Establishing your creative niche in a crowded marketplace: why the world still needs you

We’ve all been there.  Watching wistfully from the sidelines at our competitors’ online followings, high-profile customers and sales, or all-round enviable lifestyles as we mildly indulge in cyberstalking them (social media reflects reality, right?).  Then it hits: retreating into a cloud of paralytic inferiority, we wonder why we ever believed in achieving something similar. Surely, there can’t be space for us in a crowded marketplace already served so well?

The good news is that we are not alone in feeling this way – but what will define our careers is whether we stay in this place, or choose to move through it.  The bad news: in case we were hoping to copycat our way along, true and lasting success is all about authenticity, and will require us to dig a little deeper. It’s time we challenged ourselves to release the need to seek attention or to ‘stand out’ in preference of pursuing something more meaningful and lasting – after which, the rest will follow more easily.

Some reasons why you can have confidence to proceed with a genuinely valid product or service, even when the market seems saturated:

• It’s a big world out there, with plenty of potential customers;

• If others are succeeding in your sphere, it proves that there is an audience for it;

• Popular products will always need more than one supplier to keep up with demand;

• Variety is the spice of life! Just because someone (or many others) are doing very similar things, doesn’t mean your product or service isn’t valid.  After all, don’t you listen to music by a variety of musicians, buy clothing from different stores, and drink coffee from many cafés?

Next steps - where should you begin when cultivating a unique identity (ie. branding) for yourself as part of establishing your niche?

1. Know yourself better! Successful creatives have a strong sense of identity and purpose, and truly understand what makes them tick.  Customers and audiences intuitively gravitate to them. What motivates you in this sphere? Far beyond the token ‘finding fame and fortune’ is where the truth lies.  Does your work make you feel incredibly alive, or perhaps express a deep conviction for social justice? Does it allow you to invest in your community, or support working parents? Whatever it is, be brutally honest and know that this purpose must shine through;

2. Allow the most authentic version of yourself to be seen – loud and proud! It’s completely terrifying, but this is where the magic happens. As the saying goes, ‘if you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.’ It is so important to properly establish the groundwork for a distinct branding that people can engage with, believe in and share with others.  Many of us tend to draw the line at this level of public vulnerability and only pursue goals until we can cover our tracks if/when it doesn’t work out. This is one situation, however, where it’s all or nothing;

3. Deeply consider the role of your audience: who they are, what they value, and how you can serve them in a way that aligns with your fundamental purpose.  Authentically honouring the needs of your audience also gives them permission to be the best versions of themselves – and you will see the results.

In consideration of your audience’s needs, can you add value (before they are even your customers)?

You could try:

• offering regular professional insights via email newsletters, a podcast or social media;

• delivering pop-up events or workshops;

• building a community of like-minded people to champion a cause strongly aligned with your product or service;

• situating yourself as a leader in your sphere by inviting colleagues to come together, sharing common concerns and driving initiatives to support your industry or region.

Delivering this level of consistent connection is the key to building your core tribe, and steadily accelerating your career. Treat this relationship with the utmost respect: if customers can get similar products or services elsewhere, they will choose to support you because of the bond you have built and what you continue to offer them. Ensure that potential collaborations or changes in direction remain aligned with this audience (unless you are trying to build a new one). 

As a final note on the true nature of competition with colleagues, I think it’s time we left behind notions of ‘us versus them’. We are all in this together, and innovation within the creative industries is hindered by our fragmented communities and general insecurities. This is particularly evident in Australia, where we are also relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Time spent glancing sideways or undermining each other is time taken from developing the best versions of ourselves and succeeding – which ultimately benefits everyone.

Drawing from diverse backgrounds in health, science and the public art gallery sector, Liesl Harvey’s passion lies where the creative industries intersect with business and audience development. She explores a variety of relevant topics and shares inspiration from around the globe via her Instagram account, @thedailyculturepreneur.

