When you sell things, because of human nature, you’re also selling yourself.
Part of what entices people to buy from you is you. How you present not just your product or service is one element, but how you present yourself is another.
For example, if you’re tentative, uncertain, or otherwise showing a lack of confidence, that will make an impression on your audience. Once again, despite the old adage, people DO judge a book by its cover. They will, thus, judge your goods and services by you.
For some people, this isn’t a problem. They’re charismatic, outgoing, confident, and damned good at selling themselves alongside their stuff. Yet for others, this is a challenge.
Selling yourself versus self-aggrandizement and worse
For me, one of the biggest challenges of selling myself – in the process of selling my books – is a fear of coming across as egotistical, arrogant, and/or self-important.
Many years ago, as part of my ongoing struggles with a fear of abandonment, I was a bit of a braggart. I’d tell you all about who I was and what I was doing, overshare my achievements and accomplishments, and generally annoy friends and family with my need for validation.
When I finally understood that I did this, I started to actively work not to. More than before, I paused to think about what to say, how to say it, or if I should bother saying it at all.
I admit that I’ve not always succeeded with this. To this day, fighting my inner demons and fears, I sometimes still talk too much and overshare. Sometimes the need for validation and recognition causes me to be too much, and I start talking out of my ass.
Hence, when I need to take an action where selling myself is part of it, it’s extra challenging. As an indie artist and authorpreneur, this is an unfortunate but necessary part of my reality. So, I need to work through my anxiety and concerns about selling myself and do what’s necessary to move my business forward.
You might have similar experiences or your own anxieties/concerns in this arena. Still, it’s unavoidable. What can you do?
The first thing to do is accept the truth. To sell your art you must sell yourself, too. It doesn’t matter if your art is paintings, sculptures, beads, books, food, or what-have-you. Part of selling involves a piece of yourself in the process.
This can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. The key is to detach yourself from your art while maintaining your sovereignty.
What does that mean? The challenge is to be willing and able to sell yourself without being yourself, per se. The key is to envision you, the creator, as the confident, energetic, creative being who made the art.
Be the creator separate from yourself. Because you know that the creator in you is not all of you. It’s a part of you, an important and powerful part of you, but not the whole of you. Thus, with a little disconnect, you can take this one aspect of yourself and put it behind you and your art.
You can sell yourself without prostituting yourself or risking becoming something you might fear. What’s more, the detachment creates space from which you can more easily sell your work and the reflection of an aspect of you, yourself, that goes into every sales effort.
This takes conscious effort. You must be aware of yourself and your thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, and approach. However, that awareness makes it easier to be your true, authentic self. Whenever you sell anything from that place, you are set for success because there’s inherent purity in you being you.
I should address the elephant in the room before I conclude this essay.
Selling yourself is not selling out
Selling yourself involves recognizing that to sell your art, whatever it is, you also are selling some of yourself. That’s because your art reflects you and who you are. Nothing is quite as personal as art, no matter what form it takes. Art is the creation of the heart, soul, and mind in synchronicity, so, of course, you are a part of that. If you sell it, it’s an unavoidable truth.
Selling out is not the same. That’s because selling out means you don’t create your art for and from love, but from a place of pandering. You make what you make for others and not of/for yourself. Anything you’re creating isn’t from a place of joy and a desire to give to the world but a want to make money, get famous, or whatever it takes to stroke your ego.
It really is that simple. Selling art is not egotistical because professional artists deserve to get paid for their work. You don’t hire a mechanic for your car or a doctor for your health and expect them to work unpaid. Artists are no different.
Art, however, is more personal and individual. One person’s masterpiece is another’s garbage. This is part of where selling yourself comes in. Because you believe in the art you create. Selling out means you know full well you’re creating garbage and don’t give a shit.
Selling out is a personal choice. If you can do it, make money, become famous, and live with yourself, then hey, more power to you. I suspect, though, that in time, the strain on your moral fiber will take its toll.
Selling yourself is a necessary part of selling your art. By detaching yourself from your whole self in the process, and keeping close to your art, you can make this fly without feeling unpleasant about it. Practice makes perfect. Sell with confidence because you are a creator and deserve to make money from the work you do that others get to enjoy.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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