Many people say the reason for them not to join social networks is…
- I don’t have the time
- I’d rather be in the studio
- I don’t want any extra time commitment
- The result in comparison to the time effort is too small
There is no way denying it – being active on social platforms is time consuming. It is very understandable if you would rather spend your time in your studio or networking offline.
However – communicating about yourself, your business or your product will be necessary in order to survive, and can be very enjoyable too.
If you are serious about art being your business (and you don’t want to be dependent on somebody else who will market your art) there is no way around social media.
It is just as necessary as having a website. The question is not if but
How to use social media without losing too much time or energy
As a freelancer you will probably have worked out some kind of daily routine for yourself already.
Let’s look at some of the daily routines of the world’s most famous people.
How much of their time did they actually work creatively? How much time did they spend reading or communicating with others?
Let me recommend a blog and a book about this subject: ‘Daily rituals: How Artists work’ by Mason Currey.
What surprised me was how little time some of these people actually spend doing their primary work. For example W.A. Mozart was able to write this incredible amount of music in just four hours per day while taking six hours for social activities and two hours for walks. Thomas Mann only dedicated three hours per day to writing while spending 6 hours for reading and 6 hours for social. Victor Hugo: two hours for writing, 12 hours for social!
Yes, these people were geniuses, and maybe we can’t compare ourselves with them.
But it does seem just as important for the creative process to be social as to be private and focused on the actual work. Social activities in those days meant going out to eat or drink and communicate with other creative people, friends or family. I am sure by talking to people they were also able to make new ‘business’ contacts and open new opportunities. Of course this sounds not only enjoyable but also inspiring. What if we can find this quality time also online?
If we don’t see social networking as business marketing working time we could see it as time to talk to friends and people that share our interests.
Finding your own daily social media routine
Of course everyone will have to find his own rhythm. I suggest planning in one hour of social networking per day – making this time as enjoyable as possible by choosing a comfortable place to sit and sipping your favorite drink.
While some of your posts can be scheduled there is nothing like the direct real-time chat for making new contacts, staying in touch with your online community, getting inspiration and doing ‘business’.
You may add another half hour to schedule posts for the next day. But that’s enough! Don’t fall into the trap of wanting to be online all day – checking and answering every comment immediately. This would be very likely to distract from your life’s purpose and will not really expand your community, influence or happiness.
See post next week: How to stay authentic on social media platforms.
Further reading:
