I thought I was 'bad at posting,' but what I was really bad at was something else.

I'm Haru, a posting redesign partner and active handmade artist.
As I continued to experiment with posting as an artist, I started receiving consultations from other creators who were struggling with the same things. I will share my experience and thoughts on posting.

"I'm bad at posting."
This is a phrase I often hear when I provide posting consultations.

I'm bad at taking photos.
I'm bad at writing text.
I'm bad at speaking in front of people.
I'm bad at interacting on social media.

Because of that, I can't keep up with posting. There are many people who carry such worries.

Actually, I myself also thought for a long time that I was "bad at posting."

So, I have to study more.
I have to take more action.
Since I'm bad at it, it can't be helped if it's painful.

Thinking that way, I continued to experiment and make mistakes.

But, at one point, I realized. It wasn't that I was bad at posting itself.

"Because I'm bad at it, I have to try harder" is what I thought.

I am not originally the type of person who is good at interacting with others.

I am shy.
I am bad at talking to people I meet for the first time.
When it comes to conversations with multiple people, I don't know what to say.
That was my personality.

So, even when I started social media, I had anxiety about whether it was okay for someone like me to post.

But, in order to have people know about my work, I had to post.
If I didn't update Instagram, my work wouldn't reach anyone.

That's what I thought.

Not that I won't do it because I'm bad at it, but precisely because I'm bad at it, I must do it.

That's how I was thinking.

To overcome my weaknesses, I continued to experiment and make mistakes.

So, I made sure not to leave things I couldn't do as they were.

If I was bad at taking photos, I would think about how I could continue without burden. That's when I arrived at the method of taking videos and posting them without editing.

I would freeze up when trying to take the perfect photo. But I can share my creative process naturally.

Instead of 'trying hard to overcome my weaknesses,' I started 'looking for ways to do things even if I'm not good at them.'

Since I relatively enjoy writing, I started using note in addition to Instagram. I wanted a place where I could convey my thoughts on my work and the background of my creations through writing, which photos alone couldn't capture.

Also, to gradually reduce my discomfort with speaking in front of others, I started audio streaming. I wasn't able to do live streams from the beginning. I started by getting used to using my voice, and little by little, I challenged myself with Instagram Live.

Looking back, it wasn't that I was running away from things I was bad at.

Rather, I kept sharing while finding ways that worked for me.

I was able to share.

At one point, I suddenly realized: 'Wait, despite everything, I am actually able to share.'

I posted even though I wasn't good at photography.
I shared by utilizing the fact that I'm not bad at writing.
Even though I'm not good at speaking, I delivered my voice little by little.

I had found my own ways to share.

Then why did I think for so long that I was 'bad at sharing'?

That was when I first realized the real reason.

What I was really bad at wasn't sharing, but 'building relationships with people.'

What I was bad at wasn't posting.

What I was really bad at was 'deepening relationships with people' that comes after that.

Commenting.
Sending DMs.
Looking at others' posts.
Having conversations.
Receiving reactions from others.

I was bad at those things, at gradually closing the distance between myself and others. That's why I chose to share one-sidedly.

Post.
Deliver.
The end.

I chose a method that allowed me to do it without directly interacting with others. But with that, it was difficult to get people to think, 'I want to know more about this person.'

As I wrote in my previous article, I think I was 'intending to reach someone' the whole time, but in reality, I wasn't facing anyone at all.

Posting was not just about delivering information.

I used to think that posting meant 'putting my work and thoughts out into the world.' But now, I have a slightly different perspective. I believe that posting is about nurturing relationships with others.

Of course, posting is important.
Photos and text are necessary.
Analyzing numbers and making improvements is also necessary.

But at the foundation of all that is,

the feeling of 'I want to reach this person'
or 'I want to convey this to this person.'

Redesigning your posting starts with knowing yourself.

To change my posting, I initially tried to 'work harder.' But what I really needed was to understand what I was struggling with.

I was bad at taking photos.
I was good at writing.
I liked looking at numbers.
But I had a sense of unease about building relationships with people.

Because I understood that, I was able to choose a posting method that suits me.

To those who think they are bad at posting: perhaps what you are bad at is not 'posting' itself.

Is it the photos?
Is it the writing?
Is it interacting with people?
Is it looking at numbers?

First, try breaking down 'what you are bad at.'

From there, you might see a form of posting that suits you.

For me, redesigning my posting was not about changing my posting methods.

It was about understanding myself and rethinking how I relate to others.

What is your true 'weakness'?
I hope this gives you a chance to think about it.

If you feel distressed while 'rethinking your posting' on your own, please feel free to consult me via my newsletter.
You don't have to try to summarize it perfectly; I would be happy if you could just tell me your feelings as they are.

Posting Redesign Partner Haru
(Active Knitting Artist Haru)