{"id":65126,"date":"2017-09-04T02:12:39","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T09:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=65126"},"modified":"2017-09-04T02:18:41","modified_gmt":"2017-09-04T09:18:41","slug":"why-have-more-followers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/04\/why-have-more-followers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Have More Followers?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cindy
Cindy looking at laptop with red jacket. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the purpose of having more followers?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I. What having more followers means to me<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy color. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay, so I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak for you, but I can speak for myself.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The benefit of having followers, is that if you want to make money from your photography (like I do teaching workshops<\/a> and selling products<\/a>), having followers and an audience is good. Generally, the bigger your audience or following, the more likely someone will purchase one of your products or attend your experiences. <\/li>\n
  2. A sense of security or pride: Knowing that you have a following, gives you some sort of self-confidence. <\/li>\n
  3. The more you grow your followers or audience, the more you have a sense of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153progress\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or forward advancement or growth. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    II. More followers, more problems<\/h2>\n
    \"Cindy
    Cindy with leaves covering her eye. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Here are some problems:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The number of followers doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. The quality of followers matters. Kevin Kelley has a theory of \u00e2\u20ac\u01531,000 true fans<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that all you need is 1,000 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153true fans\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (someone who will actually spend money on you) to make a living. For myself, that number is much lower. If I sell a workshop spot for $2,500 or $3,000\u00e2\u20ac\u201c I only in theory need 2 students a month to make a comfortable living, which is around 24 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153true fans.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
    2. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see your follower count go up, or if you see your follower count go down, you feel depressed and shitty. <\/li>\n
    3. The more followers you get and the more famous you get, the more you become a slave to your audience. Why? You want to please them at all costs, and therefore you become more fearful of deviating from your personal \u00e2\u20ac\u0153style\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or formula. This has happened to me… I became afraid of sharing new styles of pictures, fearing my audience would not like it. Also, having fear of really speaking my mind or saying controversial things, because I might lose followers, and therefore I lose money, go broke, become homeless, and die. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      III. Why have more followers if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just making pictures for fun?<\/h2>\n
      \"Portrait
      Portrait of Cindy outside our Airbnb apartment. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      If you are just taking pictures for fun, or as a hobby… what does having more followers mean to you? Before I made a living from photography, this is why I craved more page views, followers, or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fame\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. The chance to get \u00e2\u20ac\u0153discovered\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by a publisher, and to have my works be exhibited internationally. To travel. To gain glory, and to feel \u00e2\u20ac\u0153successful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and good about myself. Lesson: better to publish or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153discover\u00e2\u20ac\u009d yourself, rather than waiting for someone else to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153discover\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you.<\/strong><\/li>\n
      2. To perhaps get \u00e2\u20ac\u0153sponsored\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and get free gear and equipment. Lesson: getting free gear and cameras actually turns you into a slave.<\/strong> <\/li>\n
      3. Affirmation: I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have enough confidence in my photography, and therefore wanted others to tell me how good my pictures were. Lesson: don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153crowd-source your self-esteem\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d by making your self-worth as a photographer based on how many \u00e2\u20ac\u0153likes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you get on a picture.<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        IV. What does having a follower mean to you?<\/h2>\n

        Once again, there is nothing wrong with wanting more followers.<\/p>\n

        \n Just ask yourself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What does having a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfollower\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 mean to me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        No wrong or right answers. Just be brutally honest with yourself.<\/p>\n

        Once you contemplate that, read my resources on photography entrepreneurship<\/a> and how to gain more followers<\/a>, and to build an audience in photography.<\/p>\n

        ERIC<\/p>\n

        \n

        PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101<\/a><\/h1>\n
        \"\"
        ERIC KIM x HENRI\u00c2\u00a0NECK STRAP<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES<\/a> \/\/ Portrait by Benjamin Thompson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        If you want to make a living (or a killing) from photography, download:<\/p>\n

        \n PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP MANUAL by ERIC KIM<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        \n

        PHOTOGRAPHY ECONOMICS 101<\/h2>\n

        \"London<\/p>\n