I have met some really creative people in my time on this earth. Some have just blown me away with how ingenious and insightful they are with their creativity. It has always been something that I have thought deeply about and admired very much.
I have noticed how some creative people I have known have been more successful than others. That has always been a curiosity of mine. Why do some get a big audience where others struggle, even when they are almost equal in talent.
I am learning that secret from a fantastic guy that I know out here in Beijing. His name is Bruce, and he hails from Glasgow, but he has been in China for thirty-odd years. He is a writer, photographer and he has been involved in broadcasting for many years. At seventy-four, he is still producing and writing and very active in the creative community here.
He is an inspiration. His passion for what he creates is what makes him successful. He loves what he does and is always happy and proud to share what he has written. He is his own agent, marketing department and public relations company all rolled into one.
We meet and talk often, and he constantly sweeps me up with his story’s and the humour of his thirty years of travelling around Asia, such a great guy and so many breathtaking tales.
I always pick up from him through his stories that he designed his life and that he didn’t want to be one of the people where life just happens to them.
He is someone who is fully committed to being creative, where other people want to be creative. He thinks big and focuses on opportunities. Other people think small and focus on the obstacles. Bruce has such a refreshing way to think and very advanced in his outlook and desire to get out and about to produce more things.
It is clear from how he operates that successful creatives are willing to promote themselves and their value. The less successful creatives I have met think negatively about selling and promotion. They see it as something that is not part of the process – someone else’s role. They are too involved to see the opportunity and believe they, like cream, will rise to the top. I am not sure of that now. I think how Bruce operates is the way to be. He is actually very modern in his approach, and I see how he drives his engagement with an audience.
It is like something else that someone also said to me before that struck a chord when I heard it.
‘Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.’
It is a way of thinking that is different. I say this because I have been super shy about sharing any of my videos with friends and family.
I keep saying I am not ready yet. I am putting time in a place as a barrier rather than focusing on results (feedback & views). I am currently a crap self agent, self marketer or self public relations man. I need to go away and reflect on a couple of things, and I need to answer this big question for myself…
When is it the right time to invite in an audience?
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