I& #39;ve been seeing a lot of folks talking about how focusing on follower counts is unhealthy, and while the intention is good there & you shouldn& #39;t measure your worth by that, I want to say for those discouraged by this that there& #39;s no shame in appreciating how far you& #39;ve come. 1/6

I see it as a measurement of how effective my strategy to reaching my goal is. Many artists dream of making a career of sorts out of this, or to at least be known for it in some way. Numbers help us reach the audience we need. Of course, a lot of it comes down to luck. 2/6

It doesn& #39;t mean you& #39;re not awesome if you don& #39;t get lucky, so you persevere. If your numbers grow slowly, you& #39;re a strong person who keeps going. I& #39;ve been tracking my numbers so I can remind myself that I& #39;m making progress at my own pace. 3/6

I& #39;m not where I want to be yet, but I& #39;m also much further than I& #39;ve ever been. I don& #39;t take it for granted. To know that this many people have seen my work is already a huge accomplishment. I& #39;ve felt that way since 100 followers. 4/6

I don& #39;t value the numbers above all though, it& #39;s a very small part of how I measure the quality of my life. More important are the friends I made along the way, and how I am doing more and more things I thought I& #39;d never get to do and getting more opportunities. 5/6

I say all this not to criticize anyone, but just to give a second opinion for those that need it. It& #39;s hard to do everything according to what those we look up to say, because we& #39;re not all the same. Do what feels right for you, and be proud of what you& #39;ve achieved! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Violettes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Violettes Herz"> 6/6

I just want to add that if any of what I said here triggers you or makes you feel judged, please know that it& #39;s not directed at you, and those who are saying what you need to hear are absolutely right in that as well. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">