Hit 500 followers on my art portfolio last week and I'm torn about what it means

I finally crossed the 500 follower mark on my DeviantArt page after posting consistently for 8 months. Half of me thinks it's just a vanity number that doesn't reflect actual skill, but the other half feels like it proves people genuinely like what I'm putting out there. Do stats like that actually push you to make better art or just distract you from focusing on the work itself?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_holly1mo ago

Used to think follower counts were mostly ego fluff until I hit around 300 and noticed some of my older pieces getting shared and commented on by people I'd never met. The mix of likes and actual feedback from that group pushed me to try different styles I wouldn't have bothered with otherwise. So I get feeling torn about it, but in my experience the number itself matters less than the small bit of motivation it can give you to keep experimenting. Just don't let the stat tail wag the dog, your mileage may vary.

susana661mo ago

Doesn't that kind of feel like how a lot of things work in life? You put in the small effort over time, not really looking for anything, and then one day you look up and realize it's actually adding up to something real.