Social Media — Today You Can’t Live Without It

[Dmitry-Afremov]

Social Media — Today You Can’t Live Without It

Alright.

Now we already have:

a website,
an Etsy store,
everything looking nice and professional.

So what’s the next step?

Social media.

And this is where things get interesting.

Maybe the Internet Was Easier Before Social Media. Maybe Not.

Honestly?

Sometimes I think the internet used to be simpler.

Then came:

Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter/X,
TikTok,
Reddit,
YouTube,
Pinterest.

And now you simply cannot avoid them.

Whether you like it or not —
you need social media.

Register Everywhere

My advice is very simple:

Don’t choose only one platform.

Register everywhere.

Literally everywhere.

Create:

Facebook,
Instagram,
TikTok,
Twitter/X,
Reddit,
Pinterest,
YouTube.

On every platform:

upload your photo,
set up your profile,
add your website link,
upload some artwork.

That’s it.

Now you officially exist online as an artist.

Pinterest Is Extremely Underrated

A lot of people underestimate Pinterest.

Big mistake.

Pinterest is basically Google for images.

People go there looking for:

inspiration,
interior ideas,
visual concepts,
artwork.

Will people directly buy from Pinterest?

Rarely.

But they will notice you.

And that matters.

I personally use Pinterest for our website.

I tried their advertising —
honestly, I didn’t like it.

Pinterest isn’t built for aggressive selling.

But as a source of visual presence —
it’s very good.

Reddit Is a Completely Different World

Reddit is incredibly powerful.

Because people there actually trust each other.

It’s built around:

discussions,
questions,
answers,
opinions.

And if you communicate normally,
you can build a very strong audience there.

But don’t immediately try to sell.

Reddit hates aggressive marketing.

What works there is:

conversations,
sharing ideas,
showing your process,
talking about your thoughts.

For example:

why you painted something,
what inspired you,
what mood the painting represents.

People love that.

TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Are Basically Daily Work

Unfortunately — yes.

Today an artist must also become a content creator.

Otherwise nobody notices you.

So:
post something every day.

Nothing complicated.

A simple short reel:

painting process,
mixing colors,
your studio,
part of your day,
a small behind-the-scenes moment.

That’s already enough.

And the same content can be reused everywhere:

TikTok,
Instagram Reels,
Facebook Reels,
YouTube Shorts.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

YouTube Is for More Serious Content

Now YouTube is different.

That’s where longer videos work better.

For example:

how you painted a piece,
the story behind the artwork,
your creative process,
conversations about art.

YouTube grows slowly.

But videos there can live for years.

The Most Important Thing Is Consistency

This is what truly matters.

Not genius.

Not perfect editing.

Not expensive cameras.

Consistency.

People need to get used to seeing you.

Today they see you.
Tomorrow again.
A month later again.

And slowly you’ll start getting:

followers,
comments,
people who genuinely enjoy your work.
Don’t Buy Fake Followers

Please don’t do this nonsense.

Don’t buy:

bots,
fake likes,
fake followers.

It gives you absolutely nothing.

Honestly:
10,000 real followers are infinitely better than a million fake ones.

Because real people:

comment,
buy,
recommend you,
come back.

Bots are garbage.

Reply to People

If people comment —
respond.

If somebody writes something —
say thank you.

Agree? Say you agree.

Disagree? That’s fine too.

Social media loves activity.

And honestly, sometimes arguing a little is completely fine.

This isn’t customer support email anymore.

This is social media.

Real emotions work there.

And No — It Doesn’t Take All Day

Some people will say:
“But this takes more time than painting.”

No.

Not really.

I spend about one hour a day on social media.

You’ll probably need around the same.

Just:

check comments,
reply to people,
post something,
upload a reel.

That’s it.

But today it’s almost impossible without social media.

It’s simply part of being an artist in the 21st century.

One More Important Piece of Advice

If you want — completely free — comment under this post and share your social media accounts.

Sometimes I’ll check them and give advice:

what can be improved,
what already looks good,
what should change.

Honestly, today everything is much easier than it used to be.

But the most important thing:

Don’t do stupid things.

Don’t buy:

bots,
fake comments,
artificial engagement,
software that pretends to run social media for you.

That’s all garbage.

Social media is you.

Your personality.
Your emotions.
Your creativity.
Your energy.

A computer cannot replace a real human being.

Yes, ChatGPT can help:

rewrite text,
fix mistakes,
organize thoughts.

But it cannot live your life for you.

And one more huge mistake:

Don’t schedule posts for the next entire year.

People immediately feel that something is fake.

Social media loves life.

Real posts.
Real emotions.
Real reactions.

Honestly, even if you emotionally tell somebody to go to hell once in a while —
that still feels more alive than some perfectly polished robotic answer.

People feel authenticity.

And today, authenticity wins on social media.

[RiverStoneJack]

Good points here. As much as artists would rather spend their time creating, social media really has become part of the job these days. I'm a young artist myself and was wondering — do you accept outside artists on your platform, and is there any opportunity to sell my paintings through your website?

[SmallTownEric]

Practical and insightful.

[SilverOakDan]

This offers a practical overview of how important social media has become for artists who want to build an online presence. While not every platform works equally well for every person, the emphasis on consistency, authentic engagement, and avoiding fake followers feels especially relevant. Ultimately, each artist needs to find the channels that fit their style and audience without losing focus on the creative work itself.

[WestCoastNate]

This advice feels a bit contradictory — you're telling artists to be "authentic" while also encouraging them to be active on every platform at once, which quickly turns creativity into a full-time marketing job. It also sounds like you're assuming your personal approach to social media works for everyone, when many successful artists intentionally avoid constant posting and still build strong audiences.

[BlueJeansMike]

The advice about treating social media as a daily, authentic presence makes sense, especially the emphasis on consistency and real interaction over automation or fake engagement. At the same time, the workload and emotional pressure described feel a bit underestimated, since maintaining all platforms in parallel can be much harder in practice for most artists.

[RustyTrail77]

Pure Afremov magic