Why I’m Ending My Social Media Accounts as an Artist

The main inspiration for quitting social media came from watching Julia Bausenhardt’s video on YouTube.

She echoed many things that I have been feeling about being an artist on social media. If you are an artist curious about this topic, I recommend watching her video and contemplating what you want out of the platform and whether it is serving you correctly.

In true 2021 fashion, I’m about to go to a funeral, and I’ve found myself in a medical job the last year.
I’m exhausted.

Having very few extra fucks to give and energy to expend makes what you want clearer, or at least what you don’t want.

The bullet points of why I am leaving are these:
· I’m not interested in making content for a conglomerate that doesn’t pay me.
· I’d rather have two people who want to see my work and seek it out see it than 5,000 who don’t care. That’s a waste of everyone’s time. I’d rather my stuff be something that a Seeker finds than a billboard in a loud crowd.
· The expiration date of Instagram posts is about four hours. I’m not making that kind of thing; I don’t fit with what this site promises; thus, my contributions are not the right fit for this platform or its audience, and again, I am wasting the viewers’ and my own time.

Three of the most important things are:
· I don’t want to socialize on social media. I don’t consider it to be a fulfilling human connection.
· I want a healthier connection to art and artists. I want to make a plan for how I view art and artists I enjoy seeing and actually invest in those artists. I myself do not spend as much money on art as I am taking in, because I am getting my fill from media. It’s not the whole connection I want to have, and it’s not respectful, in my opinion, to the artists. I will be thinking of how to do this better. For now, I have compiled a list of artists I am going to keep in touch with.
· The best work I did was when I wasn’t catering to social media, so that’s what I’m going back to.


What I am doing:
· Focusing on articles, things of interest, and art for my website, clarebohning.com, so people who are interested in those things can find them and share them.
· Selling art and stuff on Etsy.
· Making stuff to be viewed and/or bought on my Inprnt store.

I want to view, make, and exchange art in a way that seems more ethical and better for me. I’ll be reviewing and changing things as I go. Other artist friends, I’d love to hear what you are doing as you go. I feel it’s time for an artist revolution.

And finally,

I am so glad I have had the exchanges I have had on this platform, and what I have shared here I have shared because I wanted to, and if you found some interest in or thoughts on it, good, that was the intent. Going forward, I hope to do it in a better way. Thank you for going with me this far. If our paths cross again, it will be at exactly the right time, and if they don’t, they weren’t meant to. J

My parting thoughts are: Please do what you know you need to do. And if people or things tell you differently, think of me in your head saying “Oh hell fucking no, etc. We have shit to, do and there’s no time for that.”

ONWARD!!!
Clare