Whether you’re young, new to the field, or new to your job, you may find it difficult to be heard as a creative. You may have great ideas, but nobody seems willing to listen. So how do you get heard as a creative? What steps can you take?
1. Be Available – Hang around and be willing to do grunt work. If you work in a church, offer to strike the stage, fold bulletins, or anything else that’s less-than-desirable about the creative world. When you’re willing to make someone else’s ideas a success, people are willing to make yours a success.
2. Offer Good Feedback – Offer positive feedback to the people in charge to let them know you’re engaged. If you want to help your pastor with illustrations for his message, say something like, “That story was great, it reminded me of…” Offering a way to “improve” their message is threatening. But showing them that their good ideas impacted you will open them up to your own ideas.
3. Befriend – Be a friend. When I want creative help, I go to my friends. I go to them first because I know they love me. So hang out with the folks you want to be open to your ideas. Invite them over for a home-cooked meal. Take them out to a movie. Give of yourself to them, and let them talk.
4. Be Honest About Your Failures – If you offer an idea and it fails, own up to it. Admitting you screwed up helps people trust you again. Ignoring your failures causes people to shy away from your ideas in the future.
5. Be Humble – Ultimately, you aren’t in charge. If nobody accepts your ideas, don’t get mad. They’re the ones whose necks are on the line. Be humble and help them accomplish their goals, even if it wasn’t your idea. Then try again next time.
It pays to play well with others. Regardless of how talented you are, people want to work with people they like. Are you likable?
What would you add to this list?
Good post, Jonathan. I was chewing on some very similar thoughts a few days ago and one other point that came to mind was Be Credible. Basically, if you are new, people need to know why they should listen to you in the first place. If you have had no success of any kind, then you have to work much harder and building trust and relationships.
The more you have to show for yourself, the easier it is to be heard. So, yes, build relationship, be humble and all, but spend some time being creative and have something to show for yourself.
I was introduced to your blog recently by a friend. Without knowing you – you have a new listener because you have credibility. Personally, I think it is crucial.
Thanks for this post. It was great!
Definitely! Credibility is crucial 🙂
Good post, Jonathan. I was chewing on some very similar thoughts a few days ago and one other point that came to mind was Be Credible. Basically, if you are new, people need to know why they should listen to you in the first place. If you have had no success of any kind, then you have to work much harder and building trust and relationships.
The more you have to show for yourself, the easier it is to be heard. So, yes, build relationship, be humble and all, but spend some time being creative and have something to show for yourself.
I was introduced to your blog recently by a friend. Without knowing you – you have a new listener because you have credibility. Personally, I think it is crucial.
Thanks for this post. It was great!
Definitely! Credibility is crucial 🙂