Marketing is fucking weird, isn’t it?
Everyone’s really anxious about it all the time, and it makes lots of people go into hiding and never, ever, ever want to come out. (I think they imagine others looking at them and pointing and growling, “Youuuu dirty rotten slimmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.)
But I gotta say: marketing gets really easy when you believe in your work. And when you’re proud of what you’re doing. And when you actually like your work. (Like my forthcoming book, I cannot WAIT to talk about that shit. But ask me to talk about the mating habits of bees, and I’m just not going to be enthusiastic, alright?)
I think sometimes people hate marketing, not because they hate marketing, but because they actually feel like frauds.
They’re “faking it until they make it,” because that’s what people tell you you’re suppose to do, except for one thing that’s really important in life, which is not feeling like a giant fake everywhere you go because it will come out in even so much as the smile in your photographs and then what? Of course you won’t feel comfortable selling something that you’re making up.
I’m not sure what this call to action is, because I don’t mean to be a shit head and make anyone feel bad about themselves, but I do think it’s worth considering that if you’re just doing it for the money, and not because you like it, or because you even believe in what you’re doing, then maybe we need to do some re-evaluating, here.
Why are we even bothering?
What is the use of doing something that you don’t want to be doing for the next six years?
Are you really sure you actually LIKE your work?
Because, man, if you don’t even want to talk about what you do, why would anyone want to buy it from you?