Coming Out – Knowing When To Share What You Create

Written by Kerri Williams

Coming Out – Knowing When To Share What You Create

by Kerri Williams

After a year of not doing much photography, I decided to take a year for myself and go shoot; to create. It’s taken awhile to find my true niche. It doesn’t mean I haven’t had some success with my photography, but it does feel like I’m starting new.

I have new techniques to learn and a lot of experimenting to do, but the important thing is that I’m getting excited about my craft again.

With this somewhat new beginning, a lot of questions come about. Is the new work up to the standards of my previous work? Can I really change things midstream? Will the new work be accepted as well as the old?

But the biggest question remains: When do I introduce the new work to the world? Because there is a lot of experimenting going on; I’ve been swaying on when things are done. If they’re really done.

The thing about creatives is that we take a lot of pride in what we do. The things we create are our babies. We coddle and nurture them from birth through adulthood. And while we’re anxious to show off our pride and joy, we know we could tickle and tweak that creation for years on end and still believe the individual work needs us.

So how do you know when it’s time for your creation to come out to the world? There are two steps to this process – knowing when it’s done and setting it free.

YOU’RE DONE

• There has to be a stopping point. Know that point. If you choose to do something more with that individual piece, consider it a new project.
• Something else is looming in your brain. That’s your gut telling you it’s time to move on. That’s your gut telling you there’s nothing left for the work you’ve been nurturing for the past several days, weeks, months or years.
• If you’ve left the work because you’re bored with it, don’t necessarily assume the project is a failure. It may just be telling you’re done.
• Trust that you have done the best you can do with the work. When you like it, when you feel there’s no more you can do without making it into something else, let it go.

COMING OUT

• If you’re feeling a little uneasy about sharing your work with the world, present the work to friends and family you can trust and ask their honest opinion.
• If you’re feeling confident about showing your work, enter it into a competition, a show, a contest – whatever fits your line of work. And remember, rejection doesn’t mean it’s not ready or it’s not meeting expectations. It just means the judges went another way.
• Now, enter another competition, show, contest. Sharing your baby with the world takes a thick skin and devil may care attitude. Everyone has an opinion and you can’t let anyone else’s opinion diminish what you do. This is part of finding your audience.
• Do whatever it takes to put your work out there. When you keep it to yourself, it’s often because you’re afraid: afraid of yourself, afraid you won’t fit in, afraid you’re not good enough, afraid you’re a failure. It’s the creative who hoards her work that fits into these categories. It’s the creative who shares his work that finds his voice.

Soon enough, you won’t have to worry about when the time is right to share your work with the world. Your gut will tell you and every creative listens to their gut, otherwise, they wouldn’t be doing what they do.

Peace on your journey – Kerri

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