I define creativity as the space where art and science meet and make magic, and I want you to be a creator of that magic rather than hiding on the sidelines. But as creatives, we often find ourselves weighed down by all of the details that go into designing our business before we feel confident enough to lean into that magic.
For instance, you may be trying too hard to achieve perfection in everything you accomplish, or feeling like you need to have all of the small components of your business set before you can go out and get yourself those clients. I’m here to tell you that what you need to be doing now is getting yourself out there, presenting your unique talents to the world, and solving problems for your clients that only you can solve.
The Many Ways We Hide
Hiding is about covering yourself up with baggage and limiting beliefs that hold you back. As a creator, it’s personal: we have to bring our personal selves into our businesses. We have to be vulnerable in our businesses. But this can be hard to embrace when we feel we haven’t achieved all of the milestones that we’ve set for our business strategy.
Things like needing a logo or a mission statement may seem like defining aspects of our business but really, all you need to be successful is a client and a project. So many of the details that consume us are not even client-centric components. Your clients care about what you can do for them, not how you advertise yourself.
The Importance of Consistency and Persistence
The vast majority of successful entrepreneurs don’t have it all nailed down at the start. What they have is the concept, the talent, and the willingness to be imperfect. They’re willing to learn on the fly, they’re willing to experiment and fail. Most importantly, they’re always looking to find where they need to be now, not what used to work.
You have to be engaged. You have to find the social media avenues that are producing the most traction, and you have to be consistent in your outreach. Gaining the ideal client is about building a relationship, not about passing your business card around or waiting for word of mouth to travel. You need to be out there, making your moves, and engaging the types of potential clients that you want to work with.
Just because you’ve made one step into new territory doesn’t mean you stop. Keep stepping, keep moving from comfort zone to comfort zone. Take yourself out of all those hiding spots and put yourself in front of clients in new ways that may be a bit unfamiliar to you. It’s the only way that you will find the success you are looking for with the clients that you will love.
When you’re ready to take your design practice to the next level, explore your expert coaching and training options with Melissa Galt. To catch the entire podcast episode LISTEN HERE.
