Do you feel that your art gets ignored? What do you do when no one likes your art? While you cannot get people to like your art, the most important thing is that you yourself are satisfied with your creations. And when no one likes your art on social media, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Here’s why.
When no one likes your art, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.
Every one of us wants to feel recognized and appreciated. That’s totally normal. Just the same way, artists want their art to be recognized and liked.
In the age of social media, this usually means getting Likes on networks like Instagram, Facebook, Behance, DeviantArt, etc.
I don’t want to deny that it’s nice when your art gets noticed on the internet. Getting feedback and Likes on my creations makes me feel good. After all, we all put a lot of work into our art and we are happy when others appreciate and enjoy our pieces.
I understand that it can be really frustrating to pour all your time and energy into an artwork and then nobody seems to notice… But that’s a struggle that many artists face, including myself. Especially when you are just starting out, it’s hard to get your art noticed.
But one mistake you mustn’t make is thinking that your art is not good enough. Because when no one likes your art on social media, it doesn’t mean that you are a bad artist. Most of the time, your art gets ignored for different reasons. And in the majority of cases, it’s for lack of promotion.
The sad truth is that these days advertising is way more important than talent to get noticed and grow a following.
So don’t feel down when your art doesn’t get noticed immediately. Let’s see what you can do when no one likes your art.
Here's why you don't need to feel down when no one likes your art. #ArtistAdvice
Why are people not liking my art?
As a matter of fact, we can’t control whether or not people like our art. Art is a matter of taste and our taste in art is closely related to our personality.
But the thing is not that “no one likes your art.” It’s just that you need to show your art more, to the right audience.
When you are posting your art on the internet, you are competing with millions of other artists. Unless you actively promote your art, you won’t get it noticed as much as you want.
In practice, that means you need to take the time to not only make art but also to market it. Upload your artwork to social media and art sharing websites. Join groups, forums, and network with other artists.
Related: Best Places To Display Digital Art That Every Artist Should Be Using
Have you considered doing art commissions? Because that’s also a way to get your artwork out there and gain popularity.
One thing you will realize is that it takes time to grow a following and to get more Likes on your artwork. And the other thing you will realize is that the quality of your art isn’t the only factor in getting noticed.
How do you get people to like your art?
To be clear: you cannot ‘get people to like your art’, because, as we said above, art is a matter of taste. However, what you can do is try to ‘get more Likes on your artwork’. Huge difference. 😉
Social media is all about using the right hashtags, posting at the right times, and being on good terms with the algorithm, i.e. posting consistently. So far so good.
Related: 12 Sure-Fire Ways To Get Your Artwork Seen [Exposure For Your Art]
One thing that you can do in general to make your art stand out is to tell your story. Of course, your artwork is the first thing that grabs the attention when people are scrolling through their feed. But once people got interested, they want to know more about the artist behind the artwork. They want to relate.
This is how you can make a difference. When you give people some insights into your life, some peeks into your creative process, some facts about the artist,… Once you manage to grab people’s interest, they are likely to get curious, wanting to know more. If you give them a reason to want to see more, you will also get people to like your art more.
Just give it a try!
Why am I not satisfied with my art?
When you are feeling unsatisfied with your art, it’s important to give it some thorough consideration to find out why.
A common reason why artists are not satisfied with their art is because they are trying to cater to the expectations of others.
It’s easy to get caught up in the game of social media. Instagram and other social networks are designed to make you come back again and again and to play the ‘social award game’. It’s all about getting more Likes, more followers, more comments, …
The more we get, the better we feel. We are getting used to validate ourselves and what we do – for example art – through the response we receive on social media.
You’ve surely noticed that some types of art tend to get more Likes than others. It’s easy to conclude that if people like a certain artistic style, they will also like your art as soon as you move closer to that style.
But one thing that you should absolutely avoid is trying to ‘create art that people like’. Sure, following art trends will get you more popularity in the short run.
But in the long run, you will lose yourself. This can be the reason why you are not satisfied with your art.
Getting your art noticed and liked by a large number of people does feel nice. But in the end, the number of Likes you get doesn’t matter.
Why do I say so? Well, think about it this way: what is your actual goal of creating art? Do you want to create art for yourself or for a bunch of people that you don’t even know?
“I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations.” – David Bowie
And then… how many Likes are enough to validate your art? In the beginning, you might think that 50 Likes are awesome. Then you might want to get 100 Likes on a post. Then 200. And then you compare yourself to another artist who may get more than 1,000 Likes on their posts. You see there’s no end to the social media game…
Apart from that, it’s absolutely impossible to predict what people like. I’m sure you’ve also had this experience: you spend hours and days working on a particular piece of art. You put a lot of effort and energy into it and think the outcome is amazing. Then you post it and… Think again! It doesn’t even get half as many Likes as expected. That can be disappointing.
Other times, a spontaneous idea comes to your mind. You grab your drawing tablet and quickly take the idea to the digital canvas. You literally finish the piece within two hours. It’s way less complex and detailed than your other pieces. But once you post it, it gets a lot of Likes (and may even get shared by art magazines)! ‘WTF?!’, you might think. But that’s the life of an artist. And it’s OK.
You see, it’s never predictable whether or not people are liking your art.
However, one thing is predictable: if you start creating art for others, you will not be satisfied and happy.
Related: Art And Mental Health: How Does Visual Art Affect The Brain?
But when you make the art you love, you will have much more fun and feel joyful and proud. You will be able to evolve as an artist, and it will be much easier for you to develop a unique art style.
You might not 200 Likes on your artwork. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you enjoy what you do!
Related: 9 Reasons Why We Need Art In Our Lives (Importance & Influence Of Art)
Now, that we’ve talked so much about the downside of social media, should you still share your art?
Should you share your art?
Despite all the drawbacks of social media, I think it’s a great means of connecting with like-minded people and getting our art out there to be seen!
Social media and other art sharing sites have their benefits, but you need to know how to make these platforms work for you.
The more people see your art, the more people will like it and buy it. To build a successful art career, one thing you need to realize is that making art is not enough. Marketing plays a huge role in getting your art noticed.
That means having an account on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, DeviantArt, and maybe an Etsy store and your own artist website.
Here are some posts to help you get your art noticed out there:
Always remember that a successful art career takes time. Don’t be disappointed when you don’t get the exposure you wished for immediately. Building a following and getting your art noticed doesn’t happen overnight. It’s important that you keep going and learn how to promote your art.
Marketers know about the Rule of Seven. That means a customer needs to be exposed to a product at least seven times before making a purchase. That’s why we get to see the same advertisements on TV and hear the same music on the radio over and over again!
When you hear a new song on the radio, you might not like it at first. But the more you hear it, the more you are likely to like it. Getting people to like your art is just about the same.
Here are a few tips that work on almost all social media networks and art sharing sites:
- Join groups. On most social media platforms and art sharing sites you can join groups related to your art. This will help you get your art noticed, and gain followers and Likes.
- Like and comment. Liking and commenting on others artwork is a great way to network and get in touch with the art community. If you give genuine feedback, you can build long-lasting connections and get back genuine feedback in return that can help you grow your skills!
- Post regularly. The algorithms of all social media sites favor consistent posting. The more frequently you post, the better. You don’t need to post a new piece of art every day. You can also share WiP shots or close-ups to keep your account active.
In conclusion, what do you do when no one likes your art?
In the end, we can’t control what other people think of our art and whether or not they like it. What we can control, though, is how much time and effort we put into our art, and how much we enjoy making it.
All you can do is keep putting your art out there. Just focus on what you love and eventually people will discover your art and love it, too!
