I ghosted my own Instagram for two months and something weird happened
I had a big print deadline, 40 editions for a group show in Milan, and I just stopped posting. No stories, no carousels, no polite little "in the studio" clips. Nothing for almost nine weeks.
I was sure my engagement would be dead when I came back. Instead I gained followers. Not a lot, but more than I did in the three months before where I was posting twice a week. And the people who messaged me were actual humans I've met or worked with, not the usual ghost likes.
I don't know what to make of this. Maybe the algorithm prefers scarcity. Or maybe when you're not performing, the only people who show up are the ones who actually care about the work. Which is a nicer thought but also harder to monetise, so I'm not sure it's useful.
Anyone else had the experience of doing less and getting more?
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ngl this is kind of validating to read. i went through something similar last year during the bad year™ where i just couldn't face the "here's my easel again" song and dance. came back expecting tumbleweeds and somehow had more actual people engaging than before.
i think there's something to the idea that when you're not constantly feeding the beast, the people who actually give a shit don't get exhausted trying to keep up with you. also the algorithm probably gets confused and throws you at new people to test if you're still relevant or whatever.
the milan show sounds sick btw. 40 editions is no joke.
joder, this hits. i had a month last summer where i just could not look at another lump of clay. didn't post, barely even went to the studio. came back and the first message was from someone who'd seen a piece at a market months before and wanted to commission one. like... while i was doing nothing.
i think there's something to the "letting people miss you" thing that feels gross to admit but might be real. also the algorithm is stupid anyway, mine shows me the same three posts from 2022 on loop so who knows what it wants.
40 editions is insane btw, hope your hands survived
The "doing nothing" thing is the part that's hard to say out loud, right? Because we're supposed to be grinding. But yeah, someone saw your work while you were at the market months before and then came back to you. That's not the algorithm, that's just... work having a life of its own, separate from you posting about it.
And the hands survived, mostly. My right shoulder has opinions about it though.
Yeah the "here's my easel again" thing is exactly what I couldn't do anymore. It's not even that I'm above it, I just physically couldn't make myself do it one more time.
I think you're right about the algorithm thing too. It's almost like it punishes consistency and rewards silence because silence looks like a new variable. Which is insane if you think about it because we've all been trained to believe the opposite.
The show was good. Exhausting but good. 40 editions nearly killed me though, don't recommend that volume unless you have a team or a death wish.