Why So Much Social Media?!

At the end of January I did a 5-day social media challenge with artist Mary Gilkerson, and it blew my mind. The diligence, planning, and structure of every post was much more complex then I would have expected – and this is coming from a person who posts daily on Instagram already!

I’m a big believer in using social media to help grow and promote your business. What I dislike is spammy, repetitive, duplicated content I often see online. Before participating in this social media challenge I had pulled away from Facebook; I had deleted my personal account two years before, and was very hesitant to over-engage on my business pages. I had defaulted to Instagram where I felt “safer” and less overwhelmed in content.

On Instagram I had a personal account that integrated all avenues of my life: Motherhood, my love of nature, my art, and my yoga business. I had been using this account for years, and decided it was time to start an additional Instagram account that would focus ONLY on my art, and specifically finished pieces. Then in January, I started a third Instagram account to document “2021 The Creative Year” which is a new project I am working on; with the goal of doing one creative thing a day, with one new theme each month.

Then, at the end of January I did the 5-day social media challenge, and focused 100% on reviving my Facebook artist page “Jennifer Anne Burke.” Suddenly my friends were like “What is going on?! Why all the different social media accounts?” Personal accounts, yoga accounts, art accounts… it’s too much. I do need to tidy it up, but in the meantime here is a breakdown of my current social media, to help you to decide what you should follow (or unfollow) accordingly:

FACEBOOK:

Jennifer Anne Burke – This is my artist profile. If you follow this page you will see my daily “creativity challenge” along with occassional posts about “works in progress” and website or blog updates. I also like to share other artists on my page, and random information on art events or webinars (like local galleries).

The Gentle Way of Hatha – This is my yoga business. If you follow this page you will get updates on upcoming yoga classes, workshops, or other information on yoga, meditation, mindfulness, self-care, mental-health, and general wellness.

INSTAGRAM:

Jenni Burke/Jennifer Anne Burke – This is my personal profile where you will see posts about everything happening in my life. Some art, some nature, some #momlife stuff, and sprinkled with some random yoga stuff. It is a mishmash of information, but fun.

Burke_Untitled – This is art only. You will find my finished paintings here, art for sale with sizes and pricing, and any posters for upcoming events. If you are an art collector, or only interested in my artwork this is the ideal profile to keep your eye on. This is also a profile that I intend to start using a lot more in the future!

2021 The Creative Year – This profile is simply a way to document my daily art challenge. It will only be active for one year. I also make posts about creativity in general, and the creative process I experience. In January I did a month of photo-poem challenges, with the theme of Lake Ontario. In February I am doing daily sketches. In March I will do daily mini-paintings. April embroidery. Etc., Etc.,… If you are a creative person looking for inspiration, ideas, and collaboration then this will be a good profile for you to follow. If you are also doing daily challenges feel free to use/follow the hashtag #2021thecreativeyear.