Эксперимент в Instagram

I've been away from Instagram for a while, but it was fun to start posting with regularity again. I'm trying to be better about keeping my followers updated about what's going on at Lucid Nap Studios. 

 My hiatus has had the positive side effect of showing me who on my followers list actually keeps up with me and who is an inactive user. 

Since October 14th, I have made 9 posts. Unfortunately, I am permanently on Moscow time, due my brain being reprogrammed during a Russia Psychometrics experiment (true story, I'll tell you about it sometime.) Due to this, I usually post between the hours of 12am and 12pm Pacific time (10am-10pm Moscow time.)

Sometimes Soviet Vampires mess with your sleep schedule.

 I tend to find that the earlier in the morning I make my material available, the more response I get. 

My followers tend to interact around:

• 6am Pacific time (4pm Moscow Time)- likely when my more local friends get up for work.

•10:30am (8:30pm Moscow Time) When My local friends are lunching.

•7:30pm (5:54am Moscow Time) When the Americans have come home from work, eaten dinner and are vegetating.

My first post was of an old Halloween look I put together, to be Hel, Goddess of Death, in Norse Mythology.

It doesn't specifically have anything to do with my podcast, but I'm trying to avoid broadcasting about one subject over and over, essentially becoming a one trick pony. No one likes that. People like ponies with lots of tricks!

This post does have tie ins to my art, and Halloween, which is one of the trending words right now. You can search trending words online (I like Soovle.com, though they don't have an Instagram specific tool) but you have to post things that are relevant to your hashtags. 

If I posted #cutecats for this post, people looking for cute cats would get angry, and I'd get a lot of spicy comments which worked in other euphemisms for our feline friends. People don't like being tricked.

Instagram is helpful in that when you type in a keyword, it shows you its ranking and other related terms. If I type #icequeen I might get #elsa come up, like the beloved Disney Princess. That's a stretch but I could use #Frozen or #letitgo

For this picture I posted:

Flashback to a few Halloween’s ago, when I was Hel, goddess of Death, daughter of Loki.

We are still cleaning up ice sparkles, in the carpet, left over from this project. #glitteristheherpesofthecraftworld #icesparkles #glitter #halloween #halloweencostumes #halloween #prostheticmakeup #sfxmakeup #audiodrama #podcast #makeup #costume #fun #art #maskbuilding #maskcreation #mythology #hel #frostgiant #ice #frozen #letitgo #goddessofdeath #pastelgoth #iceprincess #elsa #crafting

I worked in crafting, makeup, Frozen and Halloween. These are all things that are popular hashtags on Instagram.

To date this post has 37 likes. It will probably cap out at 50. The way the current algorithm is set up, it's difficult for me to pull in much more than that. I don't interact enough, and tend not to post things that are of the moment. I want my posts to reflect what I do professionally and me doing a sassy Tik Tok dance isn't really relevant to art, editing or writing.

Before I turned my back on social media,  I used to get likes in the 100s, which is still pretty weak in the Instagram game.

My next post was:

While escorting my guitarist husband to Guitar Center I noticed this sign for Cold Stone Creamery, which had burned out to just say Tone.

I run in the same circles as another writer named Tone Milazzo. He's a published author, who writes about psychic espionage, specifically of the Russian variety and magic. These are two subjects that feature in my own audiodrama.

I've also been a guest on his role playing game podcast. For that episode, he set the game in a universe that was a William S. Burroughss and Hobbit mash up, He did this in response to my featuring one of his poems on my William S. Burroughs tribute audiodrama.

Unfortunately, I haven't made much attempt to keep in touch with him.

When someone's actually accomplished, I tend to shy away and avoid them. I feel as though I'm unworthy. I'll go just so far, and then be horrified that I'm making a nuisance of myself.

