The algorithm is one of the biggest challenges artists face today. It’s a fight we are not equipped to win— the algorithm constantly changes and keeping up with it is exhausting. I’ve seen so many artists express their frustration with social media lately. The reach is down, followers are decreasing, and engagement is so bad that only a handful of people are seeing the posts. I wish I could reach across the screen and remind them of something important. Yes, the algorithm sucks. Yes, the numbers are down. But that has nothing to do with your worth. Most of the time, those numbers don’t mean anything. And reality check — you don’t even own them.

The Algorithm Took My Joy

In a world where speed is praised, I choose myself and care over it. I used to be so frustrated with social media. I couldn’t grow my account, and I didn’t know how to get people to like my art. Everyone says, “You have to be consistent. Post every day.” So I tried that. But here’s what happened:

1. It was so much work to make new art every day.

2. I started hating my art, and lost all motivation to create.

But I don’t think we really understand what social media is actually for. It’s not just about posting consistently, it’s about creating conversation. How do you do that? By engaging.

Rewriting My Rules

When I was putting so much power on the almighty algorithm, I was suffering. Drawing, which is what I love to do, became a chore. It felt like I had to draw—not because I wanted to, but to please the algorithm gods who expected a post every single day. You have no idea how quickly I burned out. Social media alone is a full-time job. Add content creation and client work, and suddenly you’re a burned-out, overwhelmed artist

The Break That Changed Everything

I always ended up giving up posting, and went back to blaming the algorithm. I would say things like

“See? The algorithm hates me.”

“I will never grow my account.”

“I am not good enough because people aren’t seeing my posts.”

I had handed it all the power. And it made me start to resent drawing. I ended up taking a break from all social media. Zero posts for about 6 months.

And let me tell you, it was exactly what I needed.

Building a Healthier System

I got myself a business mentor, and he made me realize that social media is just one part of the business. As an artist, I have to be on social media so that my clients know that I exist. So no, I am not a content creator, I am an illustrator who uses content to market my work. So I changed the way I saw posting. Now, it’s just another business task—important, but not life-consuming.

Instead of escaping, I decided to set some boundaries and create a system that works for me.

Part of what has helped me create a healthy relationship with social media is the fact that I’m not on it. Let me explain…

As part of my strategy I:

• Batch content weekly (on Friday mornings)

• Use a scheduler

• Limit my engagement to 15 minutes a day.

After those 15 minutes, I don’t open the apps for the rest of the day. That has given me so much peace.

Mindset Shift

The moment I changed my mindset to see content creation as another business task, and stopped caring about how many likes I got, or how many people followed me, the algorithm no longer held the power over me.

Another thing that helped was figuring out what I actually wanted to say. I’ve seen lots of brand influencers talk about the content pillars of your brand. These are basically 3-5 topics that you are going to talk about. It’s best when you find topics that you actually like to talk about. So for me my topics are:

• children’s book illustration,

• art process,

• tips for authors, and

• sometimes tips about freelancing and being a business owner.

These are topics I genuinely love to talk about. And even though I still don’t love content creation, I’m finding it more enjoyable, and that’s exciting.

Letting Go of Likes

I feel happier now that I am in control and surprisingly, the moment that I stopped caring about it, the more people find me.

And what I love about this is that this strategy has allowed me to find new clients that truly resonate with my work. Literally they said “I followed you because your posts feel authentic,” and that to me is a huge accomplishment.

If the algorithm has been stealing your joy, this is your sign to step back. Remember why you started making art, and don’t let the algorithm take the power away from you. Make content that makes you happy, reuse your old art, schedule your content so you don’t get overwhelmed. Remember that the algorithm is just code that doesn’t care about you, don’t give it the power over your creativity!

Care over speed. Connection over reach. That’s the kind of success I want. Success to me isn’t thousands of followers but rather it’s about creating a little corner of the internet that is my happy place, a place where I can share what I love and who I am and make meaningful connections with people like you!!

What about you?
Have you ever felt like the algorithm was stealing your joy too? I’d love to hear how you’ve navigated the pressure of posting. Leave a comment or reach out—this little corner of the internet is always open for real conversations.