I’ve wrestled with an issue for much of the last year. I know that I need to promote myself and my talents as a photographer, but at the same time I also struggle with the concept of not puffing myself up and boasting of what I do.
For the month of May I challenged myself to do something a little different. I decided to take the whole month and not promote myself to anyone: potential clients, Twitter followers, cold calls/emails, etc. Any of my social networking comments, conversations, emails, etc. would only be about personal things and would not be related to “look what I’m doing” or “hire me.”
The idea came to me after I had finished teaching my first Light & Commerce workshop. I had finished up the day telling 20 people who each paid $275 all that I knew about the technical and business side of commercial photography. It was the oddest feeling when I was walking out to my car afterwards.
I had expected to feel very satisfied that I had helped people out and proud that I had found a way make some extra money in this tough economy. What I felt instead was a deep feeling of humility. The workshop had gone extremely well according to all the feedback I had received. I can’t explain it but I felt deeply, deeply honored that people would fly in from other cities to hear me speak and teach.
Me with the Nashville Light & Commerce attendees
That led me to a new feeling of true humility where I decided that many of my motives for much of what I had called “self-promotion” had been nothing but me wanting to boast and brag about my accomplishments.
I guess I felt a little “dirty” and self-centered. Self-promotion itself is not a bad thing, in fact it’s vital to any self-employed person’s business. But for me it was all about what was in my heart. My heart was not right.
So I decided in late April to purge myself of all that self-centered garbage and try some real humility on for size. It was a little bit hard not blogging and posting about the many, many cool things that ended up making up my May. I was insanely busy and would catch myself thinking “I wish I could post/blog this and tell everyone what cool thing I’m shooting/doing.”
It was a very cleansing experience. I think I’ve made great strides in not caring what others think of me or my supposed “accomplishments.” Jesus said in the book of Luke 11:43
“A curse is on you, Pharisees! for your desires are for the most important seats in the Synagogues and for words of respect said to you in the market-place.”
I have been a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ since the age of 20 and those words of his are pretty sobering. The only people in the Bible Jesus ever had harsh words for were the religious people who thought they were so high and lofty, better than everyone else. To those who knew their wretched state, he had much, much mercy on.
I have never, ever been someone who thinks of themselves as better than others, but I think I’ve always wanted others to think I was successful. I think it comes from growing up so poor, wasting the first 20 years of my life, almost failing out of high school and almost killing myself through drugs and alcohol. I’ve always wanted to prove to people that I really “had made it” and wasn’t still the punk rock, idiot that I was growing up in Broward County, Florida.
Ok, now I’m getting personal. But if I have to publicly embarrass myself for the sake of possibly helping someone else not go near the cliff of self-centered living, then I’m all for it. I see too many photographers trying their best to make themselves seem like “gods of photography” and it really breaks my heart.
There are so many people trying to make it as photographers these days and it seem for many it’s for nothing other than a chance to be famous or admired.
“It’s an American Idol syndrome that has filled our culture saying that being famous for something is more important than actually doing the thing itself.”
So for all of my May I told God that if he wanted me to be promoted He would have to do it. He would be my social network. It turns out May and June have been my most successful months so far this year (and it’s only June 8th.)
Now that June is here I am going back to “here’s what I’m shooting, doing, etc.” but I am being very careful to keep my heart in check and make sure I’m doing it as a smart business person and friend to many, and not to just make myself feel or seem successful or important.
David
Thanks for being so open.
All of us need to seek God instead of seeking the attention of people.
Indeed, I’ve read this post twice. Extremely insightful, thanks for your openness and I think I’ll save it to keep myself personally and professionally in check.
a favorite line:
“It’s an American Idol syndrome that has filled our culture saying that being famous for something is more important than actually doing the thing itself.”
I’m a lover of social media and how it’s changed the game completely for creatives.
But this tool of the internet has made self-promotion so immediate that it’s easier to cross over and forget why we create art. And furthermore, our fans will eventually see through the BS pretty easily and at the cost of creating self-based dreck art instead of real creations.
Hi David,
Love where you’re coming from on this. I find myself blissfully promoting myself to friends, family, and just about everyone. Once you take a step back (and stop telling yourself ‘this is normal creative behavior’), it looks pretty disgusting. Your thoughts are a good reminder in an industry full of insecurity.
- Nate
Thanks David! I am very proud and lucky to have been in that first May workshop and am pictured above (hehe) and I took you to be a very kind, caring and genuine person. I learned a lot from you that day and a lot since. I am a very insecure person, but tend to not show it too much except for when it involves self promotion. I hate to speak positively of myself. I have learned in the past month that if I don’t promote myself, nobody else will ever get the chance to. It takes me getting out there and promoting myself for people to find out what I can do. In order for me to ever be able to support myself someone has to hire me!I have little experience but it’s growing. Your workshop was my self check to see where my passion lay, and because of that great opportunity to spend the day with you, I learned that I’m heading right where I need to head and you even help define that path even more for me. I never wanted to be famous. I want to be successful… if fame follows I will not turn it down, but it is not my intention. I just want to be my own rock star. I find inspiration in your words and even your “self promotion”, because I like to see what part of you is in myself and know that with dedication, passion and hard work I can do anything too. I would love to know that someone would support my work enough to intrust me to do a shoot with some of the most famous people in the world. I am making myself proud and that is hard to do
Thank You David!
