Six Weeks on Steemit: You Get What You Pay For (most of the time...)

Taking a momentary break from writing about art to reflect on our first six weeks of using Steemit as an alternative social media outlet for our art gallery.

So far, this has been a very positive experience!

But there also seems to be an awful lot of "moaning and groaning" on this site-- especially from "recent arrivals" like ourselves.

Inevitably, the complaints are about "not making enough money" or "not getting enough followers/engagement."

Hang on a second... did you miss the part where this is a social media platform, not a cash dispenser?

That's just a question, not a judgment.

Secondly, did you miss the part where it takes a lot of time and work to build a social media presence? 

Reality check, folks! This isn't an "instant gratification" proposal.

Then there's the whole "why aren't my posts earning as much as this person over there's posts?"

Well, maybe because "that person" wrote a well-researched 1000-word article with relevant images and citations and presented it to the 2000 followers they worked hard to earn over a period of 12 months... and you wrote a 50-word "whine" about not making money after 12 days. For which you are not earning any rewards... because WHO CARES?

"Money for nothing," anyone?

Maybe that's not a very charitable attitude... but we actually see similar things at the gallery, when a (usually new) artist brings us three pieces of work, we hang them, and then the artist is back a week later, lamenting that they are not "rich and famous" yet. And half the time, it's "our" fault...

A little perspective!

Sure, I would love to get my full paycheck just because I thought about work, but didn't actually show up. Sure, I'd love to get a brand new Mercedes for the price of a used 1996 Ford Fiesta. But...

... Reality Check, People!

On the whole, Steemit has been very good to us, so far.

We've encountered some very talented and supportive artists here. We've had some nice community support, as well, from some of Steemit's great curators. Thank you for that!

We already have over 200 followers-- thank you to those who find our sporadic content worth reading. Thank you-- even more-- to those who've taken the time to comment and interact!

We're slowly building our "Steem Power" balance-- next goal is to reach 500SP so we can give out worthy upvotes to more artists every day. That might take a little while because we have to earn our way there from content rewards. We trust that patience will prevail, and this can be a "community built" endeavor. We recognize that it may take months to get fully up to speed here... and that's OK!

In The Planning Stages: The "Art Support Project"

So far, things have gone well enough here that we are starting to break ground on our vision for our "Art Support Project."

We want to network and support artists on Steemit (and beyond) through networking and promoting original art around the world. Included in this might be periodic "challenges" and contests. We're also going to encourage the artists we represent to set up their own Steemit accounts... potentially as a supplement/replacement to their existing Patreon accounts. 

But this is a longer term ambition... and we are going to take it slowly, hopefully making it possible for any initiatives to be self-funding.

For now, we have really enjoyed our first six weeks here!

The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.