Make It or Break It: Promotional Acts

Welcome to the Gathering Spriggs "Make it or Breatk it" weekly dialogue report. This is an ongoing column I am creating (as I go) to help us connect with other creatives and share our insights and information on crafting a successful creative life.

Many of you responded last week to the call for action and involvement in such a series, so  I am taking my role as a facilitator quite seriously. Besides, it might lead to other ventures (that I have up my sleeve).

So today I bring to the table the topic of Self-Promotion. I don't know about you, but the first thing that pops into my mind is the phrase : " Shameless Self-Promotion".  Now, I am not a big fan of the word "shame" in any form, so in order to take this concept and transform it with a more positive connotation, I am renaming it : " Self-Respecting Self-Promotion" 

Better, right? 

So now that that's cleared up, what do you consider "Promotion" exactly? Here is the Oxford American Dictionary Definition:

Promotion: Activity that supports or provides active encouragement for the furtherance of a cause.

"Active encouragment" is a pretty hefty phrase. So how do we actively encourage our own work? I will share a few of my personal beliefs on creating a promotional presence. 

1. Take pride in your work

I believe it starts with coming to terms with yourself and your work first. Giving it your best effort and then (although it may not be perfected yet) taking a deep breath and giving yourself a pat on the back.  Then when you are positive hopeful and trusting yourself and your work, others will notice right away and want what you have. Your respect for yourself and your work are attractive.

2. Don't listen to the lies. 

This to me is the hardest step. I can feel confident one moment then like a complete failure the next. But I have found the more I recognize those thoughts as lies, as an attempt to defeat me, then I gain a little more power to move forward. And if we live in honesty, we find that nobody really has it all together. 

3. Make business cards and use them

This has worked for me so many times, when I actually had myself together for a moment and didn't leave my cards at home. I can't tell you how many times clients have asked for a card, and I didn't have them with me and I just want to kick myself. Although we live in a digital age, there is something about the physicality of those little cards and they work magic.

(I design my own and order them through Overnight Prints.)

4. Talk about your work wherever you are.

This is one aspect of self-respecting self-promotion that I (honestly) suck at the most. I am very introverted. And when I am having days where I don't take pride in what I do, listen to the lies, AND accidently leave my cards at home, I ALWAYS fail at this one!! It is still a struggle, but lessens with every year. When I first started my decorative painting business nearly 8 years ago as a complete newbie, I could barely speak words to my clients let alone offer color suggestions or advice or talk about my techniques.  Now I do color consulting and speak with much more confidence than ever as I have learned what works and doesn't. What to say and what to leave at the door. Practice makes perfect.

5. Network with a community

This is a great way to build an online business. There are so many many ways to be involved online with unlimited resources. If you sell on Etsy, there are forums, groups to join, blogs to read, etc.. I suggest taking online classes, because that was my best networking tool by far. Here are some good ones:

Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way

The Creative Empire

The Fire Starter Sessions

or Read / Attend the Conference for The Art of Non-Conformity (it is changing my life currently)

Plus, if you haven't already joined these other social networking sites, then its just pointless. Go join Flickr, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter . They will only help you broaden your horizons. And don't be afraid of them. I was nervous too but they don't take long to learn and they will bring countless people into your life that will enrich it. 

Blogging is key too. You may have noticed that continued blogging increases your audience and then taking time to comment on the blogs you love will only lead more readers to your site (blog, etsy, or otherwise). Many times I end up featuring folks whom I never knew before they stopped by and left me a comment. 

So.... (that was aLOT of words for me.) I am ready to listen. And so excited to hear your thoughts.

What would you add to this list? How do you do your version of Self-Respecting Self-Promotion?? 

image: orchard cards

Comments

[Eve Peach]

Great post! I can hear the wisdom of all of your (and our) experiences!

[Heather]

Thanks Eve! Yes. I have been thinking alot about how much I have learned (we learned) over the last few years. In fact, I am planning on starting a once a month group meeting called "'creative connections" where local creatives can come together and discuss/brainstorm and share our creative business ideas, fears and goals. I would love to have you but know you might have your "hands full" for the next couple of months.
Thanks for stopping by:)

[[email protected]]

I can't wait to learn more - I'm trying so hard to keep my mind open to any and all possibilities. But that often results in my overcommitting, overanalyzing, overthinking, etc. My difficulty is finding balance. I'm a person who needs routine and structure, and in this artistic field, that's somehow difficult for me to create. I've been meaning to talk to you about flickr, and I have no idea what pininterest - sometimes i feel really old! :) I often look at photos on flickr, but i don't really understand how to use it or create groups or anything. I think I need a tutorial!

[Elizabeth]

At first I read your statement, "Then when you are positive about yourself and your work, others will notice right away and want what you have. " as meaning positive like, absolutely sure, positive, instead of: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog gone-ist, people like me" positive (stewart smiley anyone?) I absolutely sure positive made me want to breath into a paper bag and though the stewart smiley positive is challenging too, not nearly so much!

