When I first started blogging and creating web sites, it was pretty much "one size fits all."
Psychology was next to photography was next to economic commentary was next to personal essays... and all was well. Technically speaking, we were operating in the "pre-commercial" web.
Close-up of chives in bloom...
Then "People Who Supposedly Knew What They Were Talking About" came along and announced that in order to be seen — and read — everyone needed to specialize; pick a niche and become an authority on whatever that niche was about. So... I did.
For somewhat over a decade, I have maintained a number of niche blogs, mostly focused on narrow specialized subjects... and, to be honest, it has been exhausting!
You might wonder why I didn't just pick ONE thing and stick to it. And that's a valid question!
Close-up of cactus spines
The thing is, I was also trying to make a living, and all the things I was involved with were either about art/creativity, or the helping professions... and no single thing was actually capable of generating even a subsistence living.
So I did multiple things, and kept them all carefully and meticulously separated. After all, people interested in personality typing systems were probably not stamp collectors, who were probably not part time jewelry makers...
And now? I find myself going back the other way, trying to combine and connect all the things I do, and making it very obvious that all these disparate business ventures are actually the doing of the same person.
Tiny daisy in the lawn...
I'm told this is actually a form of "relationship marketing," meaning (as I understand it) that the focus is as much on the person who creates a good or service as it is on the good or service, itself.
In part, this change in direction was necessitated by my affiliation with Patreon... their system for artists and creatives is basically set up to support a creator having ONE support account, not multiple channels. So now the artist is also the writer is also the editor is also the jewelry supplies wholesaler is also the rare stamp dealer is also the spiritualist... even though most of these have pretty much nothing to do with each other.
I find this approach emotionally challenging because my approach to life has always been to let the product/service "speak for itself." I'm not here because I want to be popular, or because I want the recognition for whatever I do... the "recognition" (I thought) came from providing a top notch product/service, as something "separate" from the creator.
Calendula
Evidently, I am not typical in my approach. Evidently, many people would rather buy something mediocre from someone they know, than something of excellence from someone unknown to them.
And I have never much cared for marketing myself, rather than letting what I offer speak for itself.
There's a bit of irony there, as I have long been teaching people about the importance of treating themselves as a personal brand! Oh well...
Well, back to gathering the bits and pieces!
(Another #creativecoin creative non-fiction post)
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 20200120 23:45 PST
1172
Lovely pictures!
Cheers,
Peter
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