I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Why is it that sometimes, you come across a creative and immediately think: “This person is ridiculously good.” But somehow, they’re struggling to get the opportunities you think they deserve.
Then you meet someone else whose work is okay, but not necessarily mind-blowing. But somehow, they’re pretty booked. They’re getting referrals. They’re working with bigger brands. And honestly, it can be frustrating to watch.
But I think there’s something we don’t talk about enough. The creative industry is not a talent competition.
The market doesn’t sit down and rank everyone from most talented to least talented before deciding who gets paid. It responds to what it can see, understand, and trust. And this is where some extremely talented creatives lose.
Their talent is hidden behind poor communication. Their work is buried under weak presentation. Their expertise isn’t clearly positioned. Meanwhile, someone who’s obviously less talented has mastered all these and is getting dividends from the mastery of the business of creativity.
While being significantly better at your craft is advisable, you need to become much more significantly better at getting your craft into the hands of the people who value it. Because there is a difference between being talented and being commercially valuable. And there is an even bigger difference between being valuable and being perceived as valuable.
That’s why I don’t think creatives should only be asking, "How do I get better at what I do?” We should also be asking, "How do I make the value of what I do impossible to ignore?” Because talent can create great work. But great work alone doesn’t build a career. Someone has to notice it.
My name is Juwon Vamous, and I teach creatives the art, business, and visibility of creativity.
Stay Oranginal! 🍊