Enjoy this excerpt from a recent interview I did for JC Candanedo's new series, "I Wish I Had Known," on the Grey Pistachio Blog.
Most creatives are very good at their craft but very bad at selling themselves.... myth or reality?
Reality…but for a good reason. You are good at your craft because you care about it and you devote a lot of time to improving it and making sure you’re the best you can be. If you don’t do that for the business side of your craft, you are almost guaranteed to be really bad at it. No one is good at anything they haven’t learned and practised until they are competent and confident about it.
Are creatives betraying the artist in them by trying to attract clients?
There does seem to be a popular myth that art and business don’t mix, that one corrupts the other or that you can’t be both “an artist” and “a business person.” I, of course, think that is bull. In fact, I recommend not labelling yourself at all. Instead, think about the business tasks that need doing and do them, whether you are “an artist,” “a business person” or a dog.
Like this and want more?
- Read the whole interview as part of JC's new series, "I Wish I Had Known...."
- Listen to my podcast with JC (part of my "Experienced Newbie" series.
- Listen to my podcast with Gigi Rosenberg, author and artist coach, where we also talk about the "artist" that is often hidden within a designer, photographer or illustrator.
- Subscribe to the Marketing Mentor Podcast on iTunes and sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.