It means the world to me to have such a great guy to call a friend.
Love THIS David!!! Love your heart and what God is doing through you both personally and with your business. Reminds me of the verse (1 Peter 5:6)… humble yourselves and God will do the lifting up in His time. We all need to live this.
Thanks for sharing!!! Hopefully see you again sooner than later.
Encouraged,
Amy
David, thank you so much for this post. I makes me admire you all that much more and helps me keep my motives in check. I can totally relate with the desire to make others feel like your at least successful when you’ve come from a background where that may have seemed impossible. But humility is one of the traits that we all could use a lot more of and keeping our motives in check is a great way to remain humble. God has blessed you big time, and in return you are blessing others…anyway thanks, I really needed to read this post today.
David.
I’m listening to your archived toginar with Jack Hollingsworth and preparing to be Jack’s guest on June 18th, and that prompted me to look at your site, and I really appreciate your candor and shining light. I’m in the same camp faith-wise, and it’s great to hear the words of wisdom you both speak and write, and to see another business owner in the creative world doing the right things. Keep up the great work!
Candy
Syndrome…
I’ve wrestled with an issue for much of the last year. I know that I need to promote myself an [...]…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
I find that a community where everyone is quick to promote the work of the others and slow to point out their own keeps our motives in check.
David,
I’ve just found your site recently and I really love this blog post. Thank you so much for sharing your heart! I resonate with your thoughts and am glad that you aren’t afraid to speak your mind! Keep up the good work!
Michael
David,
Thanks for sharing, man. Self-promotion is such a difficult balance to juggle. Personally just starting out it’s been difficult for me to not desire more and more photog gear. When really Christ is telling me “you don’t need more equipment, you need me!”
I really respect your humility and your open-ness, continue to live out Christ’s love in all areas of your life! :]
cheers,
Connor
great post Bean! i love that you aren’t scared to share your faith in your photo blog. it’s funny how most of the time we end up blogging about the truly UN-important things in life. keep rockin’
Thank you sincerely for this post David.
Good work, David. This is one of the best post I’ve read from ANYONE in the last several months. Is there a way to Re-Tweet your post?
Stan, Thanks, you can post it anywhere you want. Use this link:
http://blog.visualreserve.com/?p=136
Love your humility David. Thanks for sharing.
David,
This is a great article. Thank you for sharing your heart & your time. You have a great witness. Thank you.
Leslee
Wow… So transparent… Thank you for that… You’re post has reminded me of things that I desperately needed to be aware of… Self aware…. We do get so sucked into the things that are irrelevant… Thank you for bringing a little reality back!!
(Let another man praise you and not your own mouth… Proverbs 27:2) I don’t know you…but I will say you are obviously brilliant… and I don’t even mean photographically! Thank you for sharing!
You beat pride to the punch!
Pride always comes before the fall…
I loved this post!!! Thank you for being so open and truly making a big difference in my day.
David, I want to thank you for sharing this very personal journey you are having. It made me look in the mirror and look back to see if I was doing the same thing. I am certain I have some of these same traits. The ever trying to prove to everyone that we are not part of the inner yuckiness we once had at our most vulnerable times in our youth. Having faith in God, the universe, or whatever a person believes in, is the fundamental basis of most of my decisions in life these days. Listening to the direction we are guided in and being aware enough to do something about it.
Oftentimes I question myself asking, “Why am I doing this photography thing?” Being torn within myself is no fun. On one hand I want to make a difference in everyone’s life with it, and on the other hand I want to show my inner demons and self-hating part that it is wrong, and I CAN be successful.
Then, how does an artist define being successful? When am I successful? Is it correct to think about it this way? Is success when I am shooting for Vogue magazine, or traveling the world documenting what I see through my lens? Or am I successful when I do it for someone else?
Thank you for your words my friend. It’s good to see that I am not alone in these feelings. I love your humility David, it’s inspirational.
Thank you. Something I needed to hear. For two reasons…
1. As someone starting out in this craft, anytime I get anywhere near a seasoned professional I immediately start to belittle myself and shut down, afraid that the moment I open my mouth I’ll be exposed as a fraud or just another chick with a camera who calls herself a photographer. It’s nice to know that their are photogs out their who don’t look down their noses at the “newbies”
2. Humility is something I need to always keep in check. It really does all come down to the heart. You reminded me to always remember WHY I want to pursue this as a career. . . because I LOVE to create art. Not for the kudos, not for the money but simply because it brings me joy.
Thanks for being so transparent.