However, when someone is a neurotic, obsessive, lonely fangirl who DMs me in graphic detail about their bowel issues - I say,

"As much as I hate to admit it, this person's clearly on my level. Can't choose your fan base, better lean into it. "

I do more than lean into it though, I bend over backwards to placate them. They become increasingly demanding of my time. They don't usual get attention from people, so they overcompensate, preoccupying my online life.

What I'm trying to do is redirect the energy I had been giving to people I presumed to be in my same social strata, and give it to people who I aspire to emulate.

I wanted to employ a little bit of the "Surprise and Delight" tactic Dave Kurpen discusses in "Likeable Social Media." (Are we on that chapter yet, I've already read it like three separate times and fall asleep with the audio book on, because I'm desperate to make myself into something worthwhile. I truly believe the secret lies within.)

You want to surprise people with something unexpected, and bring some delight into their day. Normally this is done with a dissatisfied customer, to neutralize a situation. In my case, I'm employing the tactic with a connection I've made, and haven't kept up with.

I captioned this post:

I only know one man who goes by this name! This sign has clearly been sabotaged by one @tonemilazzo

What fiendish plot do you have brewing? #writer #sign #itsasign #coldstone #icecream #espionage #icecreamandESPionage #burnedoutletters #hesuptosomething

The tags here are more relevant to writing #writer, and the sign with a nod to Tone's work #espionage #icecreamandESPionage (because its psychic espionage...can't take credit for that one though, ESPionage is all Tone.

These tags won't necessarily pull in new followers, but they did catch the attention of Tone and fans of his work. I actually did get a couple new followers from something I just did as a nod to a fellow author.

This post has 11 likes, but it did what it set out to do.

Then I posted a workout selfie (but from my home, before leaving for the gym. I hate people who get on their phones at the gym.)

I like this little workout shirt, and I like my ridiculously green wall. These things help distract from the fact that I look like Wednesday Adams's gentle, country cousin. 

 

Fitness always has a powerful pull on social media, and I've been really invested in my health and recovery lately. I'm trying to set the stage for a podcast episode or video where I can talk about these things more in depth. 

 

However, I don't want my posts to seem preachy. I just disseminate info little by little. 

I captioned this:

 

 Taking my resting spooky face and a shirt full of stars to the gym! #gymmotivation #gym #mytime #strongereveryday #reclaimingmylife #reclaimingmybody #buildingabetterme #cardio #weighttraining #metabolicsyndrome #metabolicconditioning #noexcuses #cuttingoffexcusemakers #stars #fitness #metabolicrecovery #audiodrama #podcast #restingspookyface

This post has 16 likes but it did draw in quite a few new followers whose pages focus on gym motivation and fitness.

I know this doesn't necessarily translate into listeners for the show, or sales of my merch, but it broadens my audience a bit. Will it be permanent? That remains to be seen.

 

I do feel that sharing my vulnerabilities like #metabolicsyndrome #reclaimingmybody #strongereveryday helps humanize me as a writer and show runner. 

 

I also added posts like and #noexcuses #cuttingoffexcusemakers to draw a line in the sand. 

 

You know the obsessive fans I talked about? One of the tactics they used to keep me in line was present a laundry list of diagnoses and traumas they endure to keep me in line. In sharing these things, they were actually exempting themselves from being accountable for any bad behavior.  

When I would say "Please don't keep messaging me the same thing. You can't expect me to message you back instantaneously, I have a job!"

They would respond with "I wish I had a job, but my panic attacks are too bad. I always get fired! People can't wait to push me out of their life and I should have expected that you'd be the same!"

 

I now realize that's a big over reaction to a very normal request. It had nothing to do with panic attacks, that was just an excuse they used to make me feel guilty when I wouldn't give them their way.

 

I'm trying to push those people out of my life.

 

I next posted a video from TikTok, which explains that I'm going back to school to learn how to market myself more effectively

.

It's a simple picture, in the style of my show's artwork with audio.

