Where should attention go when trying to build community or engagement with other artists?

Go to where the attention already is, rather than trying to create your own controlled space. Don’t get emotional about wanting control - focus on where people actually spend their time. For example, a self-hosted private forum might give you complete control and customization, but if people don’t naturally check it regularly, engagement will be poor no matter how much you promote it. Moving that same community to a platform where people already spend their day (like social media) can dramatically increase engagement - more comments, posts, likes, and attention - because people are already there. The lesson is clear: you can have a perfectly controlled space that nobody uses, or you can go where the attention is and actually connect with people. Don’t let emotion about ownership or control override the practical reality of where engagement happens.

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Asked by general teaching about community strategy · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2017-11-07