Be a gardener
I started my presentation this week at Kathy Kargl’s Senior Seminar class at the University of Dayton by saying, “You can go to my website if you want to see my work, because I have 28 years in the art game– but I want to show/live my passions instead of announce them. But I want to give you more than a one trick pony show. I want to help you avoid the mistakes I made.”
Throughout my travels and talking to young professionals, the big buzz these days is how to be a better salesmen. How to sell yourself. How to network. How to go beyond twitter and text-messaging. How to bridge the gap between creative and corporate.
Mentoring is a passion of mine, especially with young talent that is driven to make their impact on the world. You could even say they mentor me as well. Everyone should find a mentor that’s at least ten years older than they are– twenty if possible. Get a mentor that is in your peer group. Keep frequent contact with them. Learn from them and glean their wisdom. In turn, always take the opportunity to help someone else whenever possible.
At the lecture, we ran out of time so I thought it would be wise to post a summary.
My focus on networking is based on the metaphor of gardening. Look at it this way, you can plant an annual crop of wheat or corn but you have to re-plant every year. And fruit trees take time and care to mature, but yield generations of great fruit.
Here are a few tips for your creative gardening:
* Be a gardener yourself!
o Plant seeds.
o Tend the garden by calling people (creative directors, principals of agencies).
o Learn how to close the deal.
o Harvest by going to interviews and making new contacts—always be networking.
o Don’t fear failure. “Failure seldom stops you, what stops you is the fear of failure.”
o Keep up to date with the firms/agencies that interest you. Know their people and know their work.
o You’re creative, so why does your resume look like an accountant’s? Use your blog, or Facebook page as your resume. Create online teasers for your book to show your leadership. Firms want leaders. (There will be a post on this blog next week on how to un-corporate your resume.)
o Brand yourself. Know your color scheme, fonts, and overall look.
o Keep regular notes on personal progress (journal, blog, whatever).
o Set goals.
o Meet goals.
One student asked me about my success so I answered, “It depends on what you define as success. You may not get rich as an artist, but you’ll sure gain a lot of friends. That in itself is success. Earn much. Consume little. Hoard nothing. Give generously. Celebrate life.”
artwork: Penelope Dullaghan
