Being An Artist in An Influencer Culture Part II: The Highs & Lows

In my last post, I examined how the emergence of influencer culture has transformed the lives of artists in our society. As Hip-Hop artists Ayomilly and Tj Carroll shared in their interview, this shift in our culture has had several positive and negative effects upon the way creatives operate in society and in response to their own art.

In this present piece, I’ll be diving deeper into the specific challenges that artists face in light of influencer culture.

Your Art Must Be Your Career

One burden that influencer culture has placed upon artists is the pressure to make your art your full-time job. In a society where we idolize fame and the famous, there is constant pressure for anyone with some kind of creative talent to develop their passion into their main source of income.

For some artists, this is a very positive outcome of influencer marketing and culture. Creativity is a financial, emotional, and temporal investment. The amount of work it requires, especially if you are seeking to market your work, is a full-time job. Many artists would love a return on that investment. Most artists would also love to spend their nine-to-five doing something they love and find deeply satisfying.

Often, it is assumed that anyone with some kind of creative talent desires or must pursue a career in arts and entertainment. Many artists themselves believe this and the result can be damaging to a person's creativity.

Artists did not begin creating with the intention of developing a career in the arts industry. We were enchanted by the beauty and power of art. We were compelled to tell our stories through song, brushstroke, and narrative. We responded to our calling to imitate our Creator through creation.

Today, there is a multitude of other reasons why artists choose to cultivate their creativity: To maintain a productive hobby. To have fun. To de-stress after a long day at work or looking after your kids. To make something for your friends and family to enjoy. To worship our Creator through the talents He has given us. To deal with complex emotions or hurts from the past. There are many more reasons why creatives choose to create that go beyond establishing a career as an artist.

However, these reasons are not always deemed valid or successful in our society. It’s assumed that your creativity is wasted if you are not trying to make it your full-time job. This assumption is completely shaped by influencer culture which has confined the success of artists to figures and followers. You are only successful if you have a vast and engaged audience, or are making a steady income from selling your art.

If not, you are not only unsuccessful.

You are not an artist.

This model of success is very restricting for creatives. In fact, I argue that this mindset is detrimental to the creativity of many people, such as the single mother who must work a full-time job but enjoys writing novels in her free time and merely wants to write something for her child to enjoy one day. Does this mean she is not a successful writer? Does this mean she is wasting her talent because she is only sharing it with one person? Does it mean God can’t still use that gift?

It should not mean any of those things, but, with the philosophy of success that influencer culture has taught us, many artists in this situation believe the lie that they cannot be successful unless their art becomes their career. Many artists have given up on their creative journey because of this lie, depriving themselves of the joy that is found through creating.

Influencer culture elevates the monetary success and fame of artists so much that it diminishes the emotional, social, spiritual, and cultural impact of our art. This not only places many constraints on artists, but it also reduces your art to a mere product.

It develops artists themselves into products.

You Are the Brand

Another pitfall of influencer culture is this notion that artists must brand themselves in order to sell their art. To establish a full-time career as an artist, you must attract audiences to your account for your art to gain attention. You must develop and sell merchandise, centred around your artist persona, in order to generate income. Often, this is the main way artists, particularly those in the music industry, make money. It’s not mainly by audiences listening to your art. It’s from the extra things that must be part of your brand.

Artists are constantly having to promote themselves online. The marketing techniques that influencer culture has established make it impossible for artists to avoid developing their art into a business. Often, this side of things can distract us from creating. As Christian-Creatives, it can also distract us from the purpose of our creativity.

1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”

Our creativity is one of the many gifts we have received from God. That gift was given to us to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, to minister to those who have yet to be welcomed into this kingdom-family. It’s a tool to use not for our own gain, but to build and edify God’s eternal kingdom and to glorify Him as our Lord. It is part of our worship. This should be the core purpose of our creativity. This should be the measure of our success as Christian-Creatives. If we are creating simply to accumulate wealth and recognition, then we are not walking in line with God’s will. Instead, we are operating in the ways of the world, particularly influencer culture, where money, fame, and personal success are valued above all.

I am not saying that developing your art into a brand is bad. Many artists have established successful careers by following this business model. Many have greatly ministered or encouraged others through these methods. However, I do think that we need to be highly aware of the mindset we are entering when we promote ourselves and our work online every single day. This constant self-promotion can distract us from the purpose of our art. It can lead us into prideful and arrogant behaviour if we are not careful. We can slip into believing the lie that our worth is based on the amount of recognition or income we gain from our art.

