“Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others”
Robert Louis Stevenson
Content Tips for Artists
I found this quote on one of the many notes on my computer (I have 588).
I don’t know if I wrote the quote down specifically as a LinkedIn strategy or a life strategy, but it must have resonated with something I was trying to achieve at the time.
Like many, I was on LinkedIn a lot at the beginning of the COVID pandemic as I suddenly had to reach an online audience as my English Conversation Holidays got put on ice for what was going to turn out to be 2 years.
Everyone sees different content on Linkedin, but certainly, in my feed, the focus was still on professionalism as a faultless construct.
Despite homeschooling.
Despite the fear, anger and growing partisanship around us.
Artists & Designers
Surprisingly, this was true even amongst creatives.
I saw only final products and finished artworks: the journey and processes were largely invisible.
During the pandemic lockdowns, I was puzzled.
Is no one else’s creative energy deteriorating?
In all honesty it made me feel lonely only seeing people coping well in their situation.
Content Tips for Artists | Social Media
Your successes are only one way to represent your creative work on social media, like LinkedIn.
I believe this is especially true for creatives, whose struggles are part of their story – and are really of great interest to your audience.
Asking for help can be audience-building
When people want to help, they share your posts.
This article shares why artists and creatives should reject the silent approach and speak up about difficult times.
What’s Your LinkedIn Strategy?
A New Era & New Understanding of Mental Health Needs
Much as I love Robert Louis Stevenson‘s fiction, I’m putting a big caution symbol in the margin beside this one bit of advice.
It’s old-fashioned and unhealthy.
I can just imagine generations of people suppressing emotions to this ideology – to the detriment of their health and their creativity.
I don’t need to imagine too hard either, as some members of my family were brought up on this old-school British narrative).
It’s still part of the ‘stiff upper lip‘ British culture that our media still perpetuates as ‘British,’ (even if no one knows what that means anymore).
Many of my English holiday takers commented, ‘It’s so friendly here.”
It turned out they were expecting coolness and perhaps even disdain of Victorian Britain.
Is this similar to your culture?
LinkedIn’s Mysterious Rulebook
To some extent, LinkedIn is quite a formal space – although that is changing.
There are dos and don’ts, and armies of keyboard warriors ready to leap if they think you’ve gone ‘too Facebook‘.
The language used is chatty but the content is careful, purposeful and not nearly as revealing as it pretends to be.
Much goes unsaid on Linkedin, including bad times, mistakes, and regrets.
When is it Ok to Say You are Not Ok?
3 weeks ago I had Covid, and I’m still dealing with it shaking my confidence and creativity.
I’m still really fearful about the time it might take to fully heal: to get my power back.
Of course, I could just shut up until I feel fine.
I could recycle LinkedIn content to tide me over.
I work with artists and creatives, many of whom make themselves emotionally vulnerable as they make their art or music.
Doubly vulnerable speaking English as a second language!
It feels disingenuous to not be equally honest, but is it ‘bad for business’ to show such fears on LinkeIin?
Asking myself this made me notice that artists may be storytelling about the difficulties in making particular artworks – but rarely talking about the difficulties of being a creator.
Are we self-censoring mental health difficulties for fear of not seeming ‘professional’ enough?
It’s really time to change that culture if so.
English Tips for Artists | Share Your Feelings
A lot of useful information gets lost if we all pretend we’re doing fine, including the chance to get to know each other better and learn from each other’s mistakes. And of course, help each other.
Many of my English users are the kind of creative who put emotion and vulnerability into the public realm when they talk about their artwork, motivations and inspirations.
For some, even sharing ideas makes people vulnerable.
(I know this. I’ve helped so many creatives tell their story).
With such pressure on artists to be prolific (and rational about their madness), are enough people talking about when they are NOT inspired?
When they feel afraid, vulnerable or creatively empty.
English Tips for Artists | Mine to Your Connections
Artists & makers have ‘off’ days, times and seasons (even ‘off’ years and decades).
Knowing this will help you ward off unproductive times – or seek solutions for yourself when or if they do occur.
In terms of making bad times public, of course, you don’t have to spread it across your socials if you don’t want to.
It’s just that talking about feeling a lack of creativity can help others: and help others to help you.
Whichever path feels authentic to you, make sure you have some ways of finding help BEFORE you need it.
We Should Talk More About Some Things!
I believe sharing private fears can be one of the most courageous things you can do.
And I’ve been an artist. I know that talking about the art, design or music that you create makes you feel vulnerable.
But it can help grow an audience who cares and wants to support you.
Open up and share a fail, a bad day or an artwork which didn't work.
A Content Challenge for Artists
Try it!
Open up and share a fail, a bad day or an artwork which didn’t work.
See what happens.
A ‘professional network’ should involve sharing misses, bad days, processes, thinking, doodles and experiments – and anything else you have on your mind.
And if your mind is having a blank day – maybe risk letting the Social Media hive mind in to help!
Be open to receiving!
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