Analog Artists in a Digital World

And the A-Ha! Moment It Gave Me)

I have a confession: I am wonderfully, embarrassingly inconsistent on my own art Instagram.

There. I said it.

And the irony isn’t lost on me. I create content for ENSOhello every week. I plan ahead. I batch. I write. I schedule. I even strategize. When it comes to ENSOhello’s social media, I am the picture of consistency.

But when it comes to posting my own artwork?

Crickets. Dust bunnies. Tumbleweeds rolling by.

For a long time, I told myself it was because I’m “waiting for the version of the app that will make this easier.” And yes—that’s partly true. But recently, as I walked into my studio, coffee in hand, ready to paint, I had an a-ha moment that hit me like a dropped paintbrush.

It’s not just about time.
It’s about mode shifting.

Art is analog. Marketing is digital. And that shift is brutal.

When I’m in my studio, I’m in the world of paint on my fingers, brushes soaking in jars, the slow rhythm of layering color and making decisions you feel more than think.

Art-making is tactile.
It’s experiential.
It’s slow, methodical, and deeply embodied.

There are no shortcuts in the studio.
And there’s certainly no “batch content calendar” mindset happening while you’re mixing the perfect shade of blue.

So to suddenly stop everything… wash your hands… grab your phone… think of something clever… compose it… edit it… post it… engage with it…

It’s whiplash.
Creative whiplash.

And then another realization hit me…

For most of art history, artists didn’t do their own marketing.
They didn’t have to.

If you had gallery representation, the gallery marketed your work.
If you did art fairs or festivals, the organizers marketed the entire event—all you had to do was show up with your art and a smile.

Artists had a built-in audience without needing to learn a single thing about branding, captions, hashtags, algorithms, or content strategy.

Even today, galleries and shows still promote their events…
but now it’s also expected that every artist has an online presence, a consistent feed, clear branding, daily stories… and a solid understanding of digital marketing.

And here’s the kicker:

No one ever taught artists how to do this.
Not in school, not in workshops, not in their community—and certainly not in a way that feels natural to a creative brain.

Which led to my final revelation…

I get it.
On a bone-deep level, I finally understand why artists struggle with consistency—even though many want to show up online.

It’s because it requires switching from the analog world of artmaking…
to the digital world of marketing…
and the gap between those two modes is enormous.

And honestly?
I feel lucky.

Lucky that my career taught me marketing.
Lucky that I understand strategy, storytelling, audience building, analytics, and content planning.

Because most artists never got access to that education.
And it’s desperately, urgently needed.

And this is exactly why I’m building ENSOhello.

My a-ha moment reminded me of the mission behind this app: Help artists stay in “analog mode” as much as possible, even when they’re doing the digital parts of their business.

No whiplash.
No mental gear-shifting.
No stepping out of the flow of creativity.

Just:
Create freely.
Share easily.
And get back to the work you love.

-Sue

Founder, ENSOhello