I captions this :

 

 Some of you hep cats already know this, but now all the squares will know too! #college #backtoschool #audiodrama #production #art #cartoon #illustration #podcast #marketing #goals #pitching #seriescreation #newbeginnings #newhope #reclaimingmylife #reclaimingmywork #noexcuses #doordonotthereisnotry #anniewilkesisdead #makingmyownpath

I used the hashtag #audiodrama #cartoon #podcast to relate this back to my show

I again put #noexcuses #reclaimingmywork to show my determination, and the optimistic attitude I hoped to convey in this post.

 

I put #pitching #cartoonseries #marketing #goals #series creation to announce my intentions with this series. I am hoping to connect with animators and other people who have more experience pitching a series and show running than I do. 

I'm starting to connect with people who have offered me advice on what kind of artwork and set up I'm going to be expected to present to a network. 

I learned about character turn arounds, and expression sheets from someone I met online. These show how your characters are to be drawn from every angle, and how their faces look when they're emoting, so that they stay "on model" or consistent.

While I probably wont be animating my pilot episode by myself, I do need to show exactly what I want and understand the process so I'm ready to approach network executives when the time comes.

The hashtag #doordonotthereisnotry works on a few levels.

One, it shows my determination- Do or Do not, there is no try!

Two, it's a Star Wars quote, so it is recognizable and has pop culture caché

Three, it was a phrase I was instructed to never say by one of my former internet stalkers. Her ex used to say it in order to hold her accountable for starting projects then quitting when things got too hard. It triggered her. 

Many of the people who follow me feed my words back to her, because many of my friends are shit disturbers. Knowing that, I'm happy to plant something like this in my post to show that I no longer pander to her tantrums.

The #anniewilkesisdead post is another reference to her and how she infiltrated my life and my work like Annie Wilkes from Misery.

Sometimes, the best role models in life are the people you don't want to become. The people you attract tend to be reflection of yourself, and I didn't like what I saw.

 

This is one of the first times in my life I've actively participated in my relationships and didn't just let them happen to me. I am working with every post and drawing to maintain that level of control over myself and my life.

This post has 26 views here, only 5 on Tik Tok. Sometimes I get 600 views on Tik Tok, sometimes nothing. This one doesn't do much movementwise, so I'm not surprised.

Tik Tok is more the young, hip demographic we're after for the series, but for now, I'm taking it slow. I'd rather post something uninteresting than be remembered forever for something cringeworthy. One false move can completely define how people see you online.

Here's another selfie, this one's from 2016. Here, my husband was escorting me to the endocrinologist for my insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, PCOS and related hormone issues. If you look closely, you'll see I had almost no hair in the front- AND YET- it's a cute picture!

 

To this day, I still have a profoundly Elizabethan hairline, but I'm into it.

 

I didn't post about any specific medical issues, and my husband advised me to say that I was at the doctor rather than the endocrinologist (which raises questions.) I really just wanted to capture the mood between us. 

He supports me, and believes in my art and writing, even though they haven't yielded the results I'm after yet. This picture really captures that attitude.

I captioned it:

Throwback Thursday! Here’s me and Old Scratch being cute at the doctors office. My soul might belong to him, but he insists I get regular check ups to keep my corporeal form in robust health. Being his apprentice can be very physically demanding! #oldscratch #devilsapprentice #creepingwaveradio #audiodrama #podcast #doctorsoffice #creepycouples #health #healthylifestyle #checkup #hessoconcerned #behindthescenes #wellness #fitness #guysinglasses #nails #creepingwaveradiopodcast #creepingwaveradioislife

 

Old Scratch is the character my husband plays on the series, (the devil) and through some fancy talking on my character, Napoleon's part, I went from being a soul on his list to his apprentice.

 

I worked in #audiodrama #podcast #creepingwaveradio #oldscratch #devilsapprentice because it's relevant to the show. 

 

I also included #behindthescenes (which used to be abbreviated BTS but now that relates to Korean pop)

 

I want to start showing how we support one another and what the journey to get this podcast on the map looks like. 