How to stay "Instasafe" as a creative

Photo via Pexels

I love Instagram. It lets me communicate to the world what I'm about (nourishing food, natural light and comfortable shoes wherever possible, and preventative health in life, law and business!), and has allowed me to connect with so many like-minded clients through my page @thelawyerslunchbox.

And I know many of my clients loving using it for their own businesses.

But we all need to make sure we stay legally safe on Instagram. This means not falling foul of Insta's terms and conditions, using the right images and not saying or doing anything illegal.

Here are some tips...

Types of images

Instagram has the right to remove, edit, block, and monitor accounts containing content that Instagram determines violates their terms of use.

To avoid problems, you must not post violent, nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos. This term is interpreted sensibly, for example if your business is in fashion, intimate apparel, swimwear, music, celebrity, modelling etc, photos may be quite sexual without causing any trouble. But nudity, or pornographic inference (even if digitally-created), will not be okay. Use common sense when thinking about what Instagram and its diverse audience may find offensive. Nudity in photos of drawings, paintings and sculptures will be acceptable, as will photos of mastectomy scarring and breastfeeding women.

If your business is related to children or you like to share photos of your own family, be mindful of the broad audience that they may be open to. Photos of nude or partially nude children may be removed, even if they seem innocent and are being shared with the best intention. Instagram’s aim here is to ensure that they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Copyright

You can only use images that do not infringe others’ intellectual property rights. If you are posting authentic images created by you or your business (such as your own photos, photoshoots, illustrations, videos, or graphics) then this is not an issue. But if you want to post an image found online, then you must be vigilant. There are millions of high-quality graphics and photos online available for free commercial use. Many websites curate images in the public domain, and you are free to use them in any way. In most cases, you do not have to provide attribution. But check the terms of the site to make sure. If attribution is
required, check what format.

It is best to assume every image you find online is copyrighted – a copyright notice is not legally required as notification of copyright, so the absence of a © or watermark isn’t a sign that no copyright exists. If an image is covered by copyright, the copyright holder may agree to some uses but not others. You must check this before using the image.

If you alter a copyrighted image, it does not relieve you from potential liability. If you repeatedly infringe other people’s intellectual property rights, Instagram will disable your account.

On Instagram, you are liable for what you upload. This means you are legally responsible for copyright violations even if you hire a social media professional who chose and used the offending image. It is important to ask your social media manager where they source their images from. You should contractually ensure that if an image they use is found to violate copyright and you are required to pay, that they will indemnify you.

Music is covered in the same way as images, and you are not allowed to use music that you don’t own the rights to, for any commercial or non-personal use. This includes music in videos uploaded to your feed as well as Instagram lives and IGTV, and can extend to music playing in the background of videos.

Photo via Pexels

What you can legally say

Don't copy any other person's written work in your Instagram posts. This may infringe their copyright.

And don't post unwanted comments, likes or other forms of commercial or harassing communication (spam) to Instagram users. This includes repeatedly contacting people for commercial purposes without their consent.

Further, online cyber bullying is a crime in Australia. You must not threaten, harass, or offend someone, stalk someone, access others’ Instagram accounts without permission or defame someone on Instagram.

How to deal with trolls

A troll is a member of an online community who deliberately tries to disrupt that community by posting inflammatory content.

How should you deal with trolls commenting on your business page?

• Use Instagram’s built-in reporting option. Instagram will quickly remove content that does not meet community guidelines.

• Unfollow or block the person who posted the comment. And delete the trolls’ comment on your post.

• Sometimes ignoring a troll is best. If they are looking for a reaction, they may lose interest when you give them nothing.

• If the troll is a customer with a complaint, take notice and try to help. Humour can be used to effectively engage unhappy customers and turn them into advocates for your business. Acknowledge yet make light of the situation, and apologise for the customer’s experience.

• If the troll is spreading rumours or misinformation, address the issue head-on and retaliate with the truth.

• If the troll points out a mistake, look into it, make the proper corrections and admit that you were wrong.

