Quitting is Trendy, but So Is This!
We're trying something new today by kicking off the edition with a question from the field, this one from a Thread friend.
"Am I better off focusing [selling art] locally rather than online or online over local?" - Dustin G.
The almost non-answer is that it should be both because even if you're in a busy metropolis like Los Angeles or New York, you may not find enough venues to sell the work locally to make a good living. That said, selling in person is so much more rewarding because you get to talk to people in a way that is unmatched online.
If you have the chance to participate in local art fairs and events, do it. If you love it, do more. If you don't love it, double down on your online presence.
Quitting and restarting is the new black
Vanessa Lau, a rising star on YouTube in the business influencer space, suddenly quit all of her online presence in 2023. She disappeared for an entire year with all sorts of speculation as to why the sudden departure.
Lau suddenly showed up on YouTube after a full year away from the platform to talk about her disappearance and surprise, surprise, the reason was completely and total burnout from trying to hustle on a thing she no longer cared about.
There have been many stories published recently of YouTubers quitting or taking a break. For some, it's burnout, and for others, it's a shifting of priorities and needs. Some of these people just want a new job after working at the same one for years or decades.
If there are people we follow on social media because they consistently show up and provide good content, we almost rely on them being there, but it's crazy to think that anyone would want to continue doing the same job indefinitely.
Call it coincidence or irony, but this past week also marks my own departure from my YouTube channel and I also had an inkling to start making videos again, but under different terms. Before I left, I was making videos about print-on-demand and design software, which is cool but not my passion. During the pandemic, though, I had some success with a couple of videos talking about those things.
Instead of accepting it as a one-off and continuing to do the videos I wanted to make, I leaned into the algorithm right up until I got bored and tired.
I don't know how many, if any, of the YouTubers that have quit will return. Some likely will, but in a different capacity. If I do, though, it will be on my terms and not the algorithm.
QUESTION:
Have you ever considered quitting your online presence?
The one where we talk about pay-to-play schemes in art and why Julie is stalking people on dating apps.
A brand new episode of Not as Interesting as We Think just dropped this morning, and we get into some heavy topics, including how to avoid becoming a victim of pay-to-play schemes, turning free content into products, and if mimicking the process of others can make you a better artist.
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