and that for many, there is a physical sense of community that assists “them in feeling inspired and creating new work”. She cites Boden’s (1994; 2001) connections with self-confidence and creative endeavors, and that Instagram may be a place that hinders that confidence. I have been spinning fire for nearly 7 years now, and I feel quite capable as an artist, but when I first investigated social media, this was not the case. I created and quickly deleted both a Facebook and Instagram in my 2nd year of practicing. There were so many talented artists posting that were so far beyond myself that it killed my desire to want to get involved online. I felt I was not good enough. I was creatively shut down because there was no physical community to encourage me as a new artist. If you are a newer flow artist, it might feel impossible to stand out in the online crowd. There is no holistic communal engagement to give beginners encouragement (most only comment on notably impressive videos), so you might be completely turned off from the online environment.
Cons for Marketing
Competition is a con for both creative intimidation and financial gain. As you may have guessed from this research, I have put a lot of time and energy studying how a flow artist can learn how to navigate social media marketing. There are a lot out there that have already learned how to be on top of the search engine optimization game, and anyone new is going to have an uphill battle. Even in this small niche of an art form, the hashtag “flowarts” has over one million uses. To show up in that hashtag’s algorithm, you need to already have knowledge of the hashtag algorithm and have at least several hundred followers.
Furthermore, Instagram is only one of many platforms to advertise. As Ben Drexler mentioned in his video on marketing virtual festivals, you need to utilize many different platforms to hit the masses like he is. Instagram is only one aspect of a multifaceted approach and considering how much investment is need for decent pay-off, the time might not be worth it to you. If you can find a platform that can replace it in effectiveness, then do it. For example, I do not find it worthwhile to advertise on Tik-Tok, but others have made a name for themselves (and lots of money) using it. Keep your eyes open and research various strategies because Instagram might be too much hassle for what you are trying to do.
Cons for Emotional Satisfaction
The worst con of Instagram is how it can mess with self-image. Though social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit are infamous for their hostile environments, Instagram has the uncanny ability to perpetrate unrealistic beauty norms. Ivy Nyambura concludes from various studies that Instagram and other photo-based platforms have “an immense visual capacity influences young women more in body comparisons than in other set-ups like Twitter” (21). The insecurities felt in comparing yourself to unrealistically beautified people can lead to self-deprecating notions that you are not good enough as you are (which I assure you is not true — you are beautiful). Insecurities of body image closely related to the insecurities that artists feel. To this day I will see someone do a poi trick that is so innovative and groundbreaking that it makes me want to hang up my props for good. What we need to remind ourselves is that people do not post their hours of frustrating practice sessions or their thousands of unflattering clips. The cultural norm of only presenting the best of yourself is a major turn off for many who might be looking into Instagram.
Verdict
Instagram can be a great tool for you to find community or market yourself efficiently. Whether you’re a flow artist, a painter, musician, or underwater basket weaver, Instagrams utility will be based on your goals and intentions. If you are struggling to financially stabilize yourself solely with your art, Instagram is likely a helpful tool. It is a creative studio, a living resume, and a place to establish yourself among a global community. If you are only interested in using the app for entertainment or socializing, Instagram may be a fine tool, but I would apps structured for more engagement like discord or twitch. Given the information I have listed, what do you think? Does Instagram align with your goals or does it seem like a waste of time? If you want to do more research into this topic, check out the sources I used for this article! The links to all of them are below. My own Instagram platform is also in the links below if you want to see a sample of how I design my page.
Sources
My Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/mrknots/
Budge, Kylie. “Virtual Studio Practices: Visual Artists, Social Media and Creativity.” Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, vol. 5, no. 1, 2013, doi:10.7559/citarj.v5i1.84. http://artes.ucp.pt/citarj/article/view/84
“DrexFactor Poi.” Edited by Ben Drexler, YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/user/TaoAvatar20.
Duggan, Maeve, et al. “Social Media Site Usage 2014.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 31 July 2020, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/
Nyambura, Ivy. “Social Media Influence on Body Image among Female University Students: a Case Study of Instagram.” University of Nairobi, 2017. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/108437/IVY%20NYAMBURA%20RESEARCH%20EDITED%20%28FINAL%29.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Pittman, Matthew, and Brandon Reich. “Social Media and Loneliness: Why an Instagram Picture May Be Worth More than a Thousand Twitter Words.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 62, 2016, pp. 155–167., doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.084. http://charsoomarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/10.1016_j.chb_.2016.03.084-Social-media-and-loneliness-Why-an-Instagram-picture-may-be-worth-more-than-a-thousand-Twitter-words.pdf
