Artists often have this shame about “promoting” what they are doing, even if it’s something they do for no monetary gain. They are afraid of bothering people, or they are doing the bare minimum when they have a new piece to show.
This is a trap I fall into way too much. But I’m slowly learning how foolish this is.
Here is a personal example:
All my illustrations are set in the same universe and continuity. For years, I’ve hidden details and recurring patterns (signs, landmarks, characters…) in order to connect them all. But here is the thing: I never told anyone about it.
Except to my partner and a few vague posts on social media, I never said explicitly that I was engaged in this project.
But here is the thing: nobody would look for clues if they didn’t know something was there to find!
What we need to remember is that people are busy: Nobody is as engaged as you are about your work.
Introduce your work to newcomers
When you want someone new to feel included in your social group, it’s good to take the time to clue them in: explain your private jokes, shared history and important context when they come up. In interpersonal relationship theory, this is sometimes referred to as “giving the keys” of the group. This is also something you should strive for if you want new people to feel invited into your work.
Action: Introduce your OC once again, even if you already did a few months ago. If your work is more theme-focused, explain once again what your symbols mean and what you’re trying to accomplish with your work.
Share old work again
Not everybody followed your journey since the very beginning, and even fewer remember everything they saw from you. They might not even know where to find your older work, even if they wanted to!
Action: Repost an older piece as it is. No changes needed. You can also celebrate the anniversary of certain projects, share some reflections/retrospectives alongside the work itself. It’s a lot of fun!
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One more important point:
In order to eliminate shame, you need to remember the value of your work. You make art to carry a message or a story, connect with people, and make them smile or wonder. If you remember that your art is there to improve people’s lives, you suddenly don’t have to feel any shame sharing it with the right people.
I could go on for a long time on this point, but please remember this.
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I, and a lot of artists and creators of any kind, would benefit greatly from talking about our work more often; not only to welcome newcomers, but also to make existing fans feel part of something bigger.
I’m still learning, but I hope those thoughts can help some of you on your journey!
Take care!