Within the art and design industry, people commission and come back to those who are popular, trusted, and those who have excellent work. Clients want these people to make themselves and their company look as good as possible.

But how can this benefit us and our work, and make us better artists and designers? How can you make a name for yourself and why is this so important within the creative field? I’m going to be running through a few steps to help you creating a positive name for yourself, which can really benefit you, your work and your brand.

So Why Is This Important?

Existing and potential clients commission others because of their work and portfolio, and because they can do a good job for them. Making a name for yourself is like gold dust, as people start to chat about you to friends, share your content, and pass on your details to other potential clients.

With some work and making sure you keep you and your brand in a good positive light, you can make a name for yourself. Within the Fine Art industry for example, people are more likely to buy a original painting by Damien Hurst, than an amateur painter who you hardly know at the same price, just so you can tell others that you have a Damien Hurst original painting. This is all well and good, but how can you achieve this within your business and creative adventures? Well firstly it’s through making valuable relations with others.

Connections

Through offline and online, make sure you build valuable friendships with others. Talk to others, discuss with them, get to know them for who they are. People are more likely to remember you and commission you if they know you personally, and help you succeed. Instead of trying to eliminate your competitors, and raising their profile while doing it, talk and get to know them as well, as your in it altogether. As you start to build these relationships with people, others will be intrigued to see what you’re up to on a day-to-day basis, and make you more popular in the long haul.

Be Reliable

Within the freelance field especially, it’s extremely important that you are reliable and trustworthy. You can make a strong statement of yourself if you get work in on time, have a great service, and are friendly and passionate while doing it. Clients will come back to you time and time again, and these people will talk to others about you, and express how good you are, in terms of the work which you produce, and how reliable you are too.

If your not reliable however, you will get a name for yourself, but in a negative way, as people tend to remember those who are not reliable. As clients and art commissions is all to do with trust, make sure you build up your ethos as someone who gets work in on time, who clients can turn to if are in case of emergency.

You Work And Portfolio

Even though all the other pointers are crucial in getting a name for yourself, your work and portfolio is one aspect which you should be always improving and refining. Creatives get noticed and remembered for their work, and get commissioned if they are constantly producing work, who are seen as hardworking and pro active.

What areas of your work can you improve, and make you jump to the next level? Keep asking yourself these questions, so your not always stuck in your comfort zone, so challenge and experiment with different ways of working, medias, and ways you present yourself and your work.

Be Unique

Someone who has copied someone else’s success and work is going to have a negative effect on themselves. Even though it’s hard to be unique nowadays, try and be yourself and produce the things which you want to produce, in the way you want to. Try and focus on your own work, and how you can become more successful, without looking to others to copy or mimic.

It’s great to look at others work for inspiration for your next project, I do this all the time, but do it in the way you work. If you like James Jean’s paintings, let this motivate you in becoming as good as him.

Key Summary Of Points

• Clients come back to those who are popular, trustworthy and have great work
• Talk to others, and make connections. Talk to your competitors as well
• Get work in on time and be reliable
• Always try and improve you and your services
• Be unique in the way you do things which makes you stand out form the crowd – in a positive way

What makes you stand out from the crowd?

I’ll love to hear from you on this topic, so be sure to comment below if you have any questions or queries, or just want to say hello. Be sure to check us out on Twitter and Facebook too. Thanks very much for listening today, and have a great day!