Artrepreneur Success Rule #8/10

Rule #8: Play Nice and Make Friends

When you saw the title for this post, your reaction may have been, “yeah yeah, I know.” And that’s valid. The golden rule is something we’re taught from a very young age - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. However, there’s so much more to this rule than meets the eye.

As many of you know, my first job was as a corporate graphic designer. I left my job to freelance because I didn’t feel there was growth potential at my company. Also, I was sick of the politics. I blamed my boss for both of these things. Despite that, I chose to leave on good terms. I didn’t lash out and I wished him the best. Months after I left, that same boss ended up telling someone at the company I was freelancing. They became my biggest client for years to come.

And guess what? Leaving my job to freelance was the best thing I ever did. Several years later, I was making 4 times what I did at my corporate job and not working nearly as hard. That boss helped me in more ways than one. I’m grateful to him.

I learned the lesson then that the world is smaller than you think and it’s important to play nice always. Since then, I’ve dealt with many frustrating clients, both in graphic design and illustration work. No matter how they behave, I always treat them with kindness. Many leads have come from these challenging relationships because word of mouth is the best way to get business.

When you react negatively to someone’s bad behavior, you’re only hurting yourself. Remember that.

I use this rule when managing projects too. If I were a client, I’d want to receive responses within 24 hours. I’d want prompt invoices and short, simple communications. I’d want to know the person I hired was organized and dependable. So that’s how I behave. I try to make working with me as easy and seamless as possible, like I’m an extension of their team. It’s this behavior that I attribute my success as a freelancer to.

This rule doesn’t only apply to clients but to how we treat our fellow artists. Sadly, it’s other artists who have done me the most harm over the years. I’ve had artists screen shot my work, remove my signature, and sell it as their own. There’s another artist who has copied over 25 of my art print ideas and sold them online for half the price. Unfortunately, these people don’t even acknowledge I exist. They don’t follow me on social media or comment on my blog. They stay hidden in the shadows.

How have I handled these situations? When people directly sell my work as their own, I still give them the benefit of the doubt. I typically send them a message assuming they don’t know what they’re doing is wrong. And for the artist who steals my ideas, I say nothing. What’s the point in lashing out? They probably won’t take ownership and I don’t need enemies. I don’t have the time or energy for that. It would only deplete my own creative resources.

Instead, I take a vow to never do this to someone else because I know how it feels. And then I vow to make the best work I possibly can.

That being said, I’m never going to recommend these artists for a project I pass on. Or do a collaboration with them. Or share their work on social media. Therefore, they’re only hurting themselves.

I try to view us artists as one community where there’s room for everyone. This seems to be the healthiest mindset, even when I have people out there damaging my business. When I think like this, I’m able to keep a positive attitude and make my best work. We aren’t competing with one other. We’re only competing with ourselves - just trying to make something better than we did yesterday. If we focus on competing with others, we’re never going to get better. It’s toxic to ourselves and other artists.

While much of this rule is about how to deal with bad behavior, its power is in proactive behavior. Have you done something today to lift another artist up? Whether that’s to empathize with a problem they’re having or simply to share their work online with a few nice words, it all matters. What if we all did something every day to lift another artist up? I can’t even imagine how strong of a community we could become. The world needs more art, so we’re doing good by helping other artists.

The comments I get on my blog saying my words make a difference mean everything to me. They keep me going. Or when someone says my work has sparked something in them - that’s why I do what I do. This positivity fuels better work in me. And it’s contagious. It makes me want to pay it forward and lift other artists up.

Being an artist can be a lonely pursuit. In my small inner circle, I can’t say that my friends and family really understand what I do or why. And that’s okay. I get my validation from all of you. Your support gives me purpose.

In this world where everything is digital, we often forget there are people behind every account. You never know what someone is struggling with. The artist who copied my art print ideas started doing so right after we lost our son when I was 6 months pregnant. She didn’t know what I was going through, but that’s why it felt all the more unkind. Our actions impact others in a big way. I have to constantly remind myself of the responsibility that comes with that. We have the power to make or break someone’s day with our words and actions. And these daily words and actions compound into someone’s self image.

It all comes down to karma, which I do believe exists in some way. When you lift another artist up, good things will happen for your art in return. If you don’t believe me, try making a habit of lifting other artists up daily and see what happens in your own work. I bet you’d be surprised!

Stay tuned for rule #8!