Being an artist in the age of algorithms

If you go too far off the beaten path of algorithmic consistency, you risk never being heard. You may never get enough cultural momentum to exist in any meaningful way. That is a real problem. But if you're too good at algorithmic optimization, you risk building a large audience without saying anything particularly original or important. Not to men... See more

If you’re just posting and platforming because you feel like you should , then the point is to help tech billionaires buy more super yachts.

But if you’re doing this to find out what you have to say and to say it with your full chest, then there will be no fancy metric to calculate if it’s working or not. You’ll just simply know. And if it’s not wor... See more

As people contort themselves to please the algorithm for short-term payouts, there’s even more of the less legible, less liquid, but ultimately more important long-term value up for grabs for you if you continue to just be yourself and talk about whatever lights your fire, algorithm be damned.

here are 3 things I am focused on to break out of the sea of sameness: ➡️ Focus on connections over virality I used to care of impressions, now I care about downstream metrics likePlatforms reward copy+paste guru content and divisive takes. I'll take smaller impressions for deeper impact. ➡️ Use the T-H-I-S content plan Teach them. Help them. Inspi... See more

A friend of mine is a big Instagram influencer in Mexico (nearly a million followers and deals with lots of brands). As far as I can tell, he is a happy man. He freely admits that he is selling a fake persona, and has achieved peace with it. I asked him if he could do something interesting with his account (from activism to conceptual art). His res... See more

let’s break this down.

as an artist, you have creative superpowers. these are your gifts. truly acknowledge it, see it, be grateful for it. be proud of it, instead of constantly second-guessing yourself. don’t take it for granted or feel awkward around friends with money — or feel like your creativity/sensitivity can be an alienating barrier betwee... See more

Don’t be afraid to be an idealist. There is much to be said for our responsibility as creators and consumers of that constant dynamic interaction we call culture — which side of the fault line between catering and creating are we to stand on? The commercial enterprise is conditioning us to believe that the road to success is paved with catering to ... See more

If you’re posting on social media or any platform with an algorithm, the real question is: do you work for the algorithm or are you committed to working for the people who want to go where you hope to take them?