#decided to draw some bluey fanart for whatever reason

[unprofessionaldoodler]

dog girls

[3ofpents]

I understand that I'm in a position of relative privilege as someone who's just starting out in the art space but has an already well-established platform on which to get eyes on my work (not this one, this Tumblr doesn't get a lot of attention, which is fine, but selling my posters through Shapeshifters has smoothed over a lot of growing pains).

That said, I have written fanfic long before Shapeshifters ever existed, long before I even met my partner who is the entire reason it even exists, during the era when you could become relatively internet famous by writing fic. So I also know what it's like trying to get eyes on your creative efforts and wanting the recognition and the feedback and the deeper engagement.

So here are my genuine thoughts about this: No one is entitled to your engagement. Period.

I really think the previous screenshotted tags hit the nail on the head wrt those guilt tripping "IF YOU DON'T REBLOG ART YOU'RE LITERALLY STEALING FOOD OUT OF AN ARTIST'S MOUTH" posts. That they automatically assume that someone only hits like because they don't think the artwork's good enough, or sometimes inventing whole scenarios where the person hitting like isn't reblogging because of some imagined vendetta, or just straight up insulting the theoretical people who think that liking something will push it onto other people's dashboards like on Twitter or whatever.

I'm not going to discount the possibility that there's people out there like this, but that's just not true for the most part. The vast majority of engagement on this site is and always has been the like button. People just like things far more often than they reblog them, and why they like them vs reblogging them usually comes down to the difference between "I like this" and "I think [person who follows me] will like this".

Like, I will fully admit that I've reblogged posts that I 98% do not understand just because I understand the 2% enough to know that a particular mutual will find it hilarious. And this is pretty much how most of the people I regularly interact with on here also use likes and reblogs. It really does make me curious about how the people making those posts use their own tumblrs, or if they're actually using them at all beyond just posting art.

If you're having trouble getting eyes on your art, though, there are things you can do on Tumblr to help.

Use relevant tags. If you find yourself stagnating, go through the general art tags and take a look at posts similar to yours to see what tags they're using. Even if you've been on Tumblr forever, it's entirely probably that there are tags with a lot of activity you could be using that you didn't even know existed.

Post fanart, if you're not already. I know folks can resent the fact that fanart gets so much more attention than original art, but if you're looking for the attention, then that's how to get it.

Post fanart for the fandom du jour. Whatever thing half of your dashboard won't shutup about? Find something to post for it. Dungeon Meshi, Critical Role, Bluey, whatever. You don't have to watch it to draw something for it, just find a character or creature or something whose look and vibe you like. Do you have any idea how many pieces of fanart I've seen over the years where the whole concept was "saw [This Character] and thought they looked like [That Character] so decided to draw [This Character] in [That Character]'s clothes lol"? Just make sure you tag it!

Submit your art posts to Tumblr Radar

But if you're trying to make a living off of your artwork, here's the harsh truth: You cannot rely solely on Tumblr. That's just the truth. The fact of the matter is that many people view Tumblr as simply a place to hang out and read and look at neat things. Yes, there are companies who post about their business and products on Tumblr, but speaking as the co-owner of one of those businesses? Posting on Tumblr alone does not drive enough sales to support someone full-time.

You need the support of other platforms that will put you in front of people who weren't searching for you, specifically. Whether it's a marketplace like Etsy that will throw your listings into relevant search results; another social media site like Instagram that will suggest your posts and account to people who don't follow you; or someplace you can start a media presence like Youtube or Twitch where people can find you, again, through searches and suggestions.

But honestly? This is just good advice in general. You should never rely on a single platform to be your only source of getting your stuff out there. Because you never know when some hyped up billionaire's going to buy it and immediately ask the nearest Conservative cesspool, "What do I do with it now?"

hot take but when you shame people for liking and not reblogging art then they're probably just not going to interact with it at all. graciously accept the like and understand that people will reblog what they want, forcing it with guilt tactics will breed resentment and then you won't get likes OR reblogs