Summary
Highlights
The video starts with Katie, known as Gentle Coder, introducing herself as a full-time artist and content creator who grew her art account to 10K without showing her face and then to 50K with her face. She asserts that growing an account is more about strategy than art skill, viewing social media growth as a separate game with its own rules and skills. The algorithm values watch time and shares, not art skill, making it possible for anyone to gain an audience.
Katie encourages viewers to consider their motivation for growing on Instagram, highlighting that social media is a choice, not the only path to a career in art. She then discusses the decision between maintaining a faceless account or showing your face. She reassures viewers that both are viable and that discomfort from showing your face is a skill that improves with practice, similar to art.
The speaker emphasizes sustainable growth over viral explosions, as sudden virality can lead to burnout. She addresses the commonartist mindset of not feeling good enough to post, explaining that this is a mindset issue rather than a skill issue. She introduces the concept that artistic taste often improves faster than artistic skill, leading to self-doubt. Posting early in one's art journey is encouraged to record progress.
The main action plan for growth is to start a 'series,' as people enjoy watching others improve. Such series help with both Instagram growth and artistic development. She provides examples like 'Huvember' (drawing in one hue for 30 days) or fan art challenges. The key is to have a consistent theme for a set number of days.
Katie shares her personal journey and successful series: animatics with music, which grew her account to 10K (faceless), and the 'Huvember' challenge, which significantly improved her illustration skills. She also mentions her 'how to make a comic book' series which boosted her account from 10K to 30K and her current '30-day messy sketchbook challenge' to encourage authenticity.
She advocates for short, fast challenges (30 to 90 days) based on the 'quantity study,' where producing more work leads to better quality and more practice. She advises posting consistently without overthinking perfection, encouraging quick studies to capture the 'vibe' rather than focusing on flawless rendering. Don't wait for perfection; just start.
Katie suggests brainstorming themes for series, looking at other artists' work, and identifying common elements in favorite art pieces. Consistency is rewarded by algorithms, and series help achieve this while still allowing artistic growth. She cautions about healthy pressure versus detrimental pressure and recommends turning off notifications to prevent anxiety and foster a better relationship with social media. The video concludes by reiterating that growing on Instagram is achievable with a plan and that now is the perfect time to start.