Nine takeaways from an artist’s journey to 1 million followers
By Alexis Stark
Engaging in social media presents thousands of opportunities to connect with new people, organizations, and brands. It is exhilarating when you scroll through your feed and discover a new person or account that captures your attention. Upon exploring their page, you may wonder where they started and how they got to where they are today.
Morgan Harper Nichols is a California-based artist, writer, and musician. She began a podcast to document her creative process and share her thoughts and stories about how life and art continuously influence each other.
In her episode Journey to 1 Million Followers, Nichols shares ten pieces of advice she learned on her journey to hitting the milestone of 1 million followers on Instagram.
Be willing to try and fail
Failure is never fun but always inevitable. Learning to evolve our process of overcoming failure leads to growth and success in the future. When it comes to social media, the role of digital platforms in our lives changes constantly. Fleeting trends can be overwhelming. Try not to secure your success based solely on following the latest trend. Create content that speaks to your beliefs and interests and does not focus obsessively on the opinions of others. If you lose followers as a result of trying something new, evaluate the purpose of your content, and do not be afraid of taking the loss if you believe in its value.
“Your content matters from the moment it came alive within you, and you decided to share it with someone else.” - MHN
Find the platform that works best for your goals and content, and do not force yourself on one based on what others are doing. If you are not getting the reach you wanted, try different tactics or another platform until you find your fit. Multiple platforms work well together when you are sharing similar content, either in pieces or the whole work, on different channels.
Hold yourself accountable
If you promise yourself or others to create content, hold yourself accountable to follow through on your promises. Building trust with your social media following cements a long-term relationship based on the exchange of creating and receiving content. Whether it is a real person or a name on a list of followers, they matter and are choosing to support your work. Reciprocate that support, and people want to engage more because they know you are a reliable, genuine real person.
Be mindful of your resources
Unlimited time and materials to complete a new project every day is not the norm. Start small with what you can share. Find the side dishes to your main entrée. Share smaller pieces of content that do not take as long to prepare to compliment the main meal: your final project. Writing a book or filming an entire movie every day is not realistic, but sharing small samples of a larger product provides your growing audience with a taste of your bigger idea and keeps them engaged. Consistency on social media helps maintain your following.
Set aside time to engage with your audience
Social media is endless. No matter where you are in the world, conversations happen at all times of the day. It provides limitless opportunities to engage with your followers, participate in productive discussions, and reply to messages or questions. Open yourself to new connections and avoid leaving people on “read.” Being authentic and intentional with people does not mean you have to post content and respond to messages every hour of every day. This is not practical or healthy. Boundaries ensure you do the work without getting burnt out.
Share what you know
Think about where you are going, but don’t be afraid to look back and share previous creations, stories, or experiences. All of these things shaped you into the person/artist/author/content creator you are today. Think about the places you visited or conversations with interesting people; ask yourself, what pieces of your life can influence your content? What inspires you? What makes you feel, or what conversations do you think people should be having? Use all content to its fullest, and do not shy away from throwbacks. There is no one perfect way to perform on social media. Take the stories you know and the ones you hear and let them ignite creativity and deeper connections with people.
Never stop learning
Keep researching, learning new things, consuming new information, and developing your skills. Identify strengths and weaknesses and how you can utilize both to achieve your goals. No one person has all of the answers. From the minute your alarm goes off, you have countless new opportunities to learn, make choices, fail, and fall. Then, you learn how to pick yourself up, move forward, and grow your identity in new ways.
Market yourself
Opening the door to financial opportunities for your creative work provides new possibilities to broaden your reach outside of social media. Creative endeavors can start on social media platforms and evolve into funded projects. Establishing a following early sets you up with a market of potential consumers for your work. Take the leap. Sell the painting. Write the book, but do not just write for the masses. Create content for the audience you worked so hard to cultivate. Inspire others to pursue their passions and remind them you would not have made it without their support.
Keep the joy in your work
Creating content needs to stay fun to keep you committed. Work is not always fun, but an audience can tell when an artist gives up. Creativity can be a pain when you feel blocked or uninspired, but do not let that be an everyday experience. If you find yourself struggling to produce content every day, shake up your process, and try something new. Keep yourself and your content interesting. Passionate people inspire passion in others.
Stay adaptable
It is okay when things do not go your way. As a content creator and human being, you do not have to be “on it” 100% of the time. Be merciful to yourself as you would to those you follow on social media. Establish your boundaries and priorities and stick to them. Keep your content flowing and try not to overthink your work to shreds. Avoid creating structures and systems, keeping your content in a box. While structure has its place, there is freedom in creating without walls. Allow yourself to say yes and no to trying new things.
If you are a writer, artist, creator, or average person seeking to share your message or story with a diverse audience of people, utilizing social and digital media platforms creates connections. Use your content to nurture your creativity, facilitate connections, and unleash opportunities for storytelling.