General, Social Media
Introduction
Losing followers can be tough. It’s hard to know why the numbers are down, but it’s even harder to bounce back from the loss when you don’t know what happened in the first place. But there is a silver lining here: sometimes losing followers can be a good thing! If your follower count is dropping because of bots or ghost followers or if you’re switching up your content, loosing some followers isn’t necessarily bad news. In fact, it might be just what you need to get back on track and engage with new audiences who are interested in what you have to say.
The quality of your followers is more important than the quantity.
If you’re worried that losing followers is a sign of an imminent social media apocalypse, take some comfort in the fact that quality always trumps quantity.
The quality of your followers is more important than the quantity. This can be measured by a variety of factors:
- How many people follow your account?
- What kind of content do they engage with?
- How often are they engaging with it and how much do they engage with it?
- Are those engagements positive or negative in nature (i.e., likes and comments versus shares)?
- Do people who aren’t following you know about what you have to offer (brand awareness)?
You may have issues with bots following you.
As mentioned above, the standard way to check if you have fake followers is by looking at your Instagram analytics. If you notice an increase in the number of people who are following you or just see that many people are unfollowing you, then it may be time for a little investigating. And it’s not just bots that can cause this issue—bots can also be used to boost your follower count and show more engagement than your audience actually deserves.
If this happens to you, don’t worry too much! We’ll cover how to get rid of them below.
You may have a ghost follower problem.
Ghost followers are accounts that have been inactive for a long time. These follower accounts can be problematic, as they can skew your follower count and even have spammy comments on your posts. The best way to get rid of them is by unfollowing them.
You may lose followers for switching up your content.
You might also see a drop in followers after switching up your content or posting different things. If you’re no longer posting about the things that your followers are interested in, they may decide to stop following you. On the flip side, if you start posting about new topics and get good engagement on these posts, this will encourage people who like what you’re doing to stick around.
Loosing followers isn’t always bad, and in fact could be a good thing if those lost followers are either non-human or not interested in your content
Let’s say you’ve been working hard on your social media strategy, but suddenly your follower count starts to drop. You start to panic. Have you done something wrong? Should you just give up?
Well, maybe not. In fact, losing followers doesn’t always mean that your content isn’t resonating with people—it could also mean that they didn’t click the follow button in the first place because they’re not interested in what you’re posting! That’s why it’s important not to focus on follower growth alone; try looking at engagement rate instead.
Conclusion
I know that it can be frustrating to lose followers, especially when you have worked hard to build up a social media presence. But if you are losing followers because they don’t resonate with your content, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate what kind of account you want to run.
Entrepreneurship, General |
For a lot of people, their passion is their “side-hustle”, something they do on the side of doing their day job or higher education.
Thanks to this, pursuing your creative tasks and trying to build something outside of the usual 9-5 (whether it be a business, a chance to break into another industry, or something else) usually means finding a way to get lots of stuff done in a relatively short space of time.
When you work 40 hours a week at your day job, you have to make the most of your free time to work on whatever it is that’s calling you, whether it be video editing for a Youtube channel, writing blog posts, promoting your social media, building your community… or even rehearsing for a show. For a lot of people, it can be a tricky balancing act trying to stay motivated when they are tired or are seeing very slow progress.
So how can you optimise the time you work at home to get the best results, without working yourself into exhaustion? And how can you stay motivated when on one side you have Netflix, and the other side you have your fridge??
I have a few tricks up my sleeve!
The Pomodoro method is a really simple “time management” method where you work consistently for 25 minutes, then you take a 5-minute break.
The only rule is that when you are in the 25-minute working time you can ONLY do your work, and nothing else. You can’t let yourself get distracted, and you can’t get up to get a drink. It can be hard to discipline yourself to work even for 25 minutes, so knowing that you only have to work for short increments before taking a short break can help you to stay motivated and productive.
The good news is this method can work with anything, from writing content for your website to rehearsing your lines. You can even download the app and have it working in the background as you’re working!
2 – Dress the part.
A lot can be said for the psychological element that clothes have when we wear them.
If you wake up in your pyjamas on Saturday and stay in them all day, you’re probably not going to be in the “work” mindset. Get up, get clean and put on some really nice clothes that make you feel good and ready to tackle the day, and your work.
3 – Set clear, achievable goals.
When you know exactly what you want, and you consider all the steps it will take to get there, it is so much easier to know what to do and when. Rather than seeing a mountain in front of you with your “end goal” at the top, you see a path with lots of markers, telling you you’re a quarter of the way there, now a half, now three quarters…
It makes a huge difference to your motivation because it makes a seemingly long and hard task seem so much easier. You feel more in control of reaching your goal, and you know what to do to stay on track.
