Why does posting only my artwork on social media not work?

Posting only your artwork is like running a TV channel that shows nothing but commercials 24/7—no one wants to watch that. Your art pieces are the commercials. If you want to show commercials, you need to create programming around them. The programming is who you are as a human being: your story, what you do when you’re not creating, where your creative eye came from, whether you’re a dog or cat person, coffee or tea, your interests and personality. People make purchasing decisions from people they know, like, and trust. If all you show is art without giving anyone a chance to know you, they can’t build that connection. This is why many artists find that only other artists follow them and engagement is low—they’re running the ‘art gatling gun’ instead of having a conversation.

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Asked by artists struggling with social media · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-08-03