Hit 500 followers on my art account and it messed with my head

I hit 500 followers on my digital art Instagram last week and honestly it was way more awkward than I expected. I've been posting sketches and finished pieces for about 8 months now, mostly fan art and original character designs. The number just snuck up on me because I wasn't really checking my stats, you know? Then suddenly I got this weird pressure to keep the content consistent and not mess up (which is totally irrational I know). It feels like there's a tiny audience now that actually expects stuff from me. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that made them rethink their whole posting strategy?

3 comments

3 Comments

theajohnson6d ago

500 followers is such a weird spot because it feels like you're supposed to have figured it out by then but you really haven't. I hit 300 on my fanart page last month and suddenly started second guessing every piece I posted before finishing it. Did you notice a specific type of art getting more likes or comments after you hit 500 that made you feel like you had to lean into one style?

the_robin5d ago

Hang on, you said you hit 300 followers last month but you're asking about what happens after 500? I'm a little confused... maybe you meant 300 and you're wondering what's coming next? Anyway, to your question, yeah I noticed a weird shift around then. My car sketches with a certain brand of headlight got way more attention than the detailed engine rebuilds I actually enjoyed drawing. It made me feel like I had to keep doing those to please people, even though I was getting bored of them.

jennifer_jones175d ago

You've got it a bit twisted there. You said you hit 300 last month, not 500. I think you're asking about what happens at 500 because you're worried about the future. That's fair, but don't get too ahead of yourself. The shift you're feeling at 300 is real, and it only gets louder at 500. For me, the pressure to stick with one style was huge because that one style got the most comments. It started to feel like I was boxing myself in, and that's a bad place to be. Don't let the numbers decide what you draw, or you'll wake up one day hating the thing that used to make you happy.