Loved this post and I’ve often thought about this too as my process feels private and I don’t like documenting my every move. It also makes me think about the multitude of hours needed to create a work of excellence, often reduced to a snappy 3 minutes and it often undermines the blood sweat and tears that occur to create. Are we creating a world where people think they need only put minimum effort in to produce something amazing?
Oh, how this resonates. As an artist myself, I have had the hardest time navigating the process porn landscape. 1. I don't have the energy to churn out stuff like many do.
2. It feels icky to be playing a game that I just know takes me out of my energetic alignment.
3. For 3 years I have been trying to figure out what it looks like to share my artwork in an authentic, aligned, and non-churning-out way... and I STILL don't know what that looks like. It's becoming clearer to me that places that promote that type of content are now nothing more than marketing tools. But process porn as a marketing shtick feels like I'm not actually honoring my creative practice.
4. C'mon Pluto in Aquarius coming around the bend, we've got to come up with a better system for artists!
Grateful to you for putting your thoughts into valuable words and sharing them with us. It's clearly resonating with so many.
Yes all of this! That’s how I feel, too. I know there will be artists who don’t mind filming at all. But I agree with you and shave to stick with what works for me. Art is my therapy and I can’t let anything get in the way of that. 🫶
Remember all those hashtags like #doitfortheprocess?I generally agree about your assessments on process porn, though I've done it myself on IG and have even enjoyed making them at times. But I will say, what has been refreshing to me is that the process of creating is so open and transparent now and it wasn't always like that. In art school and early on while working as a designer, the unveil of a final piece or design for a client was the main event. It kept the process of our work a mystery and we preferred it that way. I hated showing my work in progress and even when working with other designers in offices, hated the thought of anyone seeing my computer screen because I was so self-conscious of anyone seeing the messy and ugly and NORMAL bits of design before it gets fully formed.
But somewhere along the way, that changed in our industry and now everyone and their mother is in everyone's Figma files. It really tore down the mystery of what we did—and it's fine. Even in client meetings now, it's no longer so much a polished presentation when we're presenting designs, but a collaborative work in process. I do like how that's changed.
Yes I like the transparency, and I do enjoy watching a lot of these videos, but I also kinda of like mystery sometimes. I appreciate sneak peeks of messy processes, too! Makes me feel less alone in my own mess.
But I don't like that people have taken those process videos and turned them into a business of attention, and I'm often skeptical about the intentions behind them, especially when I see folks only focused on process, and not really on their work. Like how social media algorithms are forcing artists to think that social is the only marketing channel they have and are being duped by Big Tech to be on this hamster wheel that they don't really need to be on...
I mean FOR SURE. Yeah, I was referring to the transparency of process in general. In my field of product and UX, it's changed for the better and it's really the only way to work with clients now. I think you know how I feel about playing to algorithms and that bullshit 😅
Recently, I have enjoyed sharing my process on private IG stories. I have a public-facing IG for photography and other creative pursuits, but my personal account is not public. That's where I feel comfortable posting in-progress pictures of drawings I am doing. I did find myself worrying some about how the lighting dulls colors and contrast, making my work not look as good—but I reminded myself that this is for fun, not perfection or performance, and I only want to connect to others who enjoy seeing things evolve.
I love what you said here "I worry that the consequence of our enjoyment of satisfying videos is turning creatives into content machines. They fear that social media is the only way they can make sales or network, thus producing more and more process videos to please the algorithm." and (on a personal note) I saw this happening as a result of fairs getting shut down during covid and artist/designers feeling the pressure to go hard on the social media machine (and those with funds - going hard on PR which only has limited results). Now that shows are back up and running I see a lot of people sticking with what worked for them on instagram, but I can't imagine it still has the same impact. Anyways - great post as usual, Jaime. thanks!
Yes! We all felt like life was only happening online during the pandemic, but many forgot how to function IRL after things began to open back up. We're now in a weird hybrid stage of living (not just working). Unfortunately, though, we've learned the hard way that algos aren't being kind to us, and we have to work much, much harder to cut through the noise then before. I imagine it became so much more crowded during the pandemic, and the algo has changed significantly compared to what it was in 2019.
I have been thinking about the amount of effort we put into social to get views and engagement from strangers, and think it's probably pretty equivalent to the effort of trying to develop a relationship with a customer IRL, so why are we bothering with the online marketing (2 in the bush) when we can have a bird in the hand, so to speak? I'm not sure...
Truly, and I have given up! I only post TDR instagram when we have a substack post to share. I dont know if I am hurting our reach by doing that, but the reach (with 20+ k followers) is like 1%! It is absolutely not worth the effort - but I am touching on that on our next newsletter.
Another great post Jaime. I find that making "process porn" takes most of the enjoyment out of the creative process and my work suffers. As you mention, you don't get in that flow state, even if you're "just recording". I'm constantly checking to make sure what I'm doing is in frame or if I've run out of memory. That doesn't mean I don't create process videos, (I've had success selling online drawing courses) but the work I do on camera is not mean to be sold. In short, performing for the camera is hard.
