In this video, Lennon Bone outlines five common habits that cause visual artists to lose attention on social media platforms like Instagram and offers concrete strategies to reverse the trend. First, he warns against treating an Instagram profile as a traditional portfolio aimed at galleries, emphasizing that social media users seek entertainment, education, and inspiration, and that building trust is essential. Second, he highlights the "posting and ghosting" problem—failing to respond to comments or DMs—missing chances to nurture relationships that can become future buyers. Third, he points out that artists often assume their work’s for‑sale status is obvious; he advises making the sales message prominent, using clear language at the top of captions, and not relying on bio links that few click. Fourth, he stresses the importance of personal storytelling, noting that people buy feelings and that sharing relatable anecdotes about life outside the art creates emotional connection. Fifth, he cautions against copying other creators’ formats, urging artists to develop an authentic voice that reflects their unique perspective. Throughout, Bone frames these habits as gaps in trust and connection, and he encourages artists to adopt a community‑first mindset, engage consistently, communicate sales intent clearly, share personal narratives, and stay true to their individuality to attract and retain buyers.
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There are 5 things that you're likely doing every day that is causing people to scroll past your art. The first thing you do is you treat your profile on Instagram like a portfolio. You want to get picked by a gallery and have them take 50% of your profits, maybe this is a good idea. But people come to social media to be entertained, educated, and inspired, and we don't buy things off the internet from people that we don't feel like we can trust. So I'm not saying don't try to be professional, but also make sure that you are thinking about connection first. Which leads to the second thing, you end up posting and ghosting. Here's what I mean. You post something, someone comments to you, and you don't respond. Every time someone responds to you, that's an opportunity for you to hit them up in the DMs, maybe send them a little voice note, just connect in some way. Building buyers of your thing is a long-term play, especially when you're charging like freaking $500 to $5,000 or more for your work. The third thing you do is you assume that someone knows that your work is for sale because you've posted it. It's on your website and there's a link in your bio. That does not prove to anyone that your work is actually for sale because here's how people use social media. Number 1, most people never click the link in your bio. Number 2, people scroll quickly so they're looking at the art, you could very well just be someone creating art and doing it as a hobby. Number 3, and if you're burying that little thing that says your work's for sale at the bottom of the caption that nobody reads, we got a problem, Charlie. Put it at the top, say it out loud, talk about it, don't be afraid, be proud of what you do. The 4th thing I see artists do is that you end up not telling personal stories or talking about yourself because you feel like you're not interesting enough. This causes a problem because people don't just buy art, they buy feelings. So they have to feel something around you. And the fastest way to make that happen is by telling personal stories. Here I talk about the deconstruction of my faith and, you know, things with my kids or sweatshirt weather. So start small this week. Just share one little thing about you that's outside of your art. That's just you as a human. The 5th thing that you do is you copy other artists. I get it, there's like hook formats and all these things that people give you that feel like they're going to help you grow your stuff. But the thing that makes you different is what you have to say. If you want to have something to sell, you also need something to say because that's what people are going to connect to when it comes to your art. Start saying what you actually think. The more you sound like you, the easier it is for people to find you. If you recognize yourself in any of these, don't worry about it. Most artists were never taught any of this stuff. You were taught to abide by a system that allows the system to have control over you and your work. The good news, that doesn't work online. And the best news is that because that doesn't work online, when you figure out how to do this yourself, everything opens up. If you want to stop waiting for buyers to just get it and actually start getting sales of your work, hit follow because I share stuff like this all the time. I'm sending you tons of love and I'll talk to you soon.