Instagram has the right to modify or terminate your account for any reason, without notice,
and at any time. So stay the right side of their terms and the law.

Jessica Kerr is the director of Sinclair + May. Jessica set up Sinclair + May with a view to do law differently and make legal services accessible for small businesses. Sinclair + May operate on a fixed fee basis and offer retainer services for their clients. Sinclair + May is a female-led, boutique commercial law firm and work extensively with the creative industry. You can follow Jessica on instagram @thelawyerslunchbox for useful legal tips and see more about Sinclair + May at www.sinclairmay.com.au.

Show off your work: Why your local art gallery needs you

Do you regularly visit your local public art gallery? Studies of the past decade indicate that women are more likely than men to visit art galleries and have formal art training, yet less likely to have their work exhibited or acquired for a public art gallery’s permanent collection. The gender pay gap happens to be larger in the arts than in other industries, too.

Not that I raise such a topic to criticize our male counterparts or create division within our community — quite the opposite, in fact! We are all part of the solution, and the legacies of the past offer us a baseline for launching into new directions.

To be sure, the art gallery arena is certainly changing. These spaces are no longer the domain of gilt-edged oil paintings, marble statues and awkward whispers. Instead, they are evolving into vibrant and inclusive community hubs, particularly in regional areas where they are more likely to meet an even broader variety of the community’s creative and cultural needs.

It’s an exciting time, as renewed interest in the arts and crafts has fostered a growing appreciation for the creative contributions of women, both past and present. More than ever, you will find art galleries filled with textiles, ceramics and fashion sitting comfortably alongside newer media such as digital works and graphic arts — all by an increasingly diverse mix of artists. There is an expanded vision for what a public art gallery can (and should) display.

So, why not get involved and show the world what you make? You do not need to be a full-time professional artist working in traditional media. While opportunities for exhibitions by emerging artists may be greater in regional public art galleries, larger metropolitan institutions should also offer options. This may include display cabinets within the art gallery or CBD areas, opportunities for pop-up creative events and partnership projects with library gallery spaces and community centres. Most public galleries are happy to chat about what they are looking for, the likely timelines and what you’d need you to provide for them.

Some reasons you should consider submitting an exhibition proposal?

• It’s in the interest of public art galleries to exhibit works from broad cross-sections of their communities, and gender balance is important. It’s about more than just what’s being made; it’s also about who is making it and why.

• Visibility is a key factor in career growth.

• It will challenge you to create (or gather) a body of works suitable for display.

• It offers the potential to expand your audience base.

Chaos (detail) 2017, by Liz Payne

If the idea of a dedicated solo exhibition or display in an art gallery doesn’t seem to be a good fit for you, why not try one of these ideas instead?

• Pitch a themed group exhibition to the gallery with like-minded colleagues, or offer an inventive concept of your own choosing, such as a pop-up event within the gallery spaces in conjunction with creative theme days (for example, ‘World Wide Knit in Public Day’).

• Offer to run some talks or workshops that complement their programming.

• Enquire at gallery gift shops about stocking your work for sale.

• Approach a local café or business to exhibit your work.

• Contact councils, shopping centres or commercial real estate agents about ‘borrowing’ space temporarily for curated displays in vacant window frontages (not always possible, but worth enquiring about and great fun).

• Collaborate with another creative to deliver a project that is visual and public-facing, such as a painted mural in a local community garden or other urban area. There may even be grants available to cover material costs.

Always remember: the world needs to see what you have to offer, and you need to be your own biggest fan in promoting it. There are plenty of traditional and unusual opportunities to get yourself out there, meet new people and have some fun along the way. So…what are you waiting for?

Drawing from diverse backgrounds in health, science and the public art gallery sector, Liesl Harvey’s passion lies where the creative industries intersect with business and audience development. She explores a variety of relevant topics and shares inspiration from around the globe via her Instagram account, @thedailyculturepreneur.

Opening image: "Mutual Abstraction" exhibition works by Hannah Fox and Bec Smith. Photo by Martina Gemmola.