This way of thinking can welcome anxiety, fear, and discouragement into our creative process, especially when it feels as though we are not measuring up. Because, sometimes, promoting yourself online feels like screaming into a crowd and remaining unheard. This is disheartening for those whose success is measured by the standards of our culture. But for the person whose desire to create is centred upon a heart of worship, there is little room for worry and fear to slip through.

As Christian-Creatives, we need to be checking our hearts throughout our creative process to ensure that we are creating from the right place. We need to guard our minds against falling into the mindset of influencer culture by arming ourselves with the Spirit through prayer and Scripture. We need to be living in community with others who can call us out when we are forgetting the purpose of our creativity and who can encourage us to get back on track.

God must be welcomed into our creativity because we were not called to create to magnify ourselves. We were created to create for our Creator.

Anyone Can Be An Artist

One of the main outcomes of influencer culture is that anyone can become an artist. Social Media has made it so that anyone can gain and maintain an online presence and can share their creativity with mass audiences. Everyone has an opportunity to monetize and influence others with their art.

There are several benefits to this aspect of influencer culture, especially for independent artists. Creatives are free to express themselves in any way they wish without their work being picked apart by a label or publishing house. It has opened up a variety of methods to market your work and reach audiences that you can engage with directly on social media. Passive income can be accumulated through streams and views while artists focus on developing further content. Artists can maintain the rights to their work and collect full royalties without fear of big corporations taking a massive cut. They have full control over who and who not to collaborate with and when to release their latest project.

One of the most attractive features of influencer culture is that it has created opportunities for unheard and marginalized groups to become artists. The elimination of big corporations in this process has allowed persons within these groups the opportunity to share their stories, have a voice, and accumulate income through their art.

Ultimately, the influencer model has paved prosperous paths for new artists and has provided them with immense freedom over their art. But there is a cost to this freedom.

The price we pay is that anyone can become an artist.

This concept, while exciting, has also created very specific challenges for artists, especially in niche industries. Any person, even those who may not be talented in a specific art form, can make a career as an artist as long as they market themselves well or can pay for the right promotions (or followers). Consequently, incredibly talented artists who are developing qualitative or revolutionary content are not receiving the recognition they deserve because they’re buried beneath a blanket of other artists who may not be as talented or dedicated to artistry. They are lost in a sea of people who are only seeking money and fame.

This over-saturation of industries can be discouraging for many creatives. It has made it nearly impossible for artists to gain audiences because they are having to fight for the attention of the same small cluster of consumers as their peers. There is so much pressure to keep sharing content, whether it be a song a week or a couple of novels a year. Additionally, artists are having to promote their work online by consistently creating content to post. Artists forced to constantly create, which can either feed the muse or run it into famine. There is a reason your favourite YouTubers are not uploading as much or are quitting entirely. An article on Forbes reveals that burnout in the last couple of years has reached “frightening levels.” This is so true for many artists that we look up to.

The amount of content required for artists to produce in order to be successful according to the standards of influencer culture is basically impossible. Our art has been transformed into a business. Our success is not based on emotional impact but has instead been reduced to monetary gain or popularity. It’s easy for artists to get locked into this mindset while creating and it can lead us into discouragement, especially as we compare ourselves to the success of other artists we follow online.

We care more about the destination than the journey and, as a result, our creativity can become uninspired and creating can become a chore.

Competition vs. Collaboration

Finally, one of the other main effects of influencer culture is evident in the way artists engage with other artists. The social media advancements that influencer culture has encouraged have made it easier for artists to connect with other creatives. It has opened many opportunities for them to collaborate on projects or to receive support from others.

This is a beautiful result of influencer culture. Creating can be so isolating. The internet has allowed us to meet others who understand our innate need to create and who can commune with us in doing so. We can build real friendships and community by connecting with other artists online.

However, because influencer culture encourages us to strive to make ourselves someone, connecting with other artists online can become toxic. Some people may only support you because you are gaining more attention online, meaning that you must maintain that attention to remain in their good favour. Some artists may only desire to work with you if you conform to their standards of artistry, which, as Christian-Creatives, can be difficult when our desire is to make God-glorifying art.

