Engage with your audience - or you may cease to exist?

byAConnelley

138 followers

6 years ago

Engage with your audience - or you may cease to exist

“Gratitude is the best attitude”

Sometimes it feels funny writing posts, just putting it out there, our thoughts and ideas on different topics and it is hard to imagine someone sitting at a computer reading what you wrote.

In fact, I find it off-putting to imagine people reading what I’ve written. Somehow the beauty of the written word is you feel free to let yourself go and write from the heart.

I am a visual artist and I think it is different when you paint or draw or sculpt as it feels like you expose your inner self to a greater degree. There is something instant about looking at a picture and people can make quick judgements about your work.

But writing feels private and people have to sit down and pay attention, so they can read what you have to say.

Therefore, I have to keep reminding myself to engage with my audience and appreciate you. I am grateful to have an audience and someone who wishes to read what I have written.

“I need you, the reader, to imagine us, for we don’t really exist if you don’t” Nabolov Vladimi, Lolita

Similarly, I read that for a performer on stage it is important to acknowledge and include your audience such as let them know you are grateful they came to listen to you. Plus, to be ‘real’, an audience likes to hear stories about you, genuine stories from the heart.

Also, for a performer it was suggested they acknowledge how they got to where they are and all the hard work and help from other people along the way. i.e. their audience, band members, managers, etc, a show is made up of many talented people, not just the lead singer.

And, most important of all, the advice was to just be YOUrself. We resonate so much better if we are unique and genuine.

In fact, my journey as an artist is the opposite and also the same. When I was a child I just painted for the sake of painting, but now I find it hard to let go and stop worrying about my audience. Will they like what I make, will it sell etc. That is partly why I have started with WA as I would like to have an income to support my art, so I can make genuine art from the soul without having to worry about the commercial aspect. But, I also need an audience to appreciate what I make, otherwise it will just sit in a room gathering dust.

Therefore, what am I trying to say? Just that, to be creative I need to forget I have an audience, but once I have finished writing or painting, I need to engage with my audience.

That is why it is so good being part of the WA community, we all engage with each other and we are trained how to communicate and engage with our audience. Plus, I value feedback from fellow WA members as we are all working with similar issues.

So, thank you for reading this, I really appreciate it and please let me know what are your thoughts?

Alexandra