The Talent Paradox
I am consistently reminded that the “best” are not the ones who actually reach the pinnacle of success.
You probably know someone who is outstanding and talented in a particular field or interest. But, to their (and your) chagrin they are having a difficult time succeeding (monetarily) with their career. There could be a number of things contributing to this conundrum. Let’s rule out personality, hygiene and office politics. What’s left?
Being in “Music City USA” I see this in the music industry. Some of the most talented musicians are waiting tables to make ends meet. I see this phenomenon in the creative industry with photographers and illustrators as well. There is a lot of see-are-ay-pee out there and people getting paid to produce it.
In photography we are seeing a huge insurgence of hobbyists and amateurs doing “professional” work. This makes many longtime professional photographers nervous. Should I be afraid that a 16 year old is going to take paying jobs out from under me? The answer is “probably.”
There is hope.
In a word … “marketing.”
The best (most talented) don’t always get the work, however, the best at marketing (self promotion) do get the work. You must market relentlessly. I know, I know … easier said that done. I personally fight to find the time to market my own skills/services. Rather than “find” the time I must “make” the time.
The follow up questions then becomes “How do I market myself? I’ll work on an answer to that in subsequent blog entries. For now, stop focusing on the competition and focus on your goal … getting more work.
– Kyle Dreier
April 20th, 2008 at 5:53 am
I 100% agree with this. For musicians it’s truly the same. When I first moved to town I spent literally 100% of my time practicing my craft. Though I believe that was time very well spent, after a few years in Nashville I realized that relationships and how people viewed my talent were the two things that I was going to need to actually make money in the business.
I think that in this day and age being able to market yourself and portray yourself as the best person for the job are just as important as your talent level, otherwise the people who get seen get all the work even if they may not be as good as you are.
For me it’s about being around and creating a buzz in the music biz. Just being on the scene and playing is a great way to market yourself, with some business cards, whatever you can afford to do. It may be different in the creative artist world than it is for a player like me, but after I read Duct Tape Marketing (thanks Kyle), it helped me figure out what people would want from me and how to tell them what they think of me and not let them figure it out for themselves.
Good luck to all. The young and still always learning…
Adam