Performing for the camera is awkward and uncomfortable for a lot of people. When I used to do podcasts (even when we weren't recording on video) people needed time to warm up and get comfortable. Simply knowing they were being recorded still kept them at a distance. I personally do not like being in front of the camera!
Like any 21st century American I am clout curious, so I’ve occasionally thought briefly about trying to make such videos. I’m a transparent dude, got nothing to hide in my process.
But I always stop at the thought of inserting a camera between my eye and the page. It feels like a sacrilegious intrusion into the moment. Flow ain’t nothing to be trifled with. The muses don’t appreciate being taken for granted.
I think about this topic a lot. For me, I've come to see the process porn as a way to tell the full story of the design to a larger audience. I sometimes see is other designers frustrated by the "viral format" that their videos or stories have to adhere to in order to get views. I feel like there are ways to still stay true to your voice but also craft a compelling video that the broader public can admire. I try and contrast this with designs of the past. The "napkin sketch" was maybe this mythical or viral story we would tell for famous designs like the Juicy Salif. But we all know that's certainly the watered down story, the process being marketed to sell the end product. I usually land on the fact that the tools we have to go viral are so much more powerful and democratic than the old ways of telling our stories through publishers or marketing teams. And despite some of the drawbacks, I prefer the former. Appreciate this article Jamie, makes me want to write about this topic.
You bring up a good point about videos and format, too, which is how people see what goes viral and think that they should duplicate that format, but in doing so, could lose their voice, or brand's voice. I think that can be detrimental.
I do like the process videos for storytelling and agree that they can be really compelling tools, but the idea of having to do them constantly is a bit overwhelming. Having to always have something new to share is also a burden! As you know, some products take years!
I think PR and marketing teams can be very helpful for brands, but also agree with you about removing that burden for small firms and creatives so we have a direct line of communication with our audience -- very powerful!
I'm not an artist, but as someone who is in the very early stage of designing (& selling) handmade upcycled products, this really resonates with me. I feel the pressure to have a camera up & rolling while I work, and to create process content to build an audience and 'desire' for my product / brand. For now I'm trying to mentally frame social media as an experiment in storytelling, and a la your footnote, a method of accountability for getting the brand / products off the ground. But I hope that over time I'm able to keep the content creation at bay and not let it overtake the actual creation. Maybe wishful thinking..
There are so many brands and artists who are doing just fine not sharing frequently or not sharing their process. It's more about developing a mailing list, finding other ways to connect with potential customers and collectors.
Loved this post and I’ve often thought about this too as my process feels private and I don’t like documenting my every move. It also makes me think about the multitude of hours needed to create a work of excellence, often reduced to a snappy 3 minutes and it often undermines the blood sweat and tears that occur to create. Are we creating a world where people think they need only put minimum effort in to produce something amazing?
Oh, how this resonates. As an artist myself, I have had the hardest time navigating the process porn landscape. 1. I don't have the energy to churn out stuff like many do.
2. It feels icky to be playing a game that I just know takes me out of my energetic alignment.
3. For 3 years I have been trying to figure out what it looks like to share my artwork in an authentic, aligned, and non-churning-out way... and I STILL don't know what that looks like. It's becoming clearer to me that places that promote that type of content are now nothing more than marketing tools. But process porn as a marketing shtick feels like I'm not actually honoring my creative practice.
4. C'mon Pluto in Aquarius coming around the bend, we've got to come up with a better system for artists!
Grateful to you for putting your thoughts into valuable words and sharing them with us. It's clearly resonating with so many.
Yes all of this! That’s how I feel, too. I know there will be artists who don’t mind filming at all. But I agree with you and shave to stick with what works for me. Art is my therapy and I can’t let anything get in the way of that. 🫶
Remember all those hashtags like #doitfortheprocess?I generally agree about your assessments on process porn, though I've done it myself on IG and have even enjoyed making them at times. But I will say, what has been refreshing to me is that the process of creating is so open and transparent now and it wasn't always like that. In art school and early on while working as a designer, the unveil of a final piece or design for a client was the main event. It kept the process of our work a mystery and we preferred it that way. I hated showing my work in progress and even when working with other designers in offices, hated the thought of anyone seeing my computer screen because I was so self-conscious of anyone seeing the messy and ugly and NORMAL bits of design before it gets fully formed.
But somewhere along the way, that changed in our industry and now everyone and their mother is in everyone's Figma files. It really tore down the mystery of what we did—and it's fine. Even in client meetings now, it's no longer so much a polished presentation when we're presenting designs, but a collaborative work in process. I do like how that's changed.
Yes I like the transparency, and I do enjoy watching a lot of these videos, but I also kinda of like mystery sometimes. I appreciate sneak peeks of messy processes, too! Makes me feel less alone in my own mess.
But I don't like that people have taken those process videos and turned them into a business of attention, and I'm often skeptical about the intentions behind them, especially when I see folks only focused on process, and not really on their work. Like how social media algorithms are forcing artists to think that social is the only marketing channel they have and are being duped by Big Tech to be on this hamster wheel that they don't really need to be on...
