Author: Leslie Burns

I spent yesterday evening with local San Diego photographers at a casual APA event. Somewhere between a roundtable and a bunch of comrades meeting in a bar, I think it was a successful experiment for how to encourage dialogue between photographers.

There was a loose agenda and gentle moderating/leading by Greg Lambert, but mostly it was good, naturally-evolving discussion. The topics last night were very much about marketing, so I ended up talking way too much of course (as I have a tendency to do–seems to go with the lawyer-thing too, btw), but everyone contributed. People listened and took notes and asked questions and offered their perspectives. I think it went quite well.

I have only one complaint about the event (okay, 1.5–the .5 was that venue was a tad loud): not enough photographers showed up. The event was free (buy your own drinks–it was in a bar after all) and it was promoted appropriately. And yet, only about 10-12 people showed up. This drives me nuts. Photographers everywhere are clamoring about how they are struggling. Here is this wonderful opportunity to do something positive for one’s business, and only a few people showed up.

What do you want people? A magic business fairy to appear and tap you with her wand and make you successful? Won’t happen, of course. This is work! It can be joyful work, if you choose to make it so, but don’t let anyone fool you–it is work. You have to do your end of it to make it. Sitting back and complaining or burying your head in the sand won’t do any good. You need to get out there and keep learning everything you can to find your own best path.

Meetings like the one in SD are great. Meetings with other creatives are great too. Tony Blei from Arizona wrote me recently and I wanted to share part of his email (he gave me permission):

So I’m a member of a creative group that is so creative that there really isn’t a membership. We just know the secret handshake and know where to show up on the second Tuesday of each month. Last night the place was packed with designers and photographers.

I’ve been working to get to know as many designers as I can and last night I handed my card to a guy who had just gotten laid off. He said, “Oh! I just got your postcard.” The art director let him come in to use the company computer and check his mail. Poor guy. I bought him a beer and told him about Agency Access.

How much you want to bet that offering that helpful info and the beer will result in a gig once that AD gets a new job? This is the kind of thing that can happen when you reach out. Talk to people. Colleagues and targets. Open up. Good things will happen.

In the newsletter I just got from the Wharton School of Business there are two articles I think creatives need to read.

The first is about Guy Kawasaki’s Ten Commandments. Pay special attention to number 6.

The second is about how important right brains are in the new economy. Note the end of the piece where it talks about docs going to art museums.

(This is a slightly altered repost from several years ago…I think some people need reminding…)

Do you believe you are a creative; that is, a person with a gift, a talent, a set of abilities like no other person? Believing that is an act of faith and, rather surprisingly, it’s damn hard for some creatives to do. Are you one of those creatives who honors that gift or one of those who acts almost embarrassed or ashamed of it? Do you put down your abilities, your gift? Ever catch yourself saying things like “Oh, it wasn’t anything special” or “I just kinda shot it–got lucky with the light?” Do you refer to yourself and your path as “the guy who liked to draw as a kid and ended up in art school” or “the adult version of the kid who liked taking pictures for the yearbook but couldn’t do anything else?” Do you feel, on some level, like apologizing every time you get a check for your creative work? Are you waiting for the day when someone finally tells you you’re a no-talent hack who has only managed to fake it this far?

If you answered “yes” to any of those statements, you’ve got Cognitive Reduction of Artistry Pathology…or CRAP*.

One of the main signs that you’re afflicted with CRAP is that you refuse to use the term “artist” for who and what you are. The popular variation “commercial artist” is often used as a work-around, as if that makes you somehow less of an artist. If it’s commercial, it’s not real art–-that’s what you tell yourself. Your art’s value is downgraded in your own head, and yet you admire people like Annie Leibovitz, Frank Gehry, and Chip Kidd; people who are (commercial) artists. Famous artists in any field, no matter how commercial, are somehow different and are (real) artists, but not you. Not in your CRAP-filled head. No sir!

CRAP Facts
CRAP afflicts many people in the creative industries: designers, photographers, writers, architects, illustrators, musicians, actors, etc.
CRAP can bog you down just as sure as walking in a muddy, well-used cow pasture in a pair of high heels. After all, if you’re not a “real” artist you don’t have to push yourself creatively, right?
CRAP can be insidious; it’s one thing to be modest (a good thing) but one step too far and you CRAP all over yourself.

But you can rid yourself of CRAP. Here are some simple steps you can start today:

• Call yourself an artist and what you make art. Do it out loud, every single day.
• Remind yourself that if an ad costs $300K just for its space (placement), the art for that ad is worth a hell of a lot more than $2K.
• Most people will not like your art, after all, most people like Wal*Mart and lawn ornaments; but the ones that will like it are the only ones that count and they’re the ones to market to.
• You have every right to get paid and paid well for your abilities, just like a doctor or a plumber or any other pro; your skills are just as rare and valuable.
• And, most importantly, you deserve to be happy–you are doing what you love, what you should be doing in this life–don’t crap on it.

[* CRAP was, of course, entirely invented by me. That makes it no less real in many ways.]

As magazines and newspapers fold in greater numbers with each passing day, it is interesting that this new site has launched: True/Slant. There, individual journalists post their own stories. Each journalist is her/his own brand and the site is merely a place to centralize the information.

It used to be that journalists were lucky to get bylines. Now, they are the brand.

We need to look at this new model for other creative fields. How might this work for photo-journalists for example? (Hey Rob @APhotoEditor…thoughts?).

I have sent T/S an email asking if they are considering adding PJs to the mix. If I hear anything significant from them, I’ll let you know.

