How Much Is Too Much?

I recently saw a process video from one of my favorite artists and it gave so much away that I lost interest in collecting their art. Has this ever happened to you? If this is what happens to the collector upon watching these videos, you can be sure that all those “likes” are from fellow creators that want to learn from you. So, the question is - Why are you showing so much of your process? For “likes”? Is this just artists trying to fight the algorithm? If so, then something is wrong here.

One of my favorite college painting professors (RIP Sandy Chism) would always say “don’t show your brushstrokes.” That means, don’t tell people exactly how you made your work. Collectors like me don’t want to know all your secrets. Leave a little to the imagination. Make us keep wondering. I mean, isn't that the part of the appeal to art? It is for me

I asked my IG followers to chime in on this and one response really stuck with me. 

Reels ruined Instagram for me. I so prefer getting to just stare at a still image of someone's art. There are moments that are actually really cool to see the process, but I feel like a lot of those reels are made just to stay relevant and/or seen. I hate that artists here feel like they're being cornered into having to be either a teacher or an entertainer. I wish we could all just be able to focus on just sharing our art instead of honoring the algorithm gods

What do you think?

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