Salutations! I Hope You Are Having A Wonderful Day, And/or Night. I Feel Sheepish To Ask, Since I Feel

Salutations! I hope you are having a wonderful day, and/or night. I feel sheepish to ask, since I feel it might be a silly question, but do you have any tips for how to get over anxiety about posting artwork? Especially when first starting out posting, and having the feeling of nobody liking it. And then having the slow wait and the uncomfortable moments where you want to delete whatever you posted. This might be a loaded question, and I apologize once again, but I thought it was worth asking, since you have talked about having anxiety about such things before. It's something I'm having to tackle at the moment, and thought to ask about. You are always very mindful about things, so I just wanted to know if you had anything to say. Once again, thank you for your time. You're an amazing person, and have an amazing week. 🖤🖤🖤

Hi! I'm flattered you value my thoughts enough to ask! I'm not very good at giving advice but I can try. I'm only speaking for myself and how I look at these things, so don't treat this as universal truth or a big motivational speech or anything.

But yes, I know exactly what you mean, the feeling of anxiety and awkwardness about posting art. Finally collecting the courage to do it and then being hit with a wave of self-consciousness and a visceral urge to delete it. I don't think I have any quick and practical tips for overcoming it, I'm afraid.

I'd encourage you to try to avoid deleting your art posts, even if it feels bad looking at them. Working hard on something and seeing that it isn't getting the response you hoped for hurts, understandably so. But you have to keep in mind that building a gallery, finding mutuals and attracting an "audience" is a slow process, it takes time for the right people to find you. If you keep removing stuff those people will never have the chance to connect with your work. Imagine them coming across your account, stopping to look around briefly, seeing that there's not much to see and leaving. If you have more artwork to show (even if some of it is not perfect), you may be able to hold their attention longer, and they might follow you because they have a reason to believe you will make more.

If it gets truly unbearable, you always have the option to go back and delete the post that's causing you anxiety. It's your art and your account, your choice and your right to do that. But doing it regularly can turn into self-sabotage quickly, and prevent you from getting past the uncomfortable entry level.

It gets easier over time. You build a tolerance for that uneasy, exposed feeling. I know everyone says this and it's practically impossible to do in reality, but try not to get discouraged by numbers. They don't determine the value of your work or the level of your skill. Don't think "nobody likes this", think "the people who would like this haven't seen it".

Virality is often short lived and disloyal, don't compare yourself to hit posts. People who get famous overnight lose the majority of their following as soon as their fans find the next cool thing. Focus on the people who are actually invested in what you make long-term. It sounds cliche, but a comment or string of thoughtful tags will most certainly motivate and inspire you more than any number of anonymous likes.

Be patient, engage with people who have similar interests as you to build a meaningful online circle that you enjoy sharing things with, and try to learn to love your art more than the amount of notes it gets.