Taking a Much Needed Social Media Break
I’m taking a much-needed break from social media.
I’ve tried giving myself little challenges to change my mindset about it, but honestly, it feels like the powers that be (META and so on) hate when people stray away from the trends.
I’ve been on the internet since the Myspace days. I’ve always been online, finding communities, discovering resources, building my taste brick by brick through the world wide web. When Instagram first came around, I was excited. It actually made a difference in my life as an artist. Back then, my work looked a lot different, still art nonetheless (the real ones know). But the moment social media became about visibility, that’s when the fun started to fade.
My work is unique in the sense that I create for the sake of creating. My art doesn’t fit into one box, and I like it that way. It’s a reflection of my inner world. I want to encourage people to explore themselves more, because we’re not a monolith.
That’s why I call my business and social identity Bunny Lee’s World, because it really is my world. My interests, my politics, my beliefs, all mixed together. It can be chaotic, but it’s also a space of comfort and safety.
All my influences live there together. I don’t want to choose one niche; my mind jumps around as much as my interests do. That’s part of my process.
But the weight of following social media “rules” and “protocols” hurts artists like me who naturally go against the grain. I started to feel the pressure of having to keep up, and when that happens, I panic post, lose momentum, and feel drained.
On social media, I’m an artist first and a business second. I don’t share much of my personal life (even if it feels like I do) because my art and life are so intertwined. But when it comes to the “business” side of things, there’s so much advice, so many “how-tos,” that I end up feeling lost. I know it’s all trial and error, and I see people saying, “Let your art flop and keep going.” But if I’m being real, it still gets to me sometimes.
My mental health takes the hit. I don’t question if I’m a good artist; I know I’m great at what I do. I grow every time I sit with my practice. I hear encouraging things from real people offline, too.
But the moment it starts to affect my business and finances? That’s when it really gets frustrating. Social media has become such a money grab, with constant ads telling me to “boost my post” or “start a campaign.” It feels intentional, like they lower organic reach just to scare small businesses into paying up. It’s messed up.
I refuse. I want to grow organically. I’ve built my following from the ground up, over 10 years of showing up and creating. The engagement might not reflect that now, but it’s real.
Social media is such a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. I get that it helps a lot, but my goodness… it wears me out.
So with all that said, I’m officially taking a break from Instagram. I’ve been dabbling with TikTok and Threads, and honestly, I like Threads for the more direct interactions, but I’m not on it like I used to be with IG.
I’m not going to post every day. I want to take this time to rest, reflect, and build a new plan for when I return. If you’ve got advice or just want to see what I come up with, stick around. I’ll be sharing more about that soon.
In the meantime, you can sign up for my newsletter. I’ll be sending weekly updates while I’m on break, sharing what I’ve been working on and what’s been missing from socials. I’ll also be blogging more often, so this space will become home base for a bit.
Thank you for being here and for reading this far. This art business journey is no joke, I tell ya, but it’s a learning curve. And I’ve realized I have to put myself first before anything else.
Until next time, later, gator 🐊
