What If You Hate Making the Art That Performs the Best?

How to protect your peace and grow your art business without selling out

There’s nothing more frustrating than pouring your heart into a piece of art you love, only to post it and… crickets. Then you upload something you made in a fugue state with zero emotional attachment, and bam, it goes viral.

This happens to me all the time. And it’s one of the biggest things my students vent about inside my Artist Reset Mentorship program, feeling like their best work is invisible unless they water it down to fit the algorithm. I help them find a way to make art that actually sells and still feels like them.

That’s why I personally POST EVERYTHING. I don’t try to predict what’s going to hit, because I’ve learned that quantity over perfection actually works better for my art.

Posting freely helps with my perfectionism and keeps me moving. Even when a product of mine flops, I learn something. I use that info to tweak my next post and keep my momentum going.

But over time, this dynamic can lead to a full-on identity crisis. Because the art that makes you happiest to create isn’t always the same art that keeps your engagement up. Welcome to the emotional hell of creating for yourself vs. creating for the algorithm.

The Hidden Cost of Chasing Virality

Burnout isn’t a maybe, it’s a guarantee if you’re constantly molding your content around what gets the most clicks.

Especially if you’re juggling a full-time job, health issues, or you only have a few creative hours per week. It’s way too easy to fall into the trap of making only what you think other people want. And that’s when resentment kicks in. You start to hate your audience. Hate your art. And eventually? Hate yourself.

But here’s the twist: the algorithm isn’t asking you to sell out. It’s just asking you to be consistent.

And if your version of consistency is one post per week? Great. If you can post daily because you’ve built a flow that doesn’t burn you out? Also great. There’s no one-size-fits-all content plan. But the most important thing is that you don’t sacrifice your mental health for a few extra likes.

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When to Follow the Numbers (and When to Follow Your Gut)

If you’re running an art business, I highly recommend setting aside one “audit day” per month to review your analytics. See what worked. See what bombed.

That why you gotta know what your “quick wins” are in your content that almost always brings in engagement or sales.

That doesn’t mean you have to make the same thing forever. You’re a human being. You’re going to evolve. Your work will too. So give yourself space to test new ideas. It keeps things interesting for your followers and your future self.

Creative freedom and strategy can absolutely coexist. The art you make to heal your inner child doesn’t have to die just so you can survive capitalism. You just need to learn how to present it differently.

So what should you actually check on audit day?

Here are five things to peek at every month to keep your content from going stale:

1. Top-Performing Posts
   Look at your most liked, saved, shared, or commented posts. What do they have that others don’t? Is it the color palette, the quote, the format, the timing? Learn what your audience can’t scroll past, and why.

2. Website Traffic Sources
   Check which platforms are actually sending people to your site. Pinterest? Threads? Instagram? Direct traffic? Double down on what’s working and drop the dead weight.

3. Shop Conversion Rate
   How many people are actually buying once they land on your product page? If a post went viral but no one bought anything, your content isn’t the problem, your product presentation might be.

4. Newsletter Growth
   Is your list growing or flatlining? Which freebie or content brought in the most sign-ups? This tells you what your audience really values and what to make more of.

5. Engagement-to-Follower Ratio
   Don’t get tricked by vanity metrics. If you have 10,000 followers but only 100 likes per post, something’s off. Use this data to test different tones, visuals, or CTAs until your audience starts responding again.

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You Don’t Need to Change Your Art, Just How You Present It

No, I’m not telling you to water down your weirdness or paint only what sells. I’m telling you to repackage what you already love into content that’s either:

• Educational

• Entertaining

A super simple first step? Add text to your posts.

Especially for traditional or fine artists, people can’t guess what your work is about. That context can be the difference between someone scrolling past and someone clicking “add to cart.”

And please stop posting dry process tutorials unless your audience is other artists. Unless you’re offering marketing templates, coaching sessions, or digital tools like I do, you’re wasting your time showing every little brushstroke. Artists are some of the pickiest buyers out there, and most of them will just try to recreate it themselves.

Still want to show the process? Absolutely do it! Just tell a story while you do.

What to Post Instead: Creative Content by Artist Type

Here are some plug-and-play ideas for turning your existing art into engaging content without selling your soul:

Fine Artists / Traditional Painters

ENTERTAIN: Tell a story about the chaotic mess it took to finish the piece
EDUCATE: Share a weird art history fact, or a quote that inspired the color palette

Digital Artists

ENTERTAIN: Fake lore or a made-up character backstory that pulls people in
EDUCATE: Break down design choices, color theory, or subtle easter eggs (without giving away your full process)

Fantasy / Anime / Whimsical Artists

ENTERTAIN: “This character definitely has beef with your therapist” energy
EDUCATE: Share where your design inspiration came from—books, history, pop culture, etc.

Pet Portrait Artists

ENTERTAIN: Tell a funny or sweet story about the pet (with permission)
EDUCATE: Explain how you stylize or personalize each portrait to match the animal’s personality

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Want Help Building Your Art Business Without Burning Out?

I'm currently accepting a few more artists into my Mentorship Program, a 6-month creative reset to help you go full-time without the chaos.

$69/week gets you:

• One monthly meeting

• Unlimited email support

• A custom sales funnel

• Newsletter, website, and social strategy support