Stop Believing You're More Important Than Your Audience

I constantly come across performers and artists who seem to focus on the 'art' of creating more than the final product.

There is a delicate balance in play here and this is more of a question than any sort of advice. As a creative person, you have to decide when 'good enough' is good enough and shipyour product.

Too many times we get hung up on the process and never finish a product.

I'm in several forums of people who are creating all different kinds of things.. everything from podcasts, to videos, to juggling shows.

Typically over 90% of the questions and topics people post is about gear and tech stuff. They focused on the process when at the end of the day, the type of microphone you use to record your podcast is very, very unimportant.

WAIT!

Before you get ahead of yourself... I KNOW that proper equipment is helpful (and I'm the first to complain when my 6 year old camera is acting up), but I am aware that the final product, or more importantly the way that product interacts with real people is all that matters.

It doesn't matter what kind of camera/microphone/unicycle I used.

Did people laugh, cry, or respond in some way?

If so, my job has been successful. The tools used in the process did their job to create a useful product.

It goes back to my hatred of the phrase 'starving artist'.

Why is it assumed that if you're an artist, you'll be struggling?

And artists are proud! They brag about how much they're hustling but still broke!

I say, you're an idiot!

Maybe if your product isn't connecting with people you're focusing too much on the process... the part that no one cares about (except you).

You're not as important as the audience, so stop believing that you matter more than they do.