Unrelated thoughts on why and how to share your generative art publicly

I believe very strongly in sharing your work constantly. It’s powerful and it’s fun. Below is a collection of unrelated reflections on the last year of leaning into posting more and more.

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Somehow, immediately after posting, and only after posting, I know exactly what needs to change or come next with the work. It has nothing to do with likes or comments. Simply clicking ‘tweet’ and then viewing the image on my profile or feed creates enough separation to generate an idea or insight.

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Posting consistently helps you conquer insecurity - some posts do well, some don’t, but I know that I can’t really predict performance so it no longer affects my self-esteem. 

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Any negative or positive feedback you receive via comments can reveal how you actually feel about the piece. Do you really love / hate it? Or did you just think you did? When someone says they hate a piece, you either find yourself feeling defensive or apathetic, and that’s a valuable signal.

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Sometimes people have great ideas. And they’ll tell you them! And you’ll never know until you put something out in the world.

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If you’re trying to sell your work, then posting allows you to get a better understanding of how it might perform. It’s not 100% accurate, but if your posts aren’t being engaged with, it is more likely than not that they won’t sell. A ‘like’ is cheaper than a dollar. And that’s important to know.

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Posting gives you a visual journal of your progress. I have 100k+ WIPs of my latest project so I never go through them all. It’s much easier to browse through the ~50-100 I’ve posted on twitter in order to revisit old ideas and see the journey.

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Perhaps most importantly, sharing is a great way to meet new, interesting people.

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One reason people give for not sharing their work is a concern that others will copy or steal their ideas. Ironically, posting is the very thing that prevents this by documenting that you started on the piece first.

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People overestimate the cost of sharing their work. There’s no need to think about anything. Just take an image you like and post it. Repeat.

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If you’re nervous, make an anonymous account. It helps a lot.

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Don’t try to ‘strategize’ or overthink it - authenticity is what matters most. Just wait till you are legitimately excited about something and then share that feeling.

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