Be A More Selfish Artist
If you’re an artist, how often do you find yourself creating things you think other people will like? For those of us who are in the beginning phases of our artistic journey, it may be more often than we like to admit. I know it’s something I struggled with all the time, and oftentimes still do. It’s not unnatural for us to seek validation or approval from others, especially when we put a lot of time and energy into our craft. However, I think it’s important that we be a bit more selfish when it comes to our work.
So, what does it mean to be selfish? The definition reads “lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.” So let’s break this down a little bit.
From my own personal experience, artists tend to be people-pleasers. No matter the craft, we tend to ask “will people like this?” which isn’t inherently a bad thing. After all, art is meant to evoke some sort of emotional response from the consumer. Why would we want to spend our time making something people are going to not care about, or even worse; dislike? It can be discouraging and interrupt our creative process. If you find yourself experiencing this, you need to start looking inward and questioning your own motives. Are you creating because you love creating, or because you seek constant validation and want people to like you?
I’ve struggled for a long, long time with the obstacles that come with being a people pleaser. But once I can set aside the habit of thinking what others would like, I’m able to begin focusing on myself and my work, and the things I want to do. I notice two things when this happens: my work improves, and more importantly, I feel happier. That’s not to say I never feel discouraged. I find myself struggling with imposter syndrome every few weeks or every few months. There’s always an element of thinking I’m not good enough at my craft, that I don’t deserve to be where I’m at, and seeing everyone around me doing great things while I feel like I’m constantly falling behind. It’s only when I come to my senses and understand that I’m more focused on everyone else’s work instead of my own, that I’m able to get myself out of the rut of self-doubt. When I focus that energy more inward and do what I actually enjoy, which is going out with my camera, I get more consistent results that I’m happy with.
If you’re a people pleaser, it can feel weird and uncomfortable to start putting a ton of extra focus on yourself, but take this into consideration; how much do you really know about yourself? If someone asks you to describe yourself, would you be able to answer the question, or would you freeze up and say “I don’t know?” Being more focused on yourself when it comes to your craft allows you the opportunity to really dive deep into your own psyche. As a result, you’ll likely have an easier time understanding what makes you tick, what your interests and disinterests are, as well as personal and artistic boundaries you may not be yet aware of. This will only help your work become more nuanced and developed, which consumers will either really connect to, or disconnect from. And if you find people are beginning to disconnect from your work, that’s not a sign of you getting worse at your craft, it’s a sign that you’re growing, and not everyone will be on board with that growth. But when people begin to disconnect from your work, it opens the door for so many others to make their way in. You never really know who may make their way into that space. Some of those people may turn out to be life-long friends, clients, supporters, or even people to refer you for bigger and better projects.
So don’t be afraid to be a little bit more selfish when it comes to your work. Don’t become completely self-absorbed to the point where no one’s opinion or input matters to you. After all, in order to grow as a creative, we need to be open to feedback and critiques of our work, especially if we’re going to be working for clients. But, understand that putting more focus into your own work will only help you in the long run. We can’t grow without understanding ourselves as individuals, but we also can’t succeed without the help of others.
