5 Social Tips for Creatives from Luis Ruiz
With the constant offer of new social media platforms and a vast community of users around the globe, the potential for you and your creativity to reach all kinds of people is bigger than ever before.
With so many people spending time browsing content, don’t you think that there has to be mutual interests amongst all those users? This is how communities are made online, and everyone can find their “tribe.” Keep in mind, those memorable characters that you follow and like so much weren’t made overnight.
Below is an easy 5 step guide to finding your voice and amplifying your creativity to the fullest across social media:
1) Cut the Cheese
Lets get this over with. We’ve always been told that each and every one of us is unique in our own way, but the contradiction of popular culture is that we are always encouraged to follow trends and “belong.” I don’t need to tell you that being yourself is the key to happiness and success, because I’d like to believe that you already know that 🙂 . The hard part lies in trusting and diving into your ideas head on.
2) Turn a Blind Eye
Researching and discovering content that you admire is key to keeping yourself motivated, but like with most things, too much is never good for you. Browsing through images “contaminates” the brain in a way, because your memories hold a repertoire of what you’ve previously seen and when you begin to create, these images will be provided by your brain for reference. Then boom! You’ve lost the fight of coming up with something new now that your brain has a quick go-to image to remind you of what you intend to create. Lesson is: Always be observant and witty, but set limits in order to ensure that you grow on your own.
Whether it’s the fear of becoming a jack of all trades, but a master of none, or simply a fire inside you that is asking to challenge yourself, a good attitude and a willingness to learn will always push you further into becoming a better version of yourself. Exercising your talent is just like going to the gym. When illustrating, the hand is made up of muscles which have a memory of their own. You’ll get traces done much more quickly and with a better quality over time. Regarding photography, your sight will be sharpened and your eyes will gain productive habits that will save you time for composition and create great shots. Just don’t forget about patience, because otherwise you’ll turn into a creatively blocked madman.
4) It’s Social Media = Socialize!
Engagement is the golden road of social media, but it’s a two-way street. No one enjoys yelling into an indifferent void, and that’s how ignored engagement translates into an oblivious content creator. Responding to comments, writing captions addressing your followers and creating posts that invite input is a way to ensure loyalty and humanize you and your brand even further. Distancing yourself from the produced and cold facade of social media will create a more intimate and comfortable atmosphere for your followers whenever they notice your content across their feeds.
Above all things, the profile and content that you post should be liked by one person only: you! The profiles that you make on any kind of social media platform are meant to be a safe space for you where you can enjoy yourself and get to share with others. When it stops being fun for you (which is ok) it’s time to take a break, breathe, and experiment with other things that you enjoy. Change is always a good thing.
Don’t allow your dreams to stay purely in your mind, put the work in and make them come to life!
I look forward to seeing your creativity grow,
Luis