There is nothing new about feeling shame, a sense of unworthiness, judgment when we look across the landscape. Are you good enough relative to whatever or whoever you might be measuring yourself against? Another designer’s projects, following, media coverage, bank account, etc.? Finding your way in this brave new world has been covered by many far smarter than me. (HT Brene Brown).
My take for this post is a little different. Shame, feeling unworthy and even a little intimidated is a huge driver to conform, to say I am that too, to trim the edges as it were. Of course, most artists live in the desire to be on their artistic edge and want their work to speak its own truth. They want their art to be a barrier to whatever shame, feelings of inadequacy they might be feeling. Often though, the fear, intimidation and shame translates into their art and most certainly over to their business. Ultimately, the dilutive effect of compromise, of being just a little bit of the regular kind is devastating to both the art and the business.
No place does this play out more than in the power dynamic between wealthy clients and your creative business. With very rare exception, most of your clients live a life of means you cannot contemplate. Many have built their careers with singular drive and ambition and are wholly unaccustomed to being out of control in just about any situation. In this relationship it is so easy to fall into “artists are terrible businesspeople” when dealing with people who have been extraordinarily fortunate in business. This is shame, feeling unworthy and intimidation playing itself out over and over again. The shame that infects every aspect of the relationship. You walk on eggshells, firmly believing the client could deem you unworthy and walk away at any minute. So you hedge for fear of all things — alienation, exposure, judgment. The very risk of being seen as less than prevents risks necessary for great work.
So what is it that you most want to say? How can you own the truth of that statement to you, your art and your creative business? Most important though, why should it matter to everyone else — clients, employees and colleagues alike? How can you reframe your thinking to hold your shame but choose to come from another place? The answer is simple to say, incredibly challenging to live: refuse to be the regular kind. Ever.
I loathe the idea of making it easy to buy from you as it connotes that you will be working hard to be the regular kind, when, in fact, you are not and never ever can be. The power of niche is that you are not for everyone and losing the wrong client (the one that cannot value what you do) is not a loss at all, but a huge gain. Instead, focus on those that “get” you and your art and build your business for them and them alone.
Our world today makes it simultaneously harder and easier to be profoundly authentic. Easier because there is an audience waiting for you, your art and your creative business to be the best, most radically pure version of yourself and itself. Harder because we are all jaded that you are just trying to “differentiate” yourself across a sea of sameness (i.e., there is no there there). Throw in the shame, intimidation and desire to simply feel adequate and you have a recipe of crazy making.
Clarity is your responsibility. Your measure of success has to come from your own faith. Making more money might not be a great measure if it costs you your soul as a both an artist and business owner. So when you look around or even across the table, know that the choice for all to be at the table matters. You need not see the world the same way as your clients and certainly not come close to inhabiting theirs, but you are there to enrich their lives by the gifts you have that they do not. Simply, your clients need you and your creative business to fulfill their want. I am ever a broken when I say if your clients could do what you do, they would.
The illusion the world provides us today is that you might find success in being derivative, in being just like so and so only slightly different. Perhaps you can even find some monetary success in the “hustle”. Eventually though, you must step into the sun and risk getting burned. As with fingerprints, each is unique no matter how much they look alike. So too with your art and your creative business. The reason you must step into your own light other than the necessary empowerment it will bring is much more mundane: eventually someone will be a better derivative than you and you will be lost. This is a race to the bottom and, as Seth Godin says, this is a race you do not want to win, let alone come in second. You do you matters in more ways than you can possibly imagine.
