I've been noticing a lot of artists having a tough time with Instagram lately. I've noted that my posts aren't reaching others in the same way they have in the past. From what I have noted, Instagram seems to just be recognizing two of my drawings. These keep bouncing around Instagram, reaching all kinds of audiences...and the truth is...they're not even my best drawings. They're decent...but not the best...and I really wish I could redirect the attention these drawings are getting.
The drawing I believe to be the best I've drawn is Wind Dragons. This drawing required me to learn some new things and to really push myself. I am very proud of this drawing.
Why do I bring up this drawing when I'm talking about a trash algorithm? BECAUSE IT BOMBED ON INSTAGRAM. I'm not bothered by this in the least because I freaking love this drawing and really do think it's my best to date. What I am bothered by is the algorithm's failure to recognize decent art and its failure to allow people to see decent art. Many artists I follow and admire are also experiencing this problem. They put their heart and soul into pieces that, for some reason, don't end up being seen...and, unfortunately, people start seeing this as a measure of worth...which is unfortunate.
To any internet soul reading this and doubting their ability to make decent art because of some algorithm's less than stellar behavior...keep making your art. Your art is amazing. Instagram is just a content-hungry platform that thrives on people's time. It is not an art critic or a measure of your worth. I hate that so much of an artist's visibility is dependent on a capricious algorithm...but I hope that people will start realizing that the algorithm-not their art- is trash.