The Coffee Shop Test: Why Your Social Media Is Failing

If you sat down with a stranger at a coffee shop, you'd never just say "art, art, buy my art" for 30 minutes. So why is that your entire social media strategy? Want to join Patrick for a live webinar? He hosts one every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Register here: asf.today/webinar In this episode, Patrick breaks down why most artists and photographers are failing on social media — and it has nothing to do with the algorithm. It's because you're one-dimensional. All art, no human. In 2026, AI can fake everything on a screen. The only thing it can't fake is you. Your story, your scars, your weird hobbies, your real life. That's the competitive advantage now. In this episode: The coffee shop test — would you talk to yourself the way you post? Why Van Gogh's paintings didn't sell until his personal letters were published Brian Chesky (Airbnb CEO) on why "the opposite of artificial is real" The freeway analogy — why 95% of your content lands in one lane How to stop hiding behind the canvas (or the lens) Why AI makes your authenticity more valuable, not less "We're not anti-AI. We're just pro human." If you struggle with telling your story, the previous episode has copy-paste prompts that use AI to interview you and pull your story out — even if you think your life "isn't dramatic enough." Related episodes: 4 Prompts That Pull Your Story Out (Even If You Think You Don't Have One) Context is Still King If You Use It The Artwork Didn't Change. The Story Did.