A Teenager Taming Turtles
I lied about my age to make my first blog.
I had no idea how to navigate the site. I just posted whatever I wanted. I simply didn’t want to be popular or well-known. I didn’t know what I was doing online – other than searching for Adobe Flash games or saving profile pictures for my Windows Live Messenger account (what a throwback, right?). I just wanted people outside of my circles to see the things I was passionate about.
“Punk Rock” Pirates
Later, I went with a different alias. Something edgier. It had no ties to an existing franchise, so things that were meaningful and personal to me could make it onto my posts. This change felt authentic (it certainly helped that I didn’t have to lie about my age anymore). This new me didn’t last forever. Like anyone else, I changed as I grew. I started to realize it then: I was trying to attract certain audiences to my content. It worked for a while. Aspiring artists, writers, and people who liked a good joke flocked to my little corner of the internet. Now, it’s strictly humor.
Pirates… Again
I’d take these names in stride and play along to what I believed they meant. I made an art blog, but like my first online alias, it was tied to a specific ‘fandom’. A small one, too. Its fans loved content creators. There’s little representation of their favorite franchise, so they’ll latch onto any dedicated writer or artist willing to create work for it. This experience was eye-opening. It made me realize I wanted to grow my audience and improve my social media analytical skills. There was a delicate balance in staying true to my personal style and making things marketable. Honestly, it was frustrating at times. I struggled with my identity as an artist and writer, wondering where the line was when it came to pleasing audiences versus being honest with myself.
History repeated.
This time, I felt the slow burn. I knew what it meant. It was disheartening. I mean, I put so much work into this blog. Friends and fans moved on over the years. Reluctant to let it go, I lagged behind them. The blog still stands as an archive of my past successes. I use it as a lesson for self-improvement.
Hindsight
Dee Thomson, a Canadian blogger known as adashofdee, explains the multilayered ideas behind crafting a marketable blog. I wish I knew these secrets when I started my first art blog, especially when she stressed the importance of relevance. I had trouble staying consistent with my art posts, losing followers if I don’t have a set schedule to adhere to. Persistence is key.
Born and Bread
I made another art blog recently. This one isn’t tied to any fanbase. Not really. I drew something silly, which took me a total of five minutes on MS Paint, and made that drawing my first post. It became viral within days. That post made it onto Tumblr’s front page, featured for thousands of users to see.
Weird.
Looking at it now, I had some subconscious idea of what the site’s most approachable humor was. As a long time user, it felt natural to make people smile that way. I didn’t think it’d grant me thousands of followers afterward.
Here’s to another journey of growth as an artist. I have a feeling I’ll get the hang of it, this time. The name’s pretty catchy to me, too. Then again, you can’t go wrong with name puns… and bread.