Happy Artist: Stability + Freshness, The 2 Keys to Your Success as an Artist

I’ve recently started using ChatGPT more in my business…

The main thing I've used it for lately is getting strategy insights for Meta ad campaigns. Last week when I asked how often I should be adding in new creatives to test…
 

ChatGPT said: “Meta needs stability + freshness”
 

Meaning don’t change everything all at once. Keep the ads that are performing the best and mix in a variety of new photos, videos and ad copy to test.
 

I’ve gotten this sound advice in general from human ad managers, social media experts and marketing pros, but the way ChatGPT phrased it really clicked. And I realized, it’s strangely applicable to a lot of things in business and beyond.
 

Therapist Esther Perel is well known for her research showing that healthy relationships thrive on a balance of familiarity + novelty (e.g. a cozy routine of the same weeknight TV + a night out together at a new restaurant).
 

Even my favorite ice cream shop in LA, Sweet Rose Creamery, takes this approach with their flavors: 6 classic flavors that are always available + experimental ones that change with the seasons.
 

Here are some ways you can put stability + freshness to action…

With marketing:
Find the things that are already working well for you in your marketing and keep going with them as you also test out new things.

Is there a certain style of IG reel or post that always gets good engagement? Don’t be afraid to use that as a formula and post the same style on a regular basis. Then pop in other types of content to test. 

Super short close ups of me painting or doing embroidery tend to perform well, so I may post 2 of those in a week and then test 1 carousel of static photos or a trending voiceover clip.

With your art making:
It’s generally a good idea to create within a certain style while you’re building recognition as an artist so that people can come to know you for that one thing you do uniquely well. But most artists will go crazy if they’re not able to stretch and try new things too.
 

With art, it’s less of a business strategy thing and more of a creative wellbeing thing.
 

You can definitely have both, the familiarity AND the novelty in your art practice. For example, if you release 5 original collections a year, try doing 4 in the style you’re known for (or would like to be known for) and 1 in something new you’ve been wanting to share.

You can absolutely market art that is all more or less the same style, but if you enjoy testing out new things just for your own enjoyment you can do that too.
 

I love making collages, but haven’t shared them with my audience in years because I’ve been focused on my colorful mixed-media paintings. Recently I got the strongest urge to start making them again mostly for my  enjoyment, but I may start sharing or selling them online now and then too.
 

The thing about this whole stability + freshness strategy, wherever you apply it, is that you may end up finding something in your experiments that becomes part of your new standard routine. But if you don’t try out the new things you’ll never know.
 

Like the chocolate sorbet that was once a wild card on the seasonal ice cream list at Sweet Rose and got so popular it was bumped up to the Classics.