Table of contents for A Little Bit of Ego Goes a Long Way
- A Little Bit of Ego Goes a Long Way: Handling Criticism
- A Little Bit of Ego Goes a Long Way: Building a Healthy Ego
Do you have a hard time talking about yourself (in a positive way!)?
Trouble talking about and selling your work?
Is it hard for you to see your accomplishments even though somewhere inside you know better?
Do people oooo and aaaah over your work and you feel embarrassed and immediately point out your flaws?
That list can go on and on.
The bad news is, you’re not alone. The good news is, you can change.
If you answered yes to any of those questions above, this article is for you. I was once you. I still am that way on the inside sometimes…lots of times. The difference now is that I don’t show it to customers and I know I can be different. I need to be different in those areas if I want to be successful selling my work.
So, how do we change from being self-conscious or embarrassed? I’d like to say that you just do it but we all know that it doesn’t happen that easily. Our goal is to build a healthy ego when it comes to our work but not get too big for our britches.
I believe in starting things slowly and working up to where we want to be but if you want to go faster, go for it! You know what they say: Fake it ’til You Make it.
Below are steps that will help you change the way you think. And you know what they say about that? If you change the way you think, your actions will follow. I’m living proof that that is true.
Before I start, remember the Bead Nerd number one rule before everything:
Above All, Make the Best Work Possible. You will be more confident if you know you are doing the best that you can at any given time.
Learn to Say Thank You
If someone gives you a compliment on your work, say ‘Thank You.’ Period. If anything else comes out of your mouth afterwards it should be positive. If you don’t already do this it can be hard, but do it anyway. You will get used to it and before you know it, you’ll be doing it automatically.
Accentuate the Positive
Once you get comfortable accepting compliments, take it one step further. Tell them something about the bead or outfit or whatever, that is positive. At the least, let your description be neutral. I remember someone giving me a compliment on a pair of earrings and my response being, ‘Thanks. They’re fake.’ Not the best kind of answer for these purposes.
Seize the Opportunity
If you get those two down, now it’s time to go for it. After the compliment, the thank you, the positive statement or explanation of what your beads are, mention that you sell beads or jewelry and where! Offer your card that should have your web site on it or a postcard with this seasons shows. I hear people all the time say that they sell pieces right off their body! Which leads me to my next point…
Know Your Work
Of course we know our work…we made it. But how often are you at a loss for words when someone comments about one of your beads and you’re not sure what to say? It’s easy if they ask you a specific question but if they just comment on it, what do you say?
Prepare and practice. I’ve found that over the years, writing descriptions for my eBay auctions and my web site have helped me be better prepared when questions are asked. It rolls off of my tongue naturally. Materials come to mind, processes, colors, the inspiration behind the beads, etc. People love to hear that.
If you don’t already, take some time to sit down and write a description of your work. If you are really serious, write a description about a particular piece that you will be wearing out into public. Write what you think people would like to know about. When the comment on your stunning piece comes up, you will be prepared.
In this description that you practice writing, include your prices. Know what you would charge for the whole piece and the pricing of individual beads on it. You would be surprised what people are interested in.
There you have it. A start to building a healthy ego. Have you exeperienced a change in this area yourself? Would you like to change in this area? Let us know how these steps work for you. Write me a comment and we’ll see where we can go from there.
Do you know someone that could benefit from this information? Email this post to them!
{ 2 comments }
In Part 1 I was telling you about the importance of a mailing list. Mainly an e-mail list. There are different kinds of email newsletters with different goals to each. I will be focusing on one that will help you sell your beads and remember, you can write a killer newsletter but there ain’t no copy writing that will sell them as well as 
In the business of art we must develop healthy egos for many reasons. I’d like to break it down into a series of discussions and welcome your comments at the end of each post.
