Wednesday 1st May, 2024
EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!
That’s right, after almost a year, the boy who learned to fly, the Peter Pan analogue, the wannabe Howl Jenkins Pendragon (yes that is his real name), is back online… & soon to be back on stage.
Now I’m assuming that you’ve been keeping up to date with my semi-predictable journal entries here, so you’re well aware that in December I was on stage performing a brand new song with my rope. But now I’ll be able to tell everyone else that I’ll be, once again, bringing that act to Dublin audiences! On June 6th I’ll be performing a 20 minute set in the Button Factory for BIMM live: an end of year show for the final year students. (there will be a lot of really beautiful acts there, so be sure to show up early & not just before 10pm to see me) :P
Let’s not dwell on that, nor on my public release of this amazing rope performance that I recorded back in December… let’s talk about what it’s been like to return to the arena of attention… the colosseum of contentent!
To begin with full disclosure: I have returned earlier than I’d wanted to. As part of my thesis project, I will need to post two similar pieces of content, put some money behind them & judge the engagement with each… so to make my data a little bit more reliable, I’ve needed to post somethings beforehand to eliminate any ‘welcome back’ hype that might occur… & oh boy, has there been lots of that.
So, I noticed in me, a nefarious smile as I refreshed my instagram to see more likes, more comments, more shares, & more followers pile on. The adoration, the celebration, the wonderful sense of community… all of that validation was tickling the deepest parts of my brain. I’m a performer, I’m sensitive to praise after all. I call this kind of joy nefarious for obvious reasons that you’re well aware of. As much as I’ve missed posting on social media, I’ll need to keep an eye on my response to this kind of praise & attention. Luckily, I’m also posting on TikTok, & over there people regularly don’t give a shit… so that’s a good way to keep me humble.
I think what I’ve been able to learn about social media, in the time I’ve been away, is to care more about what I post, & post less. It’s also, to ignore advice, & not to seek it out too often. Really, I cannot stress how much stress is added to creators when they are open or receptive to advice. Very, VERY few people know what they’re talking about when it comes to social media (including me), so you’ll find yourself with a lot of bad information, pulling you in contradictory ways. It’s easy to drive yourself off a cliff. The only thing I’ve learned for certain… & this is not advice to make your numbers grow, but advice to make your relationship with social media healthier is: to post when & what you want… it’s that simple. Don’t let other creators dictate the style or nature of what you post, & don’t let an algorithm dictate your working schedule. (it doesn’t have YOUR best interest at its metaphorical heart)
I’m still deciding on what my actual strategy is, & for now, I’m playing around with different ideas. Currently I have a low effort / informal strategy where everything is gonna be easy edits & posts with a chatty & playful spirit. I’m a playful guy after all… I gotta let me be me.
I’m also gonna try & develop some kind of ‘community’ online too this time. I used to be very selfish with my interactions on socials. I would only reply to comments, & seldom leave one. I would occasionally repost something a friend had done, but rarely in a genuine way. This time, I’m going full throttle into ‘Kermit Mode’. Which is the name for my community gathering self. Lots of support for everyone, lots of genuine chats with other people. Actual connections & interactions with the people who connect & interact with me. That means following (pretty much) everyone who comments & engages with me, & engaging with them right back.
Hank Green is a great creator to follow if you need an example of how a community can be build through social media, & how it can actually be a pretty healthy & positive force in your lives, & the world. Good things need to be fought for. So lets get fighting & start supporting!
Whoop whoop, I’ll see you on the loop.
Nathan!!!!!!!!!!!