4 – Surround yourself with motivated people.
Sometimes we need people to help remind us what it is we’re working for. Even the most passionate artist can lose hope and faith when tiredness or despair strikes – and it happens to all of us.
Being surrounded by people who understand and are of a like mind – and spending time with those who will push you to carry on even when you don’t feel like it – can be a great source of motivation. Even if it’s just a quick coffee with a fellow artist, it can do wonders for your productivity!
5 – Understand what you gain from doing this task.
The problem with a lot of everyday tasks is that they’re really boring and don’t seem to give us any reward for doing them. Going to the post office to send a letter to your electricity company, or emailing someone about a refund… they’re hardly likely to stir any excitement in your soul.
The thing is, your passion will also have aspects that you don’t really enjoy, such as administrative tasks, or trying to figure out how to resize an image to fit your Twitter page etc. But if you understand how they fit in to the “bigger picture” you’ll feel far more motivated to do them. The same can be said for most things in life.
Understanding the positive effect they’ll have will spur you on to do them. Perhaps you hate trying to figure out how to resize an image for your Twitter header… but when it’s done all your social media will look cohesive and you will have a more professional identity!
6 – Set up your workspace.
Don’t work whilst sitting in your bed or whilst absent-mindedly watching TV! Have a set workplace, make it really welcoming and enjoyable to be in, and have that space only for working.
Make it light, airy and organised, with plenty of room to spread your work out… somewhere you’ll look forward to sitting for long amounts of time. The plus side is that everywhere else in your house will then be relaxing in comparison as you will have just one space reserved for work, and the rest for chilling.
7 – Get organised.
It’s so much easier to work when everything is kept up-to-date, things are neat and tidy, and you know where everything is. Simple things like not saving your files in the right place, having a messy desktop (both physical and computer), not saving appointments into your calendar etc are all sure ways to make you dread doing any task.
With so many problems and so much effort required just to, for example, find the right file, it’ll only give you more reason to procrastinate. Help yourself and stay organised!
8 – Let yourself rest.
There’s no use in forcing yourself to work work work when you can’t concentrate on the work you want to do. If you’re simply too tired, or your brain has done enough for the day and needs to relax, let it! Consistently forcing yourself to work when you’re exhausted will lead to burnout and even depression.
If it means limiting your side-passion to only 2 days a week then that may be the option you have to take. There’s no use in trying to build something great when you don’t have the health to sustain it.
Do you find it hard to stay motivated when creating from home? Leave a comment below!
Art, General
This is a big city, and it’s big on art. It isn’t hard to walk down a street without running into some kind of creativity, but choosing where to go next when you’re looking for inspiration in Toronto or new artistic sights to see can be challenging. That’s why we’ve put together this short list of 6 must see locations for art in Toronto. Whether you’re new to the city or a seasoned veteran of the 6ix, this article is bound to give you some ideas to alleviate your creative block.
Located at 231 Queens Quay West at the Harbourfront Centre, The Power Plant has been around since 1987 and is known as Canada’s leading public art gallery for contemporary artwork. They host a variety of programs and events including in depth discussions on exhibitions as well as intimate conversations and dinners with the artists themselves. The Power Plant features some of the finest contemporary art from Canada and around the world, and has made a serious name for itself as a leading international art gallery. Stop by to see their recently opened exhibits “Field of Emotion” by artist Kader Attia and “The Song of the Germans” by Emeka Ogboh.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is another great home for contemporary art in the city that should definitely not be left off an artist’s list. MOCA has featured the artwork of over 1,100 artists, hosted over 200 exhibitions and greeted 40,000 annual visitors. Originally located on Queen West, the Museum has announced a grand reopening in a 55,000 square foot former industrial space located in the Junction Triangle, that will take place on May 26 of this year. They will open their doors to feature a brand new exhibition known as “BELIEVE”, which will take a look into what it means to live in a diverse society. This exhibition will showcase the artwork of 15 different artists and will span across 2 floors of the building. MOCA will also offer a free opening weekend with activities open to the public.
For the more urban artist, Graffiti Alley is obviously a must see in Toronto. With about 1 kilometre worth of artwork spanning through the back alleys of The Fashion District from Spadina to Portland Street, Graffiti Alley offers some incredible street art from a variety of different artists. From individual typographic tagging to full fledged murals covering the sides of entire buildings, there’s definitely something for everyone at this Toronto gem. However, given its illustrious, artistic appeal and the fact that it is completely free of charge to visit, this is one of Toronto’s more popular tourist destinations. So if big crowds aren’t really your cup of tea, try going on a weekday to life hack your way around the sea of tourists that often occupy the area.