That point is especially crucial (positivity) I think. Especially when so many brilliant artists/designers/entrepreneur work is a click away, remembering that there is something special for all of us to contribute takes courage. But what's the alternative? Sulk because there is a big fun playground out there and everyone seems better on the monkey bars than you ever could be? Naw, maybe you're a swinger! (hmmm, no double entendre intended there!)

SO this sermonette response is mostly for me! but I hope others can relate too :)

and flickr is completely on my to-do list and I also don't know what pintersomething is.

[Brigitte]

I think it is so apropos that you are starting with self promotion, because I think that's something so many (myself included!) struggle with. And it's absolutely necessary if you want to achieve any level of success.

I've watched you come out of your shell this year with such excitement. And, while your first point is the least concrete, I think it's the most instrumental. If you're genuinely excited about your projects and creative endeavors, it's infectious.

Can't wait to keep learning from you in this series (and in life).

[Heather]

kristie,
i know the feeling. i always wonder if i woul be more successful if i just devoted myself to one field and kept it simple, but i think i would be bored. i love doing it all. but balance is key. it can be so hard i know especially when you want to do it for others! i would love to give you a tutorial on flickr and pinterest. (maybe i could do a video blog post of this). flickr would be great for you to show off your work to a whole sea of people. there are groups to join ( i look for ones dedicated to your specific style or interests ie. there is a group called "vintage pastels" etc..) then you can upload your images and share them in groups to get noticed. many of my blog followers came from flickr. there is a devoted group of flickrers out there and they would love to see your work. also, many large design blogs go scouting on flickr for real life photos of real homes. SFgirlbybay has a great group and she features nearly all of the new ones added to her blog weekly.
i use flickr to share images of my home, but also my vintage collections and artworks. many other Etsians use it to share their work too.
Pinterest is more to catalogue images you find online and use it like a file folder of your favorites (that is what a board is). I use it as source new imagery for my blog. So people can follow your boards to see what you are viewing online and typically your personal style shows thru on the boards and followers find you via the style of your boards.

hope this helps a little. i am hoping i can do more hands on demos during our monthly meetings:)!!
maybe include photoshop workshop too!

[Heather]

Oh NO!!!! Thank you for having the courage to leave this comment Elizabeth because I don't want to make ANYONE feel the need to breath into a paper bag! Gag! I wrote this post kinda fast without an outline or a rough draft and realized later that it came out kinda like i talk. maybe a little "valley girl" with lots of "likes" and "ands"
But you raise a good point for SURE! I am not trying to be the Power of Positive Thinking by anymeans.
I just meant that loving yourself and your work can be infectious. "Taking pride in" or believing in the beauty of what you do is key. Maybe I should have started with Number 2 cause it comes before number 1 I think. Sweeping away the bad stuff to make room (in the heart and mind) for the good stuff.

i just wrote another comment to Kristie about Pinterest. May I peak your interest in Pinterest. How about an online demo?

[Heather]

oh p.s. yes. it can be hard to believe in yourself and your work as something good and beneficial when you see others doing similar things online but they are not you! you are uniquely you! only you!!! i can personally attest to that!!!
pps. i have had some great ideas on promoting your "latest creations"

[Elizabeth]

oh girl, my misread of your post was my fault, not yours at all and it was only for a split second. and even though I was laughing about the stewart smiley bit, IT'S SO TRUE! Probably my sarcastic inner child keeps me from embracing that truth as absolutely as I should...to be sweet to yourself and acknowledge your gifts and share them. That was not the part that had me freaked. It was the idea of being positive, like "I'm am completely sure (positive) that what I am doing right now is my biggest gift to give the world and my life's calling and I'm completely walking in the right direction." That was the misread that freaked me out...though it is clear from what you wrote that you DID NOT say that at all. Hehe. I think I was just rambling out my neuroses.

[Stephanie Ryan]

Great post Heather! Self promotion is a very hard thing for me. I think I am getting better at it on my blog because I am very comfortable there but I find it hard to spread my wings beyond that. I am working on it though. I took the blogging your way ecourse and it was amazing! I highly recommend it not only for the information but for the networking as well. There were 400 students this last class.

[sistah]

so proud of you

[Traveling Mama]

I love this series and really appreciate it! I've thought a lot about why I blog and I realized that blogging changed me because it brought me out of my very introverted shell and allowed me to rub shoulders with, what I think, is some of the best talent the creative world has to offer. If someone had asked me four years ago prior to blogging what I liked, who I was, and where I was going... my answers would have been very vague! But now I have a much better idea of those things and I am so much happier as a person. While I do not have thousands of sales in my Etsy shops, it brings a smile to my face to realize that I know almost every person that has ever bought from me because of my blog. I think that is one of the best parts of letting go, being confident in oneself, and enjoying the ride!