Many talented and creative people struggle. The ones that make it have an intense desire to promote and succeed. An attitude that says ‘you can’t stop me’.  You do whatever it takes. Use your brain to get the word out.  It is called ‘sweat equity’ and the time and effort is an investment in you. It goes to show it doesn’t take money to make it. Eventually you wear them down with your effort and persistence.

Don’t get mad, get even. The best way to get even is to succeed and prove people wrong. Behind every successful creative pro is someone who pissed them off. What does this say? Creative people who make it don’t succeed because they are the smartest or most talented – they succeed because they persevere and keep putting one foot in front of the other (and are willing to crawl if they have to) and slowly but surely move closer and closer to success.

Do it with Passion 

Passion and promotion go hand in hand. If you have a dream and are passionate about achieving it, you are more likely to be filled with enthusiasm (which is helpful for the self promoter) and able to sustain that enthusiasm over the long haul. When you are passionate it is much more likely you will be able to weather the rough times, the rejection and even the ridicule for believing in your dream.  When you can hang on long enough (or have the good fortune of come early success) there is a transformation that takes place. You can taste it. That keeps you going. Having your first positive review, a feature article or a successful opening can sustain you through the next big thing. Passion is what keeps people plugging away in the film and music business, despite the long odds and constant rejection. Passion takes you from a sleepwalking state to being a person on a mission, willing to do whatever it takes to get the word out, which is what makes for self promotion success.

Passion pushes you to do more than you think you can do.  It makes you want to wake up every day and tell everyone about what you are doing. With passion, a creative person is fired up and ready to take on the world. You want to press on and push yourself, to persevere despite setbacks. You are willing to do the grunt work and have more stamina for the crap that is part of promotion. When you believe 100 percent in what you are doing, you are more enthusiastic and people pick up on that and buy into it. You can see it in their eyes hear it in their voices and feel it in their handshakes. Follow your passion and what looks like walls will turn into doors. Passion will overcome obstable and objections. Selling work that you love is smart business.  Passion is life. Passion is what makes artists create great works. And passion for something is what makes many of us more promotable (and as a result the riches will come eventually).