10 Common Mistakes Creatives Make That Limit Success
By Dana P. Rowe, PCC, CPCC, CPQC
Do you ever feel like you’re not making the progress you want to make in your creative calling? That even though you are working every day, nothing is happening? You may be making one of these 10 mistakes that are limiting your success. Read on for the complete list and get tips for avoiding them! As you read — choose one or two to work on today.
01: Not starting — start and start right now — then be consistent.
02: Believing that you have to do everything on your own. It’s easy to think this way, but the truth is that by trying to do it all by yourself, you’re just limiting your success. You don’t have to do everything on your own! In fact, it’s much better if you can find a team of people that will work with and support you every step of the way. If you feel like something is holding back your creative business from growing as fast as you want it to, a lack of a team is the most likely culprit.
03: Waiting for someone else to bring you onto a project. My mother got it right when she told me not to depend on someone else to bring me my success. She was big on encouraging us to create our own opportunities. It can be challenging when you first start out, but if you want your creative business to grow as fast as possible, then learning to generate opportunities for yourself is especially important!
04: Impatience — expecting instant success and momentum. In The Long Game, Dorie Clark writes, “To gain notice in your field, it often takes two to three years of effort before you see any results. To truly become a recognized expert, it often takes at least five years of consistent effort.”
Nothing in nature blooms overnight or all year long. Expecting your creative business to do the same is a sure-fire way to get discouraged and eventually quit. Instead of trying to force things, just focus on being consistent and making steady progress every day, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly momentum will start picking up!
05: Getting everything right syndrome. Being preoccupied with gadgets and gear: microphones, computers, cameras, or lighting rather than the content. If you wait until everything is perfect, you’ll never get started. You can wait until you have a million-dollar studio, but the truth is that even with just your smartphone camera, you can create great content! It’s all about what you do with it and how creative you allow yourself to get.
06: Comparing and Despairing. When you compare your authentic life to one portrayed on social media, you are in for a world of hurt. The good news is that no matter how much success others have, it doesn’t take anything away from the success you create for yourself. There will always be people who are more successful than you in some way but never underestimate the gifts and qualities you have to offer.
Don’t get caught up in the past and worry about what you did or didn’t get done. The past has already happened, and you can’t change it. You can only influence the future with your thoughts, words, and actions at this moment, so stay focused on creating what you want instead of rehashing old memories! Compete with yourself only.
07: Not having a clear brand — be consistent with everything you do. A personal brand lets you stand out from the crowd and get noticed in your field. A solid personal brand statement will help you stand out from the crowd. This is because it tells people instantly who you are, what you do, and why they should hire you.
08: Not engaging with your audience. Have conversations with people and engage in comments on social media. There’s a beautiful quote by John Ortberg that says, “You can only love and be loved to the extent that you know and are known.”
If you want them to love you, they must have a sense of who you are and feel a connection. Engaging authentically with your followers, potential clients, and employers goes a long way toward building trust and relationships.
09: Only focusing on yourself. Always remember why you started this journey in the first place and try to focus on the value you can bring to others. Some creatives are surprised to learn that every business is a service business, even and especially the arts. Every performance serves the audience, and most great works of art provide a moment of elevation, emotional shift, or catharsis for the viewer.
And the biggest mistake of all?
10: Not putting these suggestions into action — just reading this post isn’t enough. You must take action, and even more importantly, you must give yourself permission to take imperfect action. (See number one.)
What adjustment will you make today? Choose one of these areas for your focus today and see what happens!
I hope this article has been helpful! Find me on social media, and let me know what worked best for you!
If you don’t know where to start or just want someone to talk through these ideas with, then get in touch today with the link below.
If you’re looking for more posts like this one, be sure to check out the rest of my blog posts for Creative Artists and Entrepreneurs here.