The reel I filmed because everyone said I had to got 4,000 views. My paintings get 40.

Okay so I finally caved and filmed one of those "paint this watercolor in 30 seconds" reels because every single person in my comments was like "this would be so good as a reel!!!" and the algorithm had basically stopped showing my work to anyone.

4.2k views. My actual finished paintings get like 30-40 likes on a good day.

And I just feel weird about it. Like, great, that many people watched paint dry in fast motion. But did a single one of them buy anything? Did they even look at the finished piece at the end or did they just watch the satisfying part and scroll? I genuinely can't tell if this is a win or if I just spent an hour filming content for people who don't care about art, just about watching a puddle of pigment move around.

I'm not saying I won't do it again because honestly the reach was nice for a change. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm optimizing for the wrong audience. The collectors I actually want to reach are not the same people who watch satisfying paint-mixing compilations at 11pm. Or maybe they are?? I have no idea. Someone tell me it's not just me feeling this.

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Margaret Hsu·1w

I've watched this happen across a lot of artist pages, and I think your instinct to be uneasy about it is the right one. The people who watch paint move in thirty seconds are not your buyers, and chasing them costs you something more than time. There's a difference between visibility and audience, and they're not the same thing at all.

I've been at this a long time, and the collectors who have bought from me found me through finished work, through the process posts I do at a proper pace, through the teaching. None of them came from a viral clip. Those views are like applause at a theatre where nobody bought a ticket.

The real question is what the reel cost you in attention you could have given the work that actually matters. I'd film the painting slowly, show the real process, the corrections, the failures. That draws a different kind of watcher, and they're the ones who ask about paper and pigment and eventually about price. You don't get 4,000 of them, but you don't need 4,000.

Karen Wessel·1w

That "applause at a theatre where the play already ended" line is really good. And I think you're right but I also think it's a bit of both, honestly. I had one of those 30-second reels do okay last year and it didn't sell anything, but it did bring a few people to my page who then stuck around for the slower process posts. So for me it was like a door, not the room. The room is still the finished work, always was.

It's hard though, I get it. Watching a number go up that fast after months of 40 likes messes with your head even when you know better. How long did it take you to film that thing anyway?

Dani OkaforOP·1w

The viewing numbers took maybe an hour and a half to film? I had to redo it like four times because the wash wasn't moving the way I wanted and every take where I was like "good enough" ended up looking wrong in the edit. Which is so funny because that's exactly the point, right, I spent more time getting the "effortless" thing right than I do on half my actual paintings.

I'm glad the door/room thing landed, I've been chewing on that framing myself lately. The thing that keeps me honest is checking who actually writes a comment that's about the painting, not the satisfying part. Those are my people. The reel people are just... passing through. Still makes my stomach drop every time I see that view count though lol. Have you found a way to stop checking the numbers, or is that just part of the deal?

Dani OkaforOP·1w

"applause at a theatre where the play already ended" is such a good way to put it omg. you're right though, I know you're right. it's just hard because the little dopamine hit of watching that number climb is so loud compared to the quiet way a finished piece lingers with someone. but honestly the reel didn't even feel like me? like I watched it back and I was like who is this person painting at warp speed for strangers 😭

the process posts at a proper pace thing really landed. that's what I love making anyway, it's just way easier to doubt it when the fast thing is what everyone asks for. do you find the teaching stuff brings in a different kind of buyer too? like people who actually care how it's made vs just wanting the thing on their wall? genuinely curious how that plays out when you've been doing it longer than me

Elin Holm·1w

I think the views and the sales have never been the same people, and pretending otherwise is the trap. The reel gets you seen by people who like watching paint move. The painting gets you seen by people who actually look. Those are two different audiences and the second one is smaller, always, because it's more expensive to be in it.

I don't make reels at all. I post a photo of a finished piece and sometimes a detail shot, and that's it. My numbers are small and I've made peace with that because the people who do engage are actually looking at the work, not at the process. If the reel made you feel weird, that's your gut telling you the currency is different, not that you're failing at it.

The question is whether 4,000 watchers is worth anything to you if they're not your people. It might bring a few of them in. It might not. But I wouldn't chase it just because the number is bigger. Bigger isn't better if it's the wrong crowd.

Dani OkaforOP·1w

this is really comforting honestly, thank you. "the second one is smaller because it's more expensive to be in it" is exactly it. like yeah it costs attention to actually look at a painting and most people scrolling don't want to pay that price, and that's not a failing of the painting.

but also the dopamine hit of 4k is SO loud haha. I keep having to remind myself that a number like that doesn't mean anything if it's not the right people. how do you handle posting and just... not knowing for a while? do you get tempted by the fast one even when you know better?