When I talk to creators and survey the industry landscape, I see a zillion creators trying to have all their work liked by all the people. This comes from our social animal DNA, but it’s the completely wrong approach to success – whether that be measured by your work being licensed, sold, etc, or by getting hired, shown, talked about, displayed, whatever.
Simply said, by trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, especially not yourself.
But fear not (or fear less, perhaps). The answer is simple.
1. Shoot what you love.
2. Relentlessly share that work.
3. Repeat.
People can smell whether you love what you’re shooting or not, love what you’re promoting or not, love what you’re doing or not. So you might as well effing love it for real. It’s all you’ve got.
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So quit with your shifty eyes, looking at what everybody else is doing. And do your own shiznit. Yes this means you. If your work is priced…… appropriately, be it fine art, commercial, editorial, wedding, whatever, all you need is 10-50 people each year to dig what you make. That’ll come from doing what you love, and that will make for a great year. Of all the damn people you have access to with the innernets, there are 50 people with money who like what you do. Of the 1000 or 10,000,000 who look at your site, your book, your whatever, those “likers” can be a pretty low percentage. Bet on it.
Well said, however, people “liking” my fb gets me the majority of my jobs. So I happily ask, and seal with a kiss, the request for people to “like”, and pimp me there. Other places,…twitter, flickr, my blog, and even my website, I just show off what makes me happy and expect nothing in return (although an occasional “ego boost” is always nice). Never would have thought that FB would be where most of my work comes from, but, I won’t argue as it’s paying my bills. 😉
Chase,
This is a great article! I 100% agree. I follow other photographers to show support for them. And 9 times out of 10. We have totally different styles, different levels of experience, and all that good stuff. But I hope with my support for them, they will become more successful, and in turn, I will as well…. In some Cosmic way.
I think the Facebook “Like” pages were a great Idea in the beginning. But I probably have more photographers and other artists on my page than actual non-photographers. And I am OK with that. We network, and if someone can’t work with someone, we refer them to one of the other photographers.. And some might not be OK with that.. But I am. I get a lot of people asking me to photograph their baby.. And I am just so uncomfortable with that. So I hand them over to some of my friends who do wonderful work with babies.. Everyone is happy.
And if people love my work or not.. I do not care.. Because I love my work!
Thank you for the inspiring article!
Shannon Daly
guilty.
Thank u Chase, u made my day !
Greetings from Hannover/Germany,
Ben
Wow, Chase, I was just rethinking the whole Facebook thing, wondering about all these photographers that like my business page, etc. I was just thinking before facebook, other photographers wouldn’t be sticking their heads into my studio to see what I was doing every day… why we all looking at what others are doing, why the need for people to “like” our work? HUmmmm?
I was actually hoping to attract clients with my Facebook page, not other photographers checking out what I am doing next or what I have done…. just trying to do what I love and make a bit of cash doing it. Thanks for the advice. Can I photograph with you some day :o)
Sincerely
Heather
I once read an article by a well known fashion photographer that if you are going to shoot fashion, only concentrate on shoot fashion. I thought to myself “does that make me a photographer or a fashionographer”. I want to be a photographer. I look at others work for inspiration. Not to copy anyone else style, but to never stop learning. Don’t worry Heather, if I can’t figure out how you did it, I’ll send you a message to meet me at Starbucks so I can learn from you 🙂
lol, I love Starbucks :o)