"When it's feast time, when things are going well, you get a little cozy."
- Matt Williams, Actor/Director
Every independent creative goes through periods of feast and famine. It's inevitable when your career is based on your ability to create art and to find an audience for it. When things are going well, the money and the accolades pour in and your confidence is at an all-time high. But what if that high can actually create a corresponding low? What if your feast is actually causing your famine?
As Matt says, "...when things are going well, you get a little cozy." Cozy can mean complacent and complacent can mean neglecting the hard work that got you to the feast in the first place. The last thing you want to do is to allow your success to be the cause of a creative drought. So, how do you avoid the famine? Well, here are just a few things you can do to keep the ball rolling:
Network
The best time to network is when you are on top of your game. When you're on top, you'll meet others who are at least equally as qualified as you are. By reaching out and creating relationships with these people, you can position yourself for projects with collaborators who have a proven track record for success. Exchange business cards, social profiles, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses and don't forget to stay in touch. Networking isn't about building a contact list; it's about building relationships.
Stay Grounded
It's important not to lose sight of the work that got you to where you are. If you were taking classes, keep taking classes. If you were working with your agent to find new opportunities, keep working with your agent. If you were exercising and eating right, maintain those good habits. Everything you were doing up to this moment led to this moment. Don't throw away the process while celebrating your progress.
Be Humble
When things are going well, it's easy to let success go to your head. The more highly you think of yourself, the more likely you are to look down on others. Though people admire confidence, they despise arrogance. By practicing humility and showing gratitude for the people and the process that got you where you are today, you'll build a positive reputation amongst your peers. This is just the type of social credit you'll need to keep the momentum going.
Though we wish nothing but good times for our creative family, we know first hand the ups and downs of the independent artist. As Matt explained during our podcast discussion, those ups and downs are often out of our control, but it's easy to self-sabotage when you get too cozy. Here's to putting in the work and maintaining focus on all the right things so that the famine is few and far between.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
