Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living With Your Creativity by Christopher Duncan
Author:Christopher Duncan [Duncan, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Business & Economics, Small Business, Entrepreneurship
ISBN: 9781430261001
Publisher: Apress
Published: 2013-10-30T04:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER
6
Image Building
No matter what creative arts you pursue, there are constants that span all disciplines. Chief among them is the power of your image. Your creativity will not be judged in a vacuum with its aesthetic quality the only consideration. The perception of your audience will be colored in part by how they see you, the artist. If you produce serious, high-caliber results but are considered by most to be a buffoon, your art will never be seen in its best light regardless of how deserving it may be.
In a similar fashion, when you’re looking for paying work, your persona speaks much louder than your art. The people in a position to hand you money are in business, and nothing improves your chances of landing a gig like professionalism. As is the case with many of the things we’ve been considering, perception is reality. The best way to be treated, and compensated, as a professional is to act like one.
Your First Hurdle Is You
There are a number of reasons why we don’t put as much effort into managing our image as we should. Some of us get caught up in the illusion that the quality of our work is all that should matter. From this lofty perch, high atop the ivory tower of unrealism, we convince ourselves that an emphasis on image indicates a meaningless and shallow creator.
It’s not hard to look at the world of commercial products and see marketing that’s run amok, producing products of terrible quality and selling them hand over fist through the use of hype and sensationalism. I can use a screwdriver to pound in a nail, but that doesn’t make it a hammer. Misuse of a tool doesn’t invalidate its purpose in life.
If cheesy self-promotion is the only way you can peddle your wares because they’re simply not very good, there’s a case to be made that you should consider a different line of work. On the other hand, an excellent painting looks even nicer in an elegant frame. Don’t disregard a useful tool just because some don’t know how to wield it properly.
An even greater challenge for many is the demons and dragons that lurk just beneath the surface of the average creative person. There are artists in the world who are supremely confident and believe that their efforts are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Some are modest. Some are not. For many of us, however, self-doubt and insecurity are not strangers. Regardless of how many people fawn over our latest creation, we cringe inwardly and fear that someone may discover us for the fraud we truly are.
Since people come in all shapes and sizes, not everyone experiences this to these extremes. Demons are versatile little creatures and can grow or shrink to suit the nature of their victims. In my own case, I don’t grapple with the intensity of feeling like I’m a phony who might be uncovered at any moment, but I’ve known many who truly did. They were wonderful people who did great work.
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