The subject line is part of one of my favorite quotes (attributed to many people, my personal fave is Billy Holliday): The difficult we do right away; the impossible may take a little longer.

Seems to fit this project: the impossible project to make instant film again.

I think it’s great that people are trying to do this. I love that the passion is there to try. I have only one, very minor, complaint: all the “team” look alike–older middle-aged white men. Where are the women and the people of color? Where are the youth? At least for the younger folk they may never have played with Polaroid and so don’t know the excitement of anticipating the reveal. Too bad.

Still, good luck the the new IM force. Hope they make it happen.

Although this interview is mostly about getting a rep, the info she shares applies to all photographers, even those not rep hunting.

I recently wrote a piece for a publication on managing one’s online persona as an important part of marketing. Seems like a natural topic for me, of course, but the (online) publication is for young/new lawyers. I was excited to write this piece, and a little challenged because I knew I needed to be aware of the alternate lexicon of the readers–that is, lawyers don’t have the same baseline understanding of marketing as commercial photographers do. I was doing my usual work, but differently and for a different audience.

Why am I bringing this up? Because it serves as an example of how reaching outside of your traditional circle is not only possible, it’s energizing. My knowledge from my photo-marketing life translates to my new lawyer-to-be life here. The intersection presents new possibilities for me moving forward. Your abilities as a photographer can transfer to a new reality for you as well.

Your existing skills open doors you probably haven’t realized or considered, but you should–new tools and techniques (hello, motion!) and, by extension, markets. Your vision is about the whole you and that has a lot of intersecting points. You have evolved with time and you have a multifaceted reality. Let your work reflect those facets, not be bound up by what you have done but rather show the complexity of the whole you, now and looking forward.

Last evening I went out to a movie (L’heure d’été) with a photographer-friend. It was a nice way to spend an evening, watching a French film and talking about everything, including shop.

One thing struck me during our conversation–how important finding and getting comfortable with your own definition of success is. My friend is a very successful photographer, but as he spoke he sounded as if, while that was all well and good, he should be more financially successful because of his age, experience, and education. As he sort of put it, if he were in some other business, by his age he’d be looking at buying vacation home somewhere, etc.

It was kind of disconcerting to hear because, as I said, he is quite successful on several levels. But I think he couldn’t accept that for some reason and was pushing for more. Now that may not be a bad thing–as long as it is coming from inside of the person rather than what a person thinks s/he is supposed to be wanting/doing (and in my friend’s case I’m not 100% sure of the origin but I think it’s internal).

By that I mean that it is one thing to set your own goal of (for example) being able to buy a vacation home by a certain age, but it is quite another to set that goal because you think there is something wrong with you if you don’t–that you might be seen as a loser or something.

We each need to look at what we want out of life and prioritize. Those wants and desires have got to come from within, not the external pressures even of our loved ones. You can’t want to achieve X because maybe your spouse thinks you should achieve X, but rather because X is important to you, regardless of the outside world’s opinion(s).

Then, once you have your own priorities, you need to live up to them without shame or rationalization. Maybe your priority conflicts with the desires of someone else. That sucks when it happens, but if you change your path to fit their desires, then you are shooting yourself in the foot. You can’t be you and pursue your creative and/or career and/or life goals if you modify your path for all the external influences you face. It’s hard to be completely honest like that–people will inadvertently get hurt, but as a talented therapist I know once said “There are necessary hurts and you have to let go of the guilt when you have to hurt someone for your own best needs.”

The other side of this coin is that you have to stop judging others’ goals and priorities and/or forcing your will on them. Maybe one of your colleagues doesn’t prioritize making a lot of money but traveling is number one for her/him–don’t judge that, just accept it. And when your wants/desires/priorities come into conflict with someone else’s, don’t get too upset if you can’t make it work out. Maybe you meet a great potential life partner but you want to travel the world for months at a time and s/he wants to raise a family in a suburb. Both are legitimate goals and priorities, but if you try to make that work, one of you will be miserable. Better to be honest and draw your boundaries clearly. Yes, someone might get hurt, but we’re all grown-ups and can deal with it.

By making your own priorities from your own desires and drive, you can find more satisfaction in your work. You know when you are doing the work that takes you another step in the “right” direction. You’ll be able to deal with the clients from hell better and you’ll be able to like the face in the mirror more. So take some time to ask yourself “What is important to me? What do I really want?” then you can figure out how to get there.

There’s a new Creative Lube podcast available on iTunes or you can get it here. This one is longer than usual and is a bit of a rant about you making your art.

Lots of people have seen Harlan Ellison’s rant about paying for creative work (here, in case you’ve somehow missed it). Well, yesterday I was surfing about the TV and came in on the middle of a documentary about Mr. Ellison called Dreams with Sharp Teeth (on Sundance–here are some clips). I only saw about the last half, but I have set my DVR to record it when it repeats (Thurs. at 10 AM, at least here on the West Coast). I encourage you to watch it as well.

Ellison is at times a total ass (which he completely cops to) but he is also so very right in many of his ideas about creativity. Not just its valuation and the need to actually pay for all the creative you use (music, words, images, etc.), but also about the creative process itself. Even if you loathe his attitude, there is a lot to be gleaned from this film.

Creatives should expose themselves to other creatives as much as possible, I think. Different disciplines can foster new ways of thinking within your own. And seeing someone with the chutzpah of Mr. Ellison can help all of us to stand up a little taller and fight a little harder–which we all need to do in this creative/business environment.