Be Yourself and Be Confident Enough to Share Your Art

BE YOURSELF

As an artist or illustrator, it can be scary to show your true personality through your artwork. You may be afraid that others will judge you or that you may offend someone. But being authentic to yourself and your art gets easier over time and it can bring some real benefits to your life and your business.

BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR PERSONALITY

If you want to be seen as a leading illustrator or artist, then you have to be confident like all leaders are. It may not come naturally, but thankfully this is something you can learn. Practice putting yourself out there — especially the strangest parts of you — and eventually it will become easier.

It’s okay to be strange. In fact, I think it’s truly better that way. Don’t ever be afraid to show who you really are to anyone.

Be polite when you want to be polite. Be rude when you need to be rude. Share your fascination with 19th century teacups with your new boyfriend. Tell your coworkers about your struggle at home. Let your real self shine through.

But most importantly, let your personality be present in your artwork at all times, and then show your work off. If you LOVE animals, volunteer at a shelter and practically have a zoo in your home, express that. Draw your pets. Make art that motivates others to think about animals the way you do.

Because if you’re not being fully yourself, who are you being?

CONNECT WITH OTHER PEOPLE

When you can express yourself truly, with no sugar coating, you’ll be able to connect with people who can relate to you more easily. And connecting genuinely can help create a sense of community around you, increase your following, and help the well-being of your mind and your business.

And the more strange you are, the more deeply you’ll connect with others who are strange in the same way.

It’s easy to connect with people who like coffee — most people do. But it’s important to offer more of yourself to others than what you like on the surface. What do you think about at night? What makes you cry? What are you most passionate about? Who influences your creative side?

Be open about these deeper aspects of your personality too, even though it’s scarier. I promise that the more you exercise your vulnerability, the easier it gets.

For instance, I hated the idea of posting my artwork online at one point. I thought nobody would like it and I would be shamed by virtual crickets chirping and quit art forever. But I told myself that if it didn’t get any attention, I’d just take the post down. No big deal.

Well I got a few likes and someone even commented with a compliment. I felt pride and relief. So naturally, when I finished my next drawing, I posted again. Each time felt better and I kept doing it.

Now I’ve escalated to having my own art accounts on social media and even a blog giving people advice on THEIR art! A muscle will grow if you use it enough. You can be confident in being strange too if you put in a little work and a leap of faith.

It works the same with exposing your deeper personality. Sometimes this means you’ll have to write a long caption on a post explaining what a piece of art means to you. Talk about why you made it or share your creative process. You’ll find that your audience often connects more with the deeper thoughts that most people are unlikely to express. As humans we all experience some dark times and it may be difficult to talk about or weave into your art. But as a leader or influencer, you can take that weight off of others’ shoulders by being the one to express the feeling. They will find out they’re not alone and so will you.

When you are honest, other people will feel comfortable being honest with you too. This sense of trust goes a long way when you are building relationships online and when you’re building a business online. People will be more likely to trust you when you recommend a brand of paint or give them advice because they know you are open with them. They trust that if it was a bad product, you’d tell them.

This trust is more valuable than the biggest email list ever or 100k Instagram followers. And you can gain it by being real with the audience you already have.

REPEL THOSE WHO CAN’T RELATE

Not everyone will like what you have to say. This is absolutely a good thing.

Think about it this way: If you please everyone and make everyone happy, you’ll have to be on two separate spectrums at once. You can’t say you love Bernie Sanders and free college and socialism to make liberals happy and then turn around and praise Donald Trump for advancing capitalism and relaxing regulations on the environment to make Republicans happy. You’ll not only be a liar, but you’ll confuse people about who you are and what your message is.

You also can’t shy away from all controversial topics ever. You may choose to keep your political affiliation secret, but you can’t keep EVERYTHING about your personality secret — then you will be boring. You will stand for nothing. You will relate deeply with no one.

The goal is to connect with your ideal audience and repel those who don’t fit the bill. You want to attract like-minded people to your artist community and attract people who you can help. That often means pushing away people who you can’t help or people who have different goals and interests than you.

You don’t need everyone to like you. You need your bond with the ones who do to be strong. Strengthen this bond by being your true, strange self. Be honest and authentic. Post about how much you hate Hollister stores and the fashion that follows, and watch their die-hard fans unfollow you and the ones who totally agree engage with your post. You want to continually express yourself so you can constantly refine your ideal audience into a strong community.

IT’S OKAY TO GO SLOW

If becoming confident in your personality and feeling comfortable being honest is a slow process for you, that’s okay. If you’re doing it right, it should feel scary.

It took me about six years to reach the level of vulnerability that I’m at now, and I still have goals to become more open that I’m working toward. Art is so inherently personal and I can definitely let fear and insecurity get the best of me sometimes. So if you’re taking baby steps, that’s great. I get it. Keep taking them.

But once you start becoming comfortable sharing your art and your deeper thoughts, you‘ll feel more comfortable in your own skin than you ever have. At least I do.

However, the journey is never over. As artists, we’re constantly encountering new and old parts of ourselves as we look for inspiration. Remember to keep your guard down and be vulnerable when you can help others around you by sharing your thoughts.

TAKE ACTION

This is something you can start today and I suggest you do. If you need a little push, try these steps:

1. Write down three illustrations that you are afraid to post.
2. Think about why you’re afraid to share them openly.
3. Write a caption to go along with each piece. It can be about the personal topic it depicts, it can be about why you were nervous to post it. Make it heartfelt.
4. Assign a date to post them. Actually do it.
5. Don’t delete it, no matter how many virtual crickets you hear or how many people spark a conversation.

For those who may have passed this step and need a bigger push, try these ideas:

1. Draw something intentionally to be extremely personal. Keep your style and brand intact, but pick the subject matter wisely. Explain the illustration in detail in the caption and tell why it makes you nervous to post.
2. Take a selfie. Try to truly capture your mood. If you don’t want to smile, don’t. Express what you’re really feeling that day. What is bothering you? What are you proud of? What’s really on your mind? Include it in the caption and post it to all your social media sites.
3. Ask other artists about their work through a direct message. Sometimes it’s easier to talk about yours if someone else is sharing too. Be honest with them. You’ll flex that vulnerability muscle and maybe begin a meaningful friendship, too.

Let’s do it together

Want to know how other creatives are handling this? Join us in Artsy Friends, a Patreon group for artists who are serious about their art business. Even when it feels hard to show up. See you inside!

If you plan to take a different kind of action, let us know in the comments. What are you doing to let your strange side show?