I was thinking about something the other day — how challenging it can be to be in the spotlight.
The photo below was taken recently during a full-on photo shoot – hair, makeup, booked space, etc. It’s something I needed to do for promotional reasons but it was so difficult. I was dreading it. I really don’t like being front and center. I’m more of a behind the scenes gal.
Except, the thing is, I really can’t be. I have a business to run. A business that is a reflection of my beliefs and points of view and ideas and passions. And I’m betting that the same is true for you.
You are a creator and, if you’re going to succeed in your business, people need to feel connected to what you’re creating. In order for that to happen, they need to get to know you. They need to see you. Hiding away in your office or studio isn’t going to cut it.
So, my point is, when you feel yourself shying away, hiding, or removing yourself from the spotlight, think about your community, your audience of people who want to know you and the work you do.
I wrote all of this in the Instagram post (as you can see in the above caption) and I had just shy of 100 designers comment on the post about how they, too, have a hard with this. I wasn’t surprised. So many of us are busily working on our businesses form behind the computer screen, more than happy to avoid the spotlight. We rationalize that we have too much to do to worry about taking “selfies”.
But, while I totally get it, you’re wrong.
You’re wrong to think that your community doesn’t want to know you. You’re wrong to think that you can get by with hiding in the background while your brand thrives.
Guess what, you are your brand and if you want people to connect with it and believe in it, you can’t pretend that you’re not a big part of it.
Am I saying that you should be taking a selfie every day? No, of course not. But you should be consistently finding ways to say hello, share your thoughts, and talk to the people in your audience.
Lots of love and encouragement,
