Multipassionate Artists and Social Media

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we show up online as artists... especially when we work in more than one medium. It’s something I’ve wrestled with for years and still don’t feel like I’ve landed on a perfect answer. Some days, I think everything I make should live under one roof, one feed, one presence. Other days, it feels like trying to cram too many ideas into a single space just makes everything more confusing (not only for the audience, but honestly, for me too).

So let’s talk about that. Because I know I’m not the only one. If you’re a multipassionate artist (and let’s be real, most of us are in one way or another), you’ve probably felt this too. How do you present yourself on social media when you work across different forms? Paintings, ceramics, digital work, maybe even writing or performance? Should it all be in one place? Or split it into separate accounts and try to keep them "on brand"?

This post is me thinking through this with you. I’ve tried a little of everything. I’ve had a unified Instagram where I shared all my work together. I’ve tried separate accounts, one for 2D and one for ceramics. I’ve had phases where I shared my life and art as one and other phases where I’ve been more compartmentalized. And guess what? Each version has benefits and drawbacks. I don’t think there’s one right answer here, but I do think there are a few things that can help you decide what’s right for you.

First, take a step back and look at your goals. Are you using social media as a portfolio, a shop window, a community hub, a sketchbook, or something else? Different goals might mean different strategies. If your goal is to build a business around a specific product (say, handbuilt ceramics), then it might make sense to have an account that’s tightly focused on that. But if your goal is to share your overall art practice and process, including experiments and shifts, then combining everything under one umbrella might make more sense.

Another thing I’ve been noticing: the stress that comes from trying to split yourself into pieces. If you’re someone who feels more grounded and connected when you share as one whole person, not as a brand with separate lanes, then forcing a divide between your different practices might start to feel artificial. That’s kind of what happened with me. I thought separating my work would give it more clarity. But after a while, I felt disconnected. Like I was showing up as fragments of myself rather than as a full artist.

And let’s be honest, managing multiple accounts can get exhausting. It’s not just the content creation (it’s the logging in and out, the planning, the responding, the growth strategies). It starts to feel like you’re doing twice the work, and sometimes for half the return. If social media already feels like a chore, doubling it might not be sustainable.

At the same time, if you do very different kinds of work that speak to very different audiences, it might be helpful to offer clarity by separating them. I know artists who make edgy digital art on one hand and calming meditative ceramics on the other. The audience for each is completely different. They’ve had success keeping things split, and they’ve built strong followings in each space. So in that case, it makes sense.

I think what it really comes down to is finding a flow that feels natural to you... and that you can realistically maintain. That doesn’t mean it has to be perfect. You can try something for a season and shift later. You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to experiment.

One thing that helped me was thinking of social media not as a gallery, but as a conversation. That mindset shift made a huge difference. Instead of worrying about a perfect grid or whether things matched, I started thinking about whether what I was sharing felt true to the kind of dialogue I wanted to have with my creative community. When I leaned into that, it became easier to decide what to post and where.

If you’re trying to figure this out for yourself, here are a few things to try:

Start by mapping out your mediums and what kind of content you already create. Do you mostly share finished work, in progress shots, behind the scenes process, or personal reflections? What content do you naturally gravitate toward sharing?

Then ask yourself: do these mediums feel like they’re part of one larger story, or are they each telling separate stories? Do you want people to follow you as an artist, or are you building a brand around a product or line of work?

Try testing things. Maybe you combine everything for a month and see how it feels. Or maybe you start a separate account for one body of work and see how it grows. Look at what’s working, but also how it feels for you behind the scenes. If something starts to feel like a burden or you’re struggling to keep it up, that’s a sign too.

Think about visuals, sure (but also think about rhythm). Do you want a varied feed where people get to know your range? Or do you want to keep things clean and tightly focused? Your answer might shift depending on the time of year, what you’re working on, or what shows or sales you have coming up.

For me, I’m leaning into the idea that everything I do is part of a larger creative life. It might not all look the same, but it comes from the same place. And honestly, I’d rather build a following that’s here for me and my process than try to slice myself into marketable segments. That’s what feels right right now. But I’ll keep checking in with myself and adjusting as I go.

So, if you’re trying to navigate this, you’re not alone. So many of us are out here making work that doesn’t fit neatly into categories, and that’s okay. You don’t have to brand yourself into a corner. You can show up as a whole artist. You can change directions. You can be clear without being rigid.

What matters most is that you feel like your online presence reflects the creative life you’re actually living. Not just the curated version. Not just what you think will sell. But the real work. The weird overlaps. The stuff you’re excited about.

That’s what draws people in anyway.

So, what about you? Are you feeling pulled to separate your work or bring it all together? Are you experimenting? Burning out? Reworking your feed for the tenth time? I’d love to hear how you’re navigating this too. Because the more we talk about it, the more we realize there’s no one way to be an artist online. Just the way that fits you best... right now.

Let’s start up the convo!!