I mean FOR SURE. Yeah, I was referring to the transparency of process in general. In my field of product and UX, it's changed for the better and it's really the only way to work with clients now. I think you know how I feel about playing to algorithms and that bullshit 😅
Recently, I have enjoyed sharing my process on private IG stories. I have a public-facing IG for photography and other creative pursuits, but my personal account is not public. That's where I feel comfortable posting in-progress pictures of drawings I am doing. I did find myself worrying some about how the lighting dulls colors and contrast, making my work not look as good—but I reminded myself that this is for fun, not perfection or performance, and I only want to connect to others who enjoy seeing things evolve.
That's an interesting way to share, and a clever way to control who can access your process.
I love what you said here "I worry that the consequence of our enjoyment of satisfying videos is turning creatives into content machines. They fear that social media is the only way they can make sales or network, thus producing more and more process videos to please the algorithm." and (on a personal note) I saw this happening as a result of fairs getting shut down during covid and artist/designers feeling the pressure to go hard on the social media machine (and those with funds - going hard on PR which only has limited results). Now that shows are back up and running I see a lot of people sticking with what worked for them on instagram, but I can't imagine it still has the same impact. Anyways - great post as usual, Jaime. thanks!
Yes! We all felt like life was only happening online during the pandemic, but many forgot how to function IRL after things began to open back up. We're now in a weird hybrid stage of living (not just working). Unfortunately, though, we've learned the hard way that algos aren't being kind to us, and we have to work much, much harder to cut through the noise then before. I imagine it became so much more crowded during the pandemic, and the algo has changed significantly compared to what it was in 2019.
I have been thinking about the amount of effort we put into social to get views and engagement from strangers, and think it's probably pretty equivalent to the effort of trying to develop a relationship with a customer IRL, so why are we bothering with the online marketing (2 in the bush) when we can have a bird in the hand, so to speak? I'm not sure...
Truly, and I have given up! I only post TDR instagram when we have a substack post to share. I dont know if I am hurting our reach by doing that, but the reach (with 20+ k followers) is like 1%! It is absolutely not worth the effort - but I am touching on that on our next newsletter.
Another great post Jaime. I find that making "process porn" takes most of the enjoyment out of the creative process and my work suffers. As you mention, you don't get in that flow state, even if you're "just recording". I'm constantly checking to make sure what I'm doing is in frame or if I've run out of memory. That doesn't mean I don't create process videos, (I've had success selling online drawing courses) but the work I do on camera is not mean to be sold. In short, performing for the camera is hard.
Performing for the camera is awkward and uncomfortable for a lot of people. When I used to do podcasts (even when we weren't recording on video) people needed time to warm up and get comfortable. Simply knowing they were being recorded still kept them at a distance. I personally do not like being in front of the camera!
Like any 21st century American I am clout curious, so I’ve occasionally thought briefly about trying to make such videos. I’m a transparent dude, got nothing to hide in my process.
But I always stop at the thought of inserting a camera between my eye and the page. It feels like a sacrilegious intrusion into the moment. Flow ain’t nothing to be trifled with. The muses don’t appreciate being taken for granted.
I think about this topic a lot. For me, I've come to see the process porn as a way to tell the full story of the design to a larger audience. I sometimes see is other designers frustrated by the "viral format" that their videos or stories have to adhere to in order to get views. I feel like there are ways to still stay true to your voice but also craft a compelling video that the broader public can admire. I try and contrast this with designs of the past. The "napkin sketch" was maybe this mythical or viral story we would tell for famous designs like the Juicy Salif. But we all know that's certainly the watered down story, the process being marketed to sell the end product. I usually land on the fact that the tools we have to go viral are so much more powerful and democratic than the old ways of telling our stories through publishers or marketing teams. And despite some of the drawbacks, I prefer the former. Appreciate this article Jamie, makes me want to write about this topic.
You bring up a good point about videos and format, too, which is how people see what goes viral and think that they should duplicate that format, but in doing so, could lose their voice, or brand's voice. I think that can be detrimental.
I do like the process videos for storytelling and agree that they can be really compelling tools, but the idea of having to do them constantly is a bit overwhelming. Having to always have something new to share is also a burden! As you know, some products take years!
I think PR and marketing teams can be very helpful for brands, but also agree with you about removing that burden for small firms and creatives so we have a direct line of communication with our audience -- very powerful!
I'm not an artist, but as someone who is in the very early stage of designing (& selling) handmade upcycled products, this really resonates with me. I feel the pressure to have a camera up & rolling while I work, and to create process content to build an audience and 'desire' for my product / brand. For now I'm trying to mentally frame social media as an experiment in storytelling, and a la your footnote, a method of accountability for getting the brand / products off the ground. But I hope that over time I'm able to keep the content creation at bay and not let it overtake the actual creation. Maybe wishful thinking..
There are so many brands and artists who are doing just fine not sharing frequently or not sharing their process. It's more about developing a mailing list, finding other ways to connect with potential customers and collectors.
Seth's substack has a lot of great recs for that: https://socialmediaescapeclub.substack.com
Really appreciate the encouragement and the newsletter rec - glad to learn from others what (outside of SM) is working well for them!