Small artists you need to understand that when you see an artist who you think has 'made it' tells you not to worry about the numbers and to not fret about getting more likes than reblogs they are not telling you it because they think you are stupid for caring or because they dont need to network to survive they are very likely telling you that because they have witnessed first hand the way the numbers game tears people to shreds in terms of mental health and motivation
I personally have never been one to get too hung up on numbers or clout because I've always been a very casual artist. But I have seen real lasting effects on others from even tangentially tying worth to the numbers. You can absolutely Make It and be a big artist and still have performance paralysis from The Numbers. Its not healthy, and it sticks with you in a lot of small ways. Im sure there are smug assholes out there about it, but most people telling you stop worrying are doing it because they know the end result. Even if it works and the grind pays off with lots of followers and commissions it is so, so, so easy to make yourself miserable in a myriad of ways creatively. I wish you all success but please, please try to catch this behavior/mindset early and don't let it poison your ability to create
