#I also just gained a few new mutuals so please don't be discouraged by this!

[pentragons]

i'm not sure if you ever dealt with this but how do you deal with things when the graphics or gifs you post get less than 100 notes? I know i shouldn't validate myself through note count but i tend to do that a lot and feel like making graphics is a waste of my time even though it's a process that makes me really happy and i don't really know how to get my stuff to be noticed more and i feel really embarrassed to tag blogs. thank you for reading this i really am thankful for your kindness

Hey anon, I am so sorry you are feeling upset!! I think most content creators on Tumblr/any other platform can sympathize with how you feel - it can be very disheartening to see something you’ve put a lot of work into go unnoticed. I definitely understand how you feel. There is no shame in how you are feeling, so don’t put yourself down! I’ve been on Tumblr for many years and I think it has gotten a lot harder for content creators to share their graphics but also to reach people with them. I personally believe there are many reasons for why that is, but that doesn’t really matter as we can’t change anything about it :/ But I do believe there are some ways to help!

KEEP ON MAKING GRAPHICS. The most important thing - don’t stop because you feel like it is a waste of your time! If it is something that makes you happy and that you enjoy doing, DO NOT GIVE UP! Especially not because of something silly as notes! But I’ll get back to that!

Tagging your posts is the most important thing, I guess. As much as having a lot of followers/mutuals/etc. might help, exposure through tags is what enables others to find your graphics at any time.Keep in mind:- Only the first five tags show up! If you want other people to find your edits you need to make your first five tags as specific as possible. - I always make sure my first five tags are tags that are used by a lot of people. For almost any fandom there are tags like ‘_edit’ or ‘_graphics’ (e.g. ghibliedit) that anyone can use. Make sure you use these, as a lot of people will check them out regularly! You are also not tagging anyone specifically if you are too shy to do that (which is absolutely fine!). So for example, I recently started creating edits for Stranger Things. I tried searching for the tag ‘stedit’, which does indeed exist and from there I looked at how other creators are tagging their posts. Tumblr does also recommend similar tags, so make use of those as well. See which ones you feel comfortable with using and make sure you tag your creations with them! - If you are too shy to tag specific users, maybe consider tagging an update/daily fandom blog that is run by a lot of members. They rely on us content creators helping them keep their daily content coming, so never feel too shy to tag them! Most have specific tags they created just so they can easily see your content! You can find their specific tags in their blog description most of the time. You absolutely do not need to feel shy, plus your edits will also be exposed to a huge audience, as most of these blogs have a lot of followers. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go, there are multiple ones for almost any fandom and as I said, content is what keeps them going! - If you feel too shy to tag others, you can always tag me!! I would be more than happy to see everyone’s beautiful edits and I would never judge anyone. I don’t have a tag yet, but #pentragons or #userpentragons should work perfectly! You are always welcome to message me, tag me, whatever

There are people saying there are specific times when you should be posting as more people will be online, though I don’t know much about that myself. You can read more about it here, for example. I have always (and that’s a lot of years by now!!) posted my stuff on Friday evenings, sometimes Saturday evenings (European time!). Make of that what you will, I personally do it because it’s the most convenient time for me :D

As I said, please don’t stop creating! I’ve had ups and downs myself and there were years where my blog went completely silent. I didn’t create anything new for years because as you said, I was wondering a lot: what’s the point? I have a bit of a different viewpoint now and have honestly never created more things than in the last few months. I am doing it because I feel inspired and because it’s fun. And that’s it. And as much as a lot of notes can make you feel happy, they are not what should keep you going!A) Recently, a wonderful anon messaged me and told me I was “brave” because I was making “things just because you are inspired by that content not for material gain or anything”. And I sat there for a moment and thought - heck yes!!? I’ve never seen it that way but it is a brave thing to expose your art to others. And it is a brave thing to do it out of honest enjoyment and inspiration, not for any gain. Content creators and their bravery to share their works are what keep this website going. I think you are wonderful, brave and an inspiration to many with your edits and it does not matter if there are 100 notes or 1000 because you were brave enough to post it and that is worth more than any notes! YOU are constantly evolving and getting better at what you are doing, YOU are having fun creating something, YOU felt as excited and inspired by something to try to create something - that is beyond amazing!! And I do believe that there are many people out there who are just as excited about what you created as you are - that’s what the tags are for!B) I always try to picture every note as a person that I am meeting to share the fandom love with. Now imagine 50 people standing around you right now. Isn’t that a crazy number?! 100 people - they wouldn’t even fit into my house! I don’t even know that many people in RL so imagine how crazy that is!! We always tend to make ourselves feel small because numbers can be crazy on social media. 10.000 likes here, 5.000 notes there. But when you get back to what these numbers mean, that these are actual people being excited about your edits, then I think every single note is worth so much. I know it’s not really any help but it might make you feel less like you are shouting into a void.

To sum it up: using the tags wisely + creating with a lot of passion is all you can do. There isn’t any magic to it, no secret tricks I know of (if anyone does, please share!!)… but it helps. And if it still doesn’t, then please, don’t feel discouraged - your creations are wonderful and you are so amazing for sharing them, no matter the notes you get. Thank you for trusting me enough to send your message and thank you for being so sweet and honest. I am sorry if this isn’t of much help! I only hope you never ever stop creating!