6 Important Social Networks beneficial to Artists, Creatives and Creators for 2020. 

Creativity is freedom. To be creative is to be innovative, imaginative and action-oriented. But sometimes a creative can hit a Block and lose all forms of inspiration, and muse to continue creating. Yes it happens, because after creating so much or so little, one can run the risk of repeating the same ideas unconsciously. Banality can scare potential clients and patrons away. So this is why it is advisable to always step back a little from work and seek inspiration from a walk, nature, beauty, an unusual activity, etc. but no matter where you are seeking this serenity of mind, no matter the strategy applied in numbing the noise, the key is to be sensitive to that aha moment. Sensitivity helps you recognize what you are looking for once you see it. It may be that colour you haven’t tried, that brush movement, that laughter, it could be just about anything that you probably once took for granted. Once you discover it again, it’s liberating with a deep feeling of artistic satisfaction- a feeling of aesthetic accomplishment.

However these are the regular means of unblocking and reigniting the creative flames, but there are faster ways now. Thanks to human interaction and social media dedicated to inspiring creators, not just with ideas but financially too.  I would be talking about these social sites in a bit. Some you know, some you don’t, but they are all created to inspire and help the creative leverage the benefits of human ideas and networking. In no particular order, I have picked these sites because of their popularity, engagements, number of users, how often they are updated, and how they help or support an artist’s creative growth.

Behance

With more than 10 million users, Behance is a Social Network site that is owned by Adobe and is aimed at showcasing and discovering creative works from creators around the world. This is a perfect place to get ideas as well as to get a release from creative Block. It cuts across all creative Niches from Music, to the visual art, to sound, photography and fashion, etc. there is a wide variety of ideas posted regularly to inspire you, and there is also an opportunity for you to create your designs and share to the larger community to inspire others too.  Your works can be appreciated by both registered and non-registered users. That is to say that the beautiful part is that you don’t need to be registered to get access to contents in the network. Unless maybe you want to start creating your projects and inspire others too.

Pinterest

With more than 300 million global users and more than 27 language translations, Pinterest is one of the biggest Hubs for a creative to get ideas. It cuts across all creative Niches too. So no matter what your interest is, you are covered. You can follow pages that inspire you and receive pin suggestions whenever they put up any new work. The ease of access to designs here consequently led to growth in business ideas, and a lot of marketers and brands are keying in to harness the opportunities. So beyond getting inspired this is also a great place to earn from marketing your works to the world. On Pinterest, you would discover a cosmic web of unending ideas.

Dribble

With more than 4 million monthly visitors and users from 195 countries. Dribble is another interesting social network for Creatives. Here it features inspiring digital ideas in the niche of Animation, Branding, Illustration, Mobile Print, Product Design, Typography, and Web Design. It serves as a design portfolio platform, jobs, and recruiting site and is one of the largest platforms for designers to share their work online. Also, Dribble hosts conferences and face to face meetups for designers. They have hosted 44 meet-ups in 43 countries, with more than 8,000 designers in attendance. It may be the turn of your country one day, and you would get to meet your best designer face to face and be inspired.

Patreon

Patreon works differently from all others. While you use all others to inspire yourself and expand your ideas, Patreon is a place where your patrons, clients, family, friends, and fans encourage you to grow through gifting, or subscribing, or paying for your creative contents, then Patreon pays you by the end of the month. So it’s more of an earning platform for people to appreciate the good works you do. Sometimes some people can pay for exclusive contents and you provide it for them and get paid. This is related to those who create adult content and those in the NOT SAFE FOR WORK (NSFW) category. Patreon has over 50,000 active creators and about 1 million monthly patrons. This space is not only for visual artists, but also for YouTube videographers, webcomic artists, writers, comedians, spoken word artists, podcasters, musicians, adult content creators, and other categories of creators who post regularly online. Patreon also gives you helpful tips on how to promote your content on other social networks as well as ideas for a post when you think you have hit a block.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular videos and photo social networks for content creators and Creatives.  It is a simple, fun & creative way to capture, edit & share photos, videos & messages with family, friends & fans. With more than 1 billion users and billions of contents daily, this has become the biggest platform for both creators and those who just want to have fun. Instagram is the best place to be. 

YouTube 

The number 1 video social network. Youtube is no longer just a place for posting random videos, it has also become a learning center for almost anything you want to know from any sector. With lots of content creators offering amazing content for free, it has made YouTube a place to be. Since it is owned by the tech giant Google users earn money for content they post.  youtube has made a lot of people millionaires. And there are millions of interesting channels to learn from and when you think you are ready to create, you can dazzle the world with your rich imagination. Typical contents includes video clips, TV show clips, music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streams, and other content such as video blogging, short original videos, and educational videos. You would most definitely find your interest here. 

According to the tech news website Techbullion.com: 

“Nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities that can help you turn your passion into income. You can demonstrate your creativity in the most unexpected ways and find a bunch of people who sincerely love what you do. Thus, it should not be for money; it should always come from your heart.” 

In summary, if you are creative, follow your heart, whether creating content for fans or fun or seeking inspiration for new ideas, these are the basic and very good social networks to be, that would also help you scale. Do not be discouraged, because starting up and staying creative is not an easy fit, check out these networks, you would be just fine.