There are a whole series of mind-games that we must now play when interacting with people on social media as a result of influencer culture. However, the greatest thought we must battle is our automatic need to compare ourselves to others.

For artists who may still be in the early stages of developing content or establishing their career, it can quickly become discouraging to observe other artists releasing art and receiving appropriate recognition for it. We can slip into a competitive mindset that leads us to think negatively of our peers and friends. Instead of celebrating their success, we wish and want for theirs. Maybe we even stop supporting their work altogether because jealousy has taken root within us.

Influencer culture inspires competitive mindsets because it encourages each artist to focus on their personal success - on my brand, my followers, my streams, my tribe, my money, etc. With our thoughts so occupied with ourselves, we become defensive towards those interested in working with us or bitter towards those who seem to be more successful. Most of all, we miss out on the fellowship we can experience when collaborating with others.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have good reward for their toil.”

Collaborating with other artists can strengthen your creativity in a multitude of ways. The art you make together can be stronger than anything you made on your own. It will have new layers as you add different perspectives to your body of work. Through collaboration, friendships can be formed with those who understand your need to create and can encourage you to press on when the road seems rough. You have accountability amongst peers; those who will be honest with you when your art needs more work or when you are operating from a place of pride, not worship or conviction.

The latter, I believe, is the most beautiful aspect of collaboration. Many artists have been so blessed by the fellowship they have gained through collaborating with other artists.

In a world where we are constantly taught to think of ourselves first and to fix our eyes upon our own success, we need more collaboration. We need more artists truly caring about the success of their peers and lifting each other up. As Christian-Creatives, we should care deeply about the witness we can have in loving our brothers and sisters well online and in person.

In rejecting competitive mindsets, artists can be freed from comparison, allowing them to celebrate their small successes and rejoice in those of others.

Your Influence Matters

These are just a few of the ways that influencer culture has positively and negatively affected the lives of artists. As much as I’ve tried to highlight the positive aspects of influencer culture, I’m aware that I’ve regarded many of these outcomes through a critical lens. This is because I believe that influencer culture has made being a creative in this present time more complicated.

Most importantly, I believe these negative outcomes are a call for Christian-Creatives to seriously consider the influence they are maintaining. Are we creating work that is edifying the kingdom of God? Or does our art serve our need for recognition and acceptance from others? Do we create and promote our art because we believe God will use it to minister to others, or do we do it because we want to be somebody?

It’s so important that we check our hearts throughout our creative process. It is vital that we remember that our need for belonging and approval is found in Christ alone. It’s crucial that we are creating from a place of worship to the God who gave us these talents in the first place.

The reason this is so critical is that we have so many opportunities to influence others with the Gospel. Because of the advancements that influencer culture has encouraged, we have many opportunities to make the Gospel known to the world; through our art, the content we share on our socials, what we choose to post and caption, and the way we interact with others.

While influencer culture has certainly been shaped by the philosophies of the world, we as believers can step into it with the mindset of Christ and, through the Spirit, redeem all the Enemy has meant for evil. We can bring something uplifting to our culture. We can guide others towards truth and hope. This might mean you pursue a career as an artist. It could mean you are simply creating content to bless your church family. Maybe you create in the intimacy of your bedroom, making art solely for you and God to enjoy together.

Either way, your art matters. Your influence matters.

I firmly believe that God is calling this age of Christian artists to seriously consider the ways we are choosing to use our creative gifts. He is calling us to operate differently from the world in what we choose to create and the process in which we make it. God desires to use every gift He has given us to build His kingdom. Our creativity is a piece of this. The influence He has given each of us, whether it be to a large audience online or a small group of youth, is part of this.

We have a responsibility to steward these gifts well. It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to do so. God, by His grace, has welcomed us into His kingdom work. We all have a role to play in this. To do it well, we must be entering the creative process from a place of gratitude and worship. We must continuously return to this principle:

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please feel free to leave a comment for me to see and share this post on your socials! You can also subscribe to receive updates on when posts go up!

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Sources

Kelly, Jack. “Indeed Study Shows That Worker Burnout Is At Frighteningly High Levels: Here Is What You Need To Do Now.” Forbes, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/04/05/indeed-study-shows-that-worker-burnout-is-at-frighteningly-high-levels-here-is-what-you-need-to-do-now/?sh=1e5fcbd123bb