It probably goes without saying, but we’re going to say it anyways; The AGO is without a doubt one of the most notable and distinguished art galleries in all of North America, and is definitely a reliable source of artistic inspiration in Toronto. The AGO hosts over 90,000 pieces of artwork, with stunning new exhibitions being showcased on a regular basis. From the work of the famous Canadian “Group of Seven” to collections of Indigenous, European, Modern, and African art along with so much more, The AGO boasts one of the biggest varieties of work there is. Current exhibitions include “Édouard Baldus: The Louvre Folios, 1855–1857” and the very interesting “ReBlink” exhibit, which allows visitors to use their smartphones for an augmented reality experience that will put a fun, digital twist on historical works of art!
From January 19 to March 4, the Toronto Light Festival returns to the Distillery District to dazzle and amaze. Featuring work from a variety of local and international artists, the festival showcases incredible light art that emits or manipulates light, colours and shadows in beautiful and expressive ways. With the dark and ominous presence of cold, old winter, this festival aims to make things a little bit brighter and collectively lift the spirits of the city. This year you can plan on seeing some amazing pieces, from a fire breathing dragon to an actual piano that plays light. Oh, and did we mention that it’s also completely free? So stop by while it’s still going on to see some phenomenal work by some amazing artists, and save that extra cash for some food and drinks at the fantastic breweries and restaurants that the Distillery District is known for!
On the forefront of digital technology meeting art is the House of VR, located at 639 Queen Street West. After opening in the summer of last year, this stunning virtual reality location has amazed visitors with its VR experiences, offering everything from gaming & entertainment all the way to meditation! But one of the most interesting aspects of House of VR, is their involvement with the art community. Their VR Art Battle events and Augmented Reality art exhibits offer new ways of seeing artwork and creativity, and artists and amateurs alike can take part in Workshop series where they can fill entire canvases in their own virtual worlds. They even feature new artists’ work out of their storefront, showcasing new forms of digital art and creative expression to the community on a regular basis!
Hopefully this list will keep you busy for a little while and satisfy those creative cravings, but remember: this is just a small look at a wide variety of artistic locations to be found around the city, so get out there and explore!
General
Halloween is quickly approaching, and so is the time to have your killer costume ready! For those of you looking for ideas this year, we’ve put together a quick list of some halloween costumes for artists that are fairly easy to put together, and are sure to be a hit!
Visual Artists
Jackson Pollock Painting
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Easy to do, and fun to make! This one can be done on your own or with a group of friends, and it’s sure to turn some heads. Just grab some white painting suits from the hardware store, and let the creative juices (paints) flow.
Michelangelo’s David
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If you’re unlike me and in great shape, then this costume is super simple to put together! All you need is a LOT of body paint.
Picasso Painting
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Another paint involved option that’s sure to generate some laughs depending on how good your face painting skills are.
Banksy Art
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This is one of our favourites, and it really isn’t too difficult to put together. All you really need is a black outfit from head to toe covered with some healthy splotches of white paint, a bouquet of flowers, and you’re basically good to go!
Musicians
Prince
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Sure to be a big contender this year: the classic purple Prince getup. This one’s available at many Halloween stores as a complete costume, but to those do-it-yourselfers, a quick trip to Value Village will likely do the trick.
Retro Britney
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How about taking a trip back in time with this awesome retro Britney Spears look? This one’s easy to pull off, and touches on all those nostalgic feels.
B-Boy/B-Girl
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Get phunky phresh with this 80’s B-boy/B-girl look! All you need is a pair of sweats with a zipup pullover to match, partnered with the classic bucket hat, glasses and gold chain. Pro tip: this one’s also great for channeling that inner groove when you’re out on the dance floor.
Hotline Bling Drake
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An instant classic.
Actors & Actresses
Mary Poppins
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We can’t guarantee you’ll be flying by the end of the night with this costume, but we can tell you it’ll be a crowd pleaser!
The Wicked Witch of the West
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Easy, fun, AND spooky!
Grease
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C’MON, you can never go wrong with a little bit of Grease Lightnin’!
No matter what costume you choose this year, remember to share it with your followers and fans on social media as some great personable content! And for those of you with a bit of a competitive side, we’ll be giving away a FREE 30 minute consultation session to whoever uploads the best photo of themselves in their Halloween costume to Instagram with the hashtag #smartistcostume before November 1st!
