Let the dice roll

Most of the creative people I know roll their eyes at social media.

And I get it.

These platforms can easily amplify discouragement and overwhelm.

Because of that, we tend to have one of two reactions. We feel a lot of pressure to feed the machine, so we start posting like crazy, only to quickly burn out. Or we give up on ever posting on social media and develop a cynical spirit.

I’ve ping-ponged between these extremes many times.

Why I stay on social media

But I can’t deny the benefits of posting consistently on social media. Over the years, I’ve noticed a clear correlation between posting and opportunities. When I post on social media somewhat consistently, new opportunities are easier to find, and more opportunities tend to find me.

I’ve concluded that social media is ultimately a blessing when it comes to my creative work.

There has been no other time in history when it’s been so (relatively) easy for creative people to share their work and find the people who enjoy it. By “easy,” I just mean that there are options and opportunities available to us that haven’t been available to creatives before us.

The board game

Andy Pizza (from the excellent “Creative Pep Talk” podcast) has encouraged me to see social media as a board game. The true win of this game isn’t to get a viral post, get famous, or become a mega-millionaire; the win of the social media game is to become familiar, build trust, and earn an ongoing connection with a group of people who find value in the creative work you do.

My overwhelm with social media is usually tied to my expectations of social media. I want each post to “win the game,” which is a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on each post. I’ve thought I needed each post to introduce me to new people, earn credibility, gain trust, make deep connections, entertain, and sell my creative work all at once.

It’s just one roll of the dice

Andy has helped me think of posting like rolling dice.

I like that analogy for social media because it makes room for having a strategy while appreciating that some things are out of my control.

Posting on social media is often a guessing game. You throw something out there, and it might get little to no traction, or it might perform relatively well. Over time, I can learn what kinds of posts are working and resonating with my audience, but even still, each post is a roll of the dice. I’m throwing it out there, having no idea how far down the board it will take me.

When I think of social media in this way, it helps me ride the wave of disappointment when a post does not do as well as I hoped. Instead of spiraling into the sinking feeling that I’m failing the game (or that people must not like me or the things I’m creating), I can acknowledge that it’s disappointing that this roll of the dice didn’t get me as far down the board as I wanted.

In my disappointment, remembering that I can always just pick up the dice and roll again is empowering.

Define the win

By the way, I love playing board games, and I’ve heard that one of my superpowers is teaching my friends how to play new games.

When explaining a game, I always start with “the point of the game is to…”

I’ve found that if I start explaining the game’s rules before defining the ultimate goal, my friends get easily lost and confused.

I suspect many of us sharing our creative work on social media aren’t clear about what we are trying to accomplish. It sucks the fun out of playing the game when you aren’t even sure what winning looks like. When I start to feel frustrated, irritated, and overwhelmed by social media, it has been helpful to take a deep breath and redefine why I’m playing the game.

The real win of social media (and art) isn’t fame or money; the win is connection.

Those of us who are trying to make a living with our creative work shouldn’t be put off by this because the thing is, the more we choose to focus on connecting with others through social media and our creative work, it’s likely the added benefits attention and money will follow.

Moving down the board

I have been incredibly discouraged and frustrated by many individual things I’ve posted on social media.

But when I zoom out and keep rolling the dice, I’ve noticed that posting on social gets me further down the board.

Showing up and sharing what I have on a somewhat consistent basis has built trust and relationships with me and my audience. That connection with my people is incredibly rewarding and satisfying all by itself. But that ongoing investment in connecting has also produced new opportunities for me to grow my creative endeavors over the years.

My encouragement to fellow creators is to define the win and just keep rolling the dice. You might continue to be disappointed by individual rolls, but over time, I think you will notice that you’re moving down the board.