Some things I learned after a little self reflection
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about presenting myself a certain way. Professionalism, marketing, branding; all of it has been on my mind a lot more than usual. I’m at that point in business ownership where it seems like a really drawn out, exhausting, and overall frustrating standstill. I’m doing all the things! I’m posting on Instagram, rebranding and growing my company, constantly learning, and continuing to improve my client experience. So... why am I not seeing automatic results?
There are a few things I’ve learned from this experience so far.
One: Hard work and determination will get you where you want to be, but it doesn’t stop there.
You have to be willing to sit through the painfully uneventful days, weeks, and even months listening to crickets chirp. The worst part of this stage is that this is when you feel you’re working your hardest. You’re only one person. One person attempting to do something huge, something that’s going to affect the rest of your life for the better. And it seems a little depressing at times, but you don’t have to be like the others who stop at the first sign of failure. If The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, or Picasso stopped at the first sign of failure, I wouldn’t be typing their names right now. That’s where the good news comes in! While you’re putting in all that effort, throwing it all out there, feeling like you’ll never make enough money doing that thing you love, that vulnerability is paying off. It’s simmering on the stove, but it’s like a pot roast... low and slow.
Two: Just because you’re told you need to present yourself a certain way, doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve typed and erased a photo caption or a bio thinking, “Yeah, that sounds good... no, Jamie wouldn’t say that.” And tonight as I was adding some final touches to my website, I was looking at the biography I wrote a few months ago. As I read through it, it felt... wrong. Forced. And it was. It took me so long to come up with that bio because I had to think of something I thought people might want to hear from me.
So I changed it. It’s such a small portion of my website, but when I rewrote it with a new mindset, it made me feel much better about the entire page. I want people to see this now, I’m proud of this!
There is a reason why people love you so much. There is only one of you. Use that to your advantage. It’s the easiest, most obtainable way to reach out to potential clients and they will love the fact that you’re different than the rest- they will remember you because of it!
With all of that being said, I’ve made it a goal of mine to share my life with you rather than just my portfolio. I wasn’t sure how this would go at first, but I took a chance and merged my personal and business Instagram’s together. The first picture I posted after that was a picture of myself and, to my surprise, I got more likes on it than most of my posts in the past (not that likes define me, you, or anyone). It just goes to show that as much as people love to see your work and what you do, they want to know the person behind it, too. I mean, I don’t think I’d want to be friends with someone I know nothing about or someone who doesn’t really care to share a part of their life with me.
Don’t let professionalism take away your voice. Your art may be obscure and original, but people won’t approach you if you’re unapproachable.
As you begin to prepare for the week I hope this will inspire you to make it awesome!