What's The First Step to Taking Your Art Seriously?
I decided to designate February Take Yourself Seriously Month. So many of us struggle with this. Maybe you're not making time for your art practice, or you could feel totally mind-boggled about the art marketing challenges you face. The truth is, we often get in our own way. In this article, I'll be writing about the marketing side of owning a creative business.
February is Take Yourself Seriously Month
Last week, I wrote about how it’s on us to go first, to take ourselves seriously, so we can show other people how to do the same. They need to know how to treat us, and we can model it for them.
On my YouTube Channel, I’m brainstorming marketing problems/issues in real time (go here to catch Artists Talking Money, and if you want to brainstorm something in a session, send me an email). Recently I spoke to creative wardrobe consultant Erin Keam about how to build the bridge between making relationships with your people and actually offering to work together. This is her next step in taking herself seriously.
It can feel skeevy to reach out to people on social media. Hi! I love your IG/Facebook/Pinterest post, and I think you’re a great candidate for my 35-week program on _________. Can we talk?
But in Erin’s case, she’s already interviewed 40+ women on her podcast, Conversations About Closets with My 1,000 Closest Friends (you can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, etc.). She has made relationships with these women. She can now ask permission from each of them if they’d like to hear how she works.
If you're interested in learning more about permission-based marketing, you can take a look at author and entrepreneur Seth Godin's 1999 book by the same name, or check out his website. There is a way to approach marketing on social media in a non-skeevy way, and it has to do with relationship building, too.
Back to Erin, my interviewee. Her next step in taking herself seriously is right in front of her.
What does treating yourself seriously look like for you?
Maybe you're facing some art marketing challenges like Erin? If you want help, book a 15 minute chat with me and we’ll brainstorm them and create some actionable next steps.
Your work matters. Is there something in front of you right now that you need to do, to demonstrate that to yourself? Let me know in the comments below.