In this day and age, being a creative is harder than ever. Back then, painting a complete replica of something, like how Andy Warhol did, was extraordinary and worthy of praise because it was different and new.
In addition to this, there wasn’t much competition either, everybody was doing their thing. Whether people understood it or not wasn’t the artist’s problem because their work was still considered good.
We live in a time where it doesn’t take much to label yourself a creative – a smartphone and a couple of apps and you are good to go.
The one thing that is disregarded is that there are people out there who have a passion for creating. The sad truth is that they are now competing with those that do it for fun to pass time.
So, what does this mean? It is much harder for creatives to have their work out there and/or get credit for it. The creative field is highly saturated hence standing out and succeeding can be a bit challenging.
The good news? There are effective ways to actually flourish.
Consistency
This is most likely one word you are sick of hearing when it comes to any advice on succeeding, but you know what? Consistency works wonders.
Don’t get off people’s faces. The more they see your work, the more they become affiliated with it. Not only does staying consistent help you gain supporters, but it will also help you stay creative. The more you do something, the better you get at it. You already know!
Invest your money
Of course, you’ve heard the saying, ‘you got to spend money to make money’, if you are reading it without much thought it really does not make any sense but think deeper, think simple… if you want to be a photographer you need a camera and not just any regular camera, a good one.
After a while, you might need more lenses to add perspective to your photos which will also better your photography style. You will need to spend more than you receive but always make sure that whatever you are spending on will serve the sole purpose of bettering your craft.
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Shoot your shot
This one is really not for the weak. If you fear rejection, being a creative might be your thing, but getting any far in life is not promised.
Write down a proposal to work with a company, plan a collab or partnership with someone who inspires you and send a cold pitch. Your proposal and plan may be well-structured, but that doesn’t mean they owe you a “Yes”, but you not sending the pitch means you are giving yourself a No.
So what is your next step after getting rejected? Find your next victim, personalize another proposal and hope for the best again. You keep doing that until something happens!
Take criticism kindly
If you receive criticism about your work, don’t be so hasty to label them as ‘haters’ – try to understand where they are coming from and even ask for advice.
If you sense that whoever is criticizing your work is purely doing it to spite or discourage you, then use that negativity positively by letting it motivate you.
Do not depend on external support
The hardest pill to swallow as a creative is that no one owes you any support. That is why you should not focus your creativity on pleasing others.
Appreciate those who do support you but also do not guilt-trip anyone into supporting you because you will end up with a bunch of spectators just staring at your work with no interest.
Be blind to competition
Do not see anyone as competition. Don’t look at another creative minding their own business and conclude that they’re a threat.
You are a creative, use your creativity as a means of expressing yourself. You can never be ahead or behind if you are in your own lane.
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