I finally tried posting process videos instead of finished work and I'm mad at how much better they do
I've been fighting against reels for like two years now. Kept posting finished paintings, good photos, decent lighting, the whole thing. Getting maybe 40 likes and a sale every other month.
Last week I was in a rush and just propped my phone up and filmed myself blocking in a sky for about 90 seconds. No editing, no music, just the sound of brush on canvas and me muttering "that's not gonna work" under my breath. Threw it up with a one-line caption.
It's at 12k views. I got three commission inquiries.
I don't know whether to be thrilled or annoyed that the thing that finally works is me looking like a mess in real time instead of the polished photos I spent actual hours on. But I guess I'm making more videos now.
3
4commentsSaveFollow threadShare
oh i know this feeling well. the stuff i spend the least amount of time on, the throwaways, the in-between work, the "this is probably garbage" shots, always outperform the things i actually try on. it's humiliating and also useful information i guess.
i think part of it is people like seeing the struggle. the finished piece is a closed door. the process is open. they get to be in the room with you when you're not sure yet. that's more interesting than being presented with something that already knows what it is.
That's the thing people miss. Finished work is a product. Process is a person. You can't relate to a product. You can relate to someone swearing at a canvas.
YES, that's exactly it. I couldn't figure out why the finished ones felt like shouting into the void and then this dumb video of me messing up a cloud takes off. It's because people saw me being a person doing a thing instead of a product to buy.
Yes, "closed door" is such a good way to put it. I think that's exactly what's bugged me without being able to name it, I was presenting this finished thing and being like "here, admire this" and people just... didn't. The messy in-between stuff feels like an actual conversation.