 

This picture was the beginning of Creeping Wave Radio actually. My endocrinologist said that I'm exacerbating my condition and my cortisol levels by constantly stressing myself out. 

 

I do. I allow people to treat me like filth, because that's what nice people do right? Everyone has to like you, that's how you capture success. 

 

I also live with the pervasive fear that if I ever complain, I'll discover that the person I made protest against had some kind of connection with an industry big shot. If I had just let myself be tormented a little longer, I'd have got my big break.

 

The truth is though, that I'm not a sitcom character, and that's not how real life works.

 

I realized my biggest frustration point at the time was the podcast collective I was working for, and that it was limiting what I could do with my own original shows.

I wrote them a polite two week notification, and started working on my own audiodrama series independently.

 

It's been a long process, and I've watched the people I worked with celebrate their successes when I was flailing in the wind. Still, I feel like I made the right decision.

 

Ha Ha, just kidding. I regret not sticking it out everyday.

 

At this point in my life, the podcast collective could ask to cut open my stomach so they could watch me eat and I'd be like, "YES! PLEASE DO!!! I'll grab you a knife!"

 

At least the guys who run the podcast collective took pity on me and started paying me to create art for them. I'm eternally grateful.

All that is kind of kind of heady for Instagram. People don't really read the captions in my experience anyway.

This post has 18 likes because my husband is cute.

Given that, I decided to exploit my husband's sex appeal with this post!

This is my husband as he appeared at the start of the series, illustrated here

And how he looks at present. For the record, during lockdown we had nothing to do but sit around and watch old movies. He demanded I cut his hair like Brendon Fraser, so I did. 

 

Everyone always thinks I instigated it, but I was actually sweating bullets the whole time.

He's watching The Nanny. He's a big Fran Drescher fan...who isn't?

 

I captioned this:

 

Old Scratch back in 2017 Vs Old Scratch today. He looks slightly less like he’s about to incinerate me… I’m wearing him down! #audiodrama #podcast #thenandnow #throwback #oldscratch #creepingwaveradio #creepingwaveradiopodcast #bighairyman #mybossisthedevil #imwearinghimdown #devilsapprentice

 

I try to always post in character, for continuities sake.

 

I worked in my standard hashtags but I have been shadowbanned for using too many of the same tags before. That being said, I always try to change it up a little

 

I added #I'm wearinghimdown which is a plot point in the series. I also tagged #bighairyman. At the end of each episode I say "Creeping Wave Radio is brought to you by Lucid Nap Productions, in cooperation with a big, hairy man!"

 

My husband will reply "I'm not that hairy!"

 

And I'll riff some kind of quippy response.

 

I also put the obvious #thenandnow and #throwback

 

Next, I posted some of my episode art I do for my Patreon's The Grimerica Show. I do the cover of each weeks episode, though they've recently expanded and do a couple extra shows for their financial supporters. I want to emulate that model, but they're much better at interacting with people consistently than I am...I'm trying though!

 

This one was for an interview with Ashley Rindsberg, author of "The Gray Lady Winked" which talkes about how misreporting on part of The New York Times has lead to misinformation and corrupted history.

 I captioned:

Some episode art I made for @grimericashow and their interview with Ashley Rindsberg, author of “The Gray Lady Winked: How the New York Times's Misreporting, Distortions and Fabrications Radically Alter History”

What’s something you used to believe was a fact but later discovered wasn’t?

#art #podcast #episodeart #thegraylady #thegrayladywinked #retro #misreporting #news #newspaper #newsmedia #audiodrama #writing #interview #history #artistsoninstagram #illustrator

 

I tied this into art and podcasting, but made sure to reference the book and even tagged the author. No word yet if he liked my interpretation or not.

 

I also included #retro and #history because in my art and in my podcast, the retro aesthetic is very important to my style.

 

12 likes here

 

I also posted:

 

 

 and captioned:

My episode art for @grimericashow and their interview with Dr. Shirley Cheechoo C.M.

