the journey of a photographer creating meaningful connections
As a photographer, I’ve always found myself at crossroads, times when I felt the need to do something different to evolve. Right now, I feel that printing and publishing my work is the most crucial step for me.
We once relied on social media platforms like Instagram to share our photos, but recent developments, such as Facebook Meta’s announcement to use our content to train AI models, have driven many photographers and artists to seek alternatives. This raises a crucial question: is social media the right way to connect deeply with our audience?
A deep and personal connection with my audience
The question is, what are we trying to achieve? For me, as a photographer, it’s essential to develop a deep and personal connection with my audience, something that most social media platforms, driven by algorithms, are not designed for. Social media, driven by algorithms, often fails to provide this because as consumers, we depend on these algorithms to show us what they think we should see, which sometimes works, but often doesn’t. It’s similar to hoping music streaming platforms like Spotify will help us discover new artists.
Flaw by design
These algorithms tend to show more of the same because they were trained to look for similarity, while we, as humans and especially as artists, seek novelty and fresh perspectives.
This flaw in social media is why it doesn’t work well for us artists looking to establish meaningful relationships. We want to connect with those who seek growth and inspiration, not just fame or the latest tech trends. These individuals, like us, are turning away from social media, looking for new ways to connect and develop.
An old approach as the way forward
In my teens and 20s, I went to a record shop to flip through the records and find new artists, often buying them just because of the album cover. That stayed with me as a reference. I think going back to this physical world and showing up in the physical world is a better way to find meaning and connection in our relationships with our audience.
But how can I apply this old approach to connect with people in the modern world? That’s what I’m struggling with. We have to start somewhere. And even if we, as artists, are not in the game for making profits, there’s always this idea that we can make a living from our art, which means we have to sell something. But it shouldn’t be purely transactional.
Doing the math
Many entrepreneurs have great ideas about how we can be noticed as artists and market ourselves, but often these ideas follow old-fashioned business models. We need to serve a specific audience – Seth Godin calls it the “minimal viable audience.” I did the math: if I sell a print of my work for €750, I need to sell six per month to sustain myself. And even €750 for a print is a very high price. If I want to raise my prices, what can I do? I have to think differently about what I am selling. It’s not the print that I’m selling; it’s something different.
If it’s not the print itself – it’s the experience that a person has when they hang my print on the wall. It’s a different kind of need that this person has. I’m creating experiences, and I need to think about what kind of experiences I create that are valuable for the kind of people I would like to reach.
For example, it can be that this print helps them to connect with themselves, with their inner being, with their body. That would be a just cause, a good value that I could provide. I think through this connection, I can increase their well-being, their sense of self, and maybe even expand their concept of self. That would be something valuable that I can sell, and it’s not the print. It’s the story behind it.
But how can I sell these stories and not rely on social media? I’m still figuring this out – that’s the point where I’m at right now. And that’s the thing that I would like to solve right now.