The Best Approach to Grow as a Creative
It is something we all work towards. Growing and getting better at our chosen craft. The process of getting better is far more fun than the end destination (because there isn’t one if you’re truly dedicated to being creative). This mindset can apply to different aspects of being a creative, working when you don’t want to create, posting on social media, and growing an audience in general.
Slow Growth is Steady and Strong Growth
Back when I first started posting on Instagram and Twitter, I always wished I could’ve been featured by Instagram or some other page with a large following. I thought all of my problems would be solved. I had a friend get featured on Instagram, and he grew from about 5,000 to roughly 100,000 followers within a few days. One year after being featured on Instagram, he said there wasn’t a massive difference in engagement. The people who had quickly followed him, weren’t engaging or churning up business for him. Another year later and he was down about 35,000 followers.
This leads me to the entire point of this post. Slow growth is the best kind of growth. While I don’t have a large following online, I have a strong and engaged one. I’ve become close friends with people all around the world. I have made sure to connect with these new friends outside of Instagram, so when it reaches its inevitable end, those friends will still be around. That’s why I have my site, blog, and newsletter.
Create Strong Deep Roots for Your Tree
One way to think of this is with trees. If a storm comes through, you don’t want to be the tall skinny tree with roots that only go down a foot. No! You want a big hearty tree with roots deep into the ground that have been weaving around for years. No metaphorical storm will blow over your metaphorical tree.
‘Going viral’ is the equivalent of being the tall skinny tree with very little root action. Building up your business and audience slowly is how you become the classic hearty tree of the neighborhood. Not even the worst tornado will knock you down. So, to wrap this up nicely, stop worrying about your follower count. Think about who has been apart of your creative gang the longest and how they have made your life and work better.
Just keep making!