We’ve all seen the reels. The ones where a flawless creator looks into the camera and promises a magic blueprint: “How I gained 10k followers in 30 days by posting consistently!”
For ten years, I had a classic love-hate relationship with Instagram. I’d get struck by a bolt of inspiration, post regularly for a month or two, and then completely drop off the face of the earth for months—sometimes years—at a time. I was never truly committed. To be completely honest, I used to hate the idea of sharing my personal life online. I didn't want to talk to the camera, and I certainly didn't want to show my face while I was working. But over this past year, I've come to understand a hard truth: opening up about yourself is a vital part of the process if you want to truly relate to your audience.
By the end of 2024, my world shifted completely. After stepping into a carer role for my mum following her heart surgery. For a whole year, I didn't create a single thing. Every ounce of my creative energy was completely drained; I didn’t have the heart to make or create, let alone share a process with the online world. It wasn't until October 2025, after a soul-refreshing holiday to the Mediterranean, that I finally felt refreshed enough to dredge up the pieces of my small business with a renewed sense of energy and optimism.
On 28th October 2025, I committed to the grid. Now, eight months into this journey, the reality of the algorithm looks a lot different than what the "gurus" promise—and honestly? I am completely okay with that.
Here is what I’ve actually learnt from the daily grind.
1. The Early Days and the Echo Chamber
For the first two months, my reach was virtually non-existent outside of my immediate circle. It felt like shouting into an empty room—or rather, a room filled only with my loveliest, most loyal existing followers.
By showing my real process and the emotion baked into the clay, I realised my art was helping others move through their own journeys of grief, whether they were mourning human loved ones or their precious fur babies.
2. Breaking the 1k Barrier with Trial Reels
Everything changed in February 2026 when I discovered Trial Reels.
At first, I had no idea what I was doing. I stuck strictly to my regular format: showing a ceramic piece being made from beginning to end. It was the only thing I knew how to do, but luckily, it worked. It broke me out of my low-view slump, and suddenly, I was regularly hitting over 1,000 views.
As I kept making them, I learnt the tricks of the trade—how to use gimmicky hooks and perform for the camera to keep people watching. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely proud of playing that game to gain views. But it was a necessary stepping stone that ultimately gave me more confidence in what I was putting out into the world.
Typical reach prior to trial reels:
First trial reel:
3. Finding Soul in the Statistics (Moving Through Grief)
While the gimmicky hooks brought in views, it wasn't until I shared something raw and deeply personal that the tone of my page shifted.
In early 2025, right in the middle of that heavy year of caretaking, I lost my dearest, sweetest cats, Iris and Niko, just one week apart. The grief was devastating, and it’s a weight I still carry with me every day. When I finally returned to my studio later that year, I needed a physical place for that love and pain to go. I began creating ceramic mourning altars. What started as a personal manifestation of remembrance turned into a profound healing journey.
When I opened up about Iris, Niko, and the altars, something shifted. The audience didn't just watch—they connected.
By showing my real process and the emotion baked into the clay, I realised my art was helping others move through their own journeys of grief, whether they were mourning human loved ones or their precious fur babies.
Below is the Niko mourning altar before bisque firing. Want to discover more about altars then read the blog post Small Spaces for big feelings: Why every home needs a sacred altar.
4. The Power of Third-Party Validation
By April, I started to notice a distinct pattern: collaboration and third-party validation are algorithmic superpowers.
I posted a carousel about Game of Shrooms—a global art seek-and-find created by Daniel Seifert (aka "Attaboy"). I had participated the previous year with my daughter, and because we had so much fun, I knew I had to do it again. I sent a collaboration invite to the official Game of Shrooms account. They accepted, and the post went semi-viral (by my standards, anyway!), bringing in a wave of new followers and shares.
Shortly after, I put out a carousel addressing a topic close to my heart: the closing of the Australian Design Centre and the diminishing state of the arts sector here in NSW. The Australian Design Centre accepted my collaboration invite, helping that post take off, too.
Cover photo for the carousel post over on Instagram. If you want to read the blog post related to it you can do so here.
5. Shallow Metrics vs. Deep Connections
Since 26th April, I have been posting a trial reel every single day, alongside follower-focused reels and carousels. It’s a lot of work. And through it all, I’ve realised there are two entirely different types of success on Instagram:
The Superficial Reach: Some of my daily trial reels get great traction, but it’s a shallow victory. They get a bunch of likes, shares, and saves based purely on cinematic practice and aesthetic video editing. But the comment section is dead. No conversations are being held.
The Deep Community: On the flip side, the posts where I share real stories, advocate for the arts, or talk about grief might not always break the view counter, but they build a community rich in depth.
The Ultimate Takeaway: There is No Cheat Code
After eight months of intense, consistent effort, I haven't hit that magical 10k follower milestone you see plastered all over marketing videos.
But I’m not upset about it. Not even a little bit.
Because by focusing on the work rather than the vanity metrics, I have gained so much more than a number on a profile:
My art business is officially back up, running, and viable again.
I have gained genuine friends and real-life collaborators I can always turn to when I need support.
The audience I do have actually cares about the stories behind the clay.
Posting a variety of reels, carousels, and stories absolutely helps feed the algorithm, but it will never guarantee overnight stardom. There is no cheat code to building a creative life. If you are only on this platform for the follower count, you will burn out before the finish line.
Focus on the depth, share your authentic story, and let the right people find you.
As always, with love and gratitude
Alex