Cheechoo is a Canadian Cree actress, writer, producer, director, and visual artist, whose work educates people about the cultural experiences and struggles of Indigenous people.
#podcast #art #indigenous #firstnation #cree #art #writing #theatre #drama #illustration #arts #artistsoninstagram #episodeart #audiodrama #television #educator

 

15 likes here.

 

I got a few more than expected because Indigenous people is topical (would have been better if I could have posted it on Indigenous Peoples' Day).

 

I stopped posting art fr a while because I feel like people didn't see me as anything but an artist. I looked back and realized that the only posts I was making were once a week when I created episode art for Grimerica. Of course people would assume that's all I do!

 

I put my usual podcast and art tags then added a few that were relevant to the guest.

 

My latest post was this morning at about 1am Pacific, 11 am Moscow Time, so 4 hours ago.

 

 

 This is an old picture of me from a T shirt contest. I won the T Shirt from a photographer. It was a big deal for me, even though I can't remember his name, because he'd worked with the Youtuber Jenna Marbles. I'm a fan. She embodies the kind of vibes I want to project online.

 

The shirt came with the requirement that I posted a picture of me in the shirt, illustrating the character quality written on it, that being "Ruthless." In this shot, it just looks like my name is Ruth though.

I went with a Doctor Frankenstein kind of motif. Her I am, ruthlessly violating the sanctity of the dead, and forcing the responsibility of life on to my quilt work specimen. All of this,  just to prove I hold dominion over death, never thinking of the consequences I leave my creation to deal with.

I'm obsessed with anything to do with Frankenstein and its many incarnations (Pinnochio, Robocop, Number 5 from Short Circuit, Edward Scissor Hands, etc.) I designed this whole set myself and built all the props (except for the wooden hand, the alligator skull and the human skull, which were from my wedding decor.)

I had to take the picture myself, and didn't really have professional level lighting available. I always felt kind of cheated in that the photographer never posted my pictures. I don't think it's what he was hoping for.

I think they're cute though, and they definitely tie into the mood of my podcast!

I captioned:

Monday Memories!!! This is back when I first started apprenticing under Old Scratch!

Yes, I had just arrived in H-E-🏒🏒, and I was quick to make new friends!

Listen to @creeping_wave_radio for the deetz!

#halloween #frankenstein #makenewfriends #audiodrama #podcast #craft #creepingwaveradio #spookyseason #art #artistsoninstagram #weirdscience #sheblindedmewithscience #misssakamotoyourebeautiful #tzimisce #spareparts #sewing #creepy #memories

 

I try to toss in a plug for the Creeping Wave podcast and Instagram whenever I can.

 

In addition to my usual tags I put is #frankenstein #craft #spookyseason #halloween #weirdscience #sheblindedmewithscience relating to the Frankenstein elements and my love for 80's music.

 

I also added #Tzimisce which is a reference to the game Vampire The Masquerade. The Tzimisce are a species of vampire that have the ability to craft flesh like clay. I always loved that idea, and the lore. I didn't really like playing the game itself though, too many heavy and serious people who refused to let anyone have fun.

 

I also worked in "Missyakamotoyourebeautiful" which is a line from the Thomas Dolby son "She Blinded Me With Science." I saw Thomas Dolby at The Belly Up back in the early 2000s and it was amazing. I don't know that this hashtag was for anyone but me.

I did repost some of these to my Facebook Business page. It turns out I was linked to my other Facebook Business page and I disconnected it from there, but since I post much more regularly on my original page, I feel like I need to reconnect it.

I'm trying to decide, as I really like the set up for scheduling on the new facebook business page I have. I need to try and figure out what my best option is. I think you can still post to all related pages through the business page as well, but I need to play with it more.

I have a loathing for Facebook because it feels like an online meat market. If you're nice to someone, they expect you to become their bestest best friend or have sex with them, and the casual atmosphere kind of grosses me out.

I'm trying to get over that, so I can be triumph over social media!