ghouls

More artist story: Instagram origins. Back in 2015/2016 I was getting serious about glitch art. I learned some tricks I could do locally and really render super hi-res pieces and was trying to print and go to shows, applied for exhibits. I got invited into a Telegram chat with an artist I followed on IG. My early IG feed was whenever I made new glitch. (1/4)

In the TG - there was an eccentric older dude who paid for some engagement coaching, and he told us all we needed to be posting every other day consistently (this is before Reels were big). Tips like posting details in the comments, multiple Story captures of works in progress or detail shots. We shared to stories and did multi-image posts to boost engagement, left comments all over. It was very mercenary but we were working together. (2/4)

cult classic cryptoartist
linktr.ee/sgt_slaughtermelon

The goal: to reach 10k followers - the threshold where Instagram would let you share a link in your story. That way we could share new prints we made and have people buy them directly! Business! I dedicated myself to making tons of art, storing up multiple pieces when I'd be busy so I could keep my schedule. This is also when people like me had to use linktree because only one link in bio meant we needed to branch out. (3/4)

Even at 10k I found that a lot of follows were fluff, that printing was a losing game unless you could scale, and that without being *actually* famous this was a hobby my family couldn't afford me dumping all my time into. IG became a Tiktok imitator in a lot of ways and sunk the algorithm for artists like me - but not before I made a few really great collaborations with artists and musicians and met some crypto junkies that changed my life. I still post to insta when I'm bored, but I don't anticipate it ever being meaningful again. (4/4)
https://www.instagram.com/sgt_slaughtermelon/