As a creative, what is the hardest thing you can do?
Finding time to be creative is up there. Carving an hour or two out of our schedules. Trying not to compare ourselves is next. As you doom scroll and you start thinking “my work isn’t good enough because….“.
Letting go of metric is probably number 1.
For a time metrics and their “power” governed a lot of things we did around creative work. The death of social media means metrics are also losing their power.
I won’t lie to you – metrics are addictive.
I like to look at statistics on my Substack and website. Or my Instagram page. You can prove anything you want to with statistics and this makes it a double edged sword.
Let me elaborate.
Metrics have always been with us. From the first websites with hit counters. Then website statistics. Hits, visits & clicks. They just mutated a little bit into something more visible (like buttons, hearts) but they’ve always been there.
They have their uses. Is your about page getting any visits? Is the content strong enough to motivate people to subscribe or buy?
Metrics have turned many creatives into salesmen and women. Instead of enjoying our chosen art we think how many or how much. We create for others. We create for algorithms.
Trust yourself not the metrics.
Metrics are all bad. Surely.
Well not really. In my opinion at least. Metrics can be used as a vanity measure or they can show you what is working VS what isn’t. Metrics are not the definitive yardstick for things. Metrics are visual representations of opinions.
What advice can I give from my time as a hobby photographer?
Forget metrics and just do it.
Want to go out and shoot street photography? Just do it. Want to start writing about photography? Just do it. The people who enjoy your work will find you. The people who will support your work will find you. If you don’t put in the work, don’t put yourself out there no one is going to find you. The work you do in your chosen medium will find an audience. It will take time, all good things do.
Use metrics. Don’t let metrics use you. It sounds like one hand clapping right?
Putting in the time, creating, find what works, discard what doesn’t, learn new skills. All these should be done regardless of what metrics say.
Caveat – metrics play a role in building an audience, even if it is a small. People notice things which other people share & recommend. Word of mouth is a powerful form of advertisement.
tl;dr – Metrics have their place. Metrics are by no means an indication of quality. Your audience will recognize the quality of your work. Use metrics, don’t let them use you.
Thanks for reading : )