Acceptable Artistic Compromises?
Thoughts on compromising your art to satisfy the platforms' desires
For years I clung to a stubbornly naive belief. I believed that my art was good enough that I didn’t have to play the games that the platforms wanted.
When platforms (particularly Instagram) introduced new features that I didn’t like, I ignored them. Reels? No thank you. Stories? None for me, thanks. Can I just get the chronological feed back please?
As a result, there were years where I barely gained a new follower. My art was basically invisible because I didn’t play the game. I am stubborn enough that I could have remained in permanent boycott of the parts of apps that I hated. Here’s what changed my mind…
I wish I could remember where I heard the following idea. It might have been the Patreon founder. Basically, the advice said this:
“You don’t have to love a product or feature in order to use it to your advantage.”
So I softened my stance against certain software patterns. You could call it compromising my convictions, but I gave myself permission to compromise my art in strategic ways. I started posting reels and stories on Instagram. I abandoned the landscape aspect ratio of my videos in favor of portrait. I shortened my videos to bitesized, punchy clips. I used the app recommended songs rather than carefully selecting/producing my audio. I tried captions. Heck, I even created a TikTok account, something I swore I would never do. I experimented and…
Almost immediately, Instagram began showing my art to strangers. My follower count started growing. Even my Substack audience doubled. I was no longer invisible.
The takeaway? You can’t experiment without identifying ideas you are willing to compromise.
It’s a slippery slope though. So far, I don’t feel I have compromised the integrity of my work. But there’s a fine line between using a platform and being used by it. Apps always push us to show more cleavage and do backflips in exchange for views, likes, and followers. So keep me honest. If I go too far, call me on it. Because I am going to keep experimenting, adapting, and strategically compromising. Stay creative.
Your friend,
Ade