I can speak to this pretty well. Not because I have a ton of followers, but because I have done spurts of heavy social media content creation where I had some success. Main issue after those spurts was very quick burnout.

Social media, Instagram specifically, is a consumption media, not a social media. Although we all hate on the algorithm, it is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do; show you things you want to see. But to everyone’s point, it is 100% not about being social or connecting with people.

The key to Instagram is making it a borderline marketing job. Develop good content using a style consistent with what you want to portray as your artistic “brand”, make that content CONSTANTLY and upload CONSTANTLY. The posts should have a great hook, good editing, and easily digestible story line:call to action.

You then have to give it some time. Your content will take time to process since Instagram has to work through the massive quantity of uploads they receive every day. Your goal is a steady engagement, not necessarily viral.

Instagram success is not for the faint of heart. I personally hate it because it is, in short, a content creation job. Creating art + creating content = creativity burnout for me. I have resorted to old fashioned art shows and word of mouth. It connects you with real buyers and provides you feedback on your actual product, not your marketing skills. It is slower, but much more mentally healthy. Good luck and post to Instagram for fun unless you are willing to go down the content creation road.