This post is based on a real-life session with a client. It offers some matter-of-fact insights on how to deal with sticky situations with collaborators and peers during the creative process.
It's a follow-up to a more personal account on the artists struggle with being and feeling 'seen', which you can read here.
Main Topics
- Dealing with Labels and Perceptions
Embracing the risk of being labeled as arrogant or egoistic is part of staying true to one's artistic vision. It's important not to let fear of labels hinder passionate expression or creative decision-making. Checking in with oneself helps ensure that actions align with artistic vision rather than defensive reactions.
- Communication Struggles and Artistic Differences
Working with collaborators can lead to artistic differences, causing communication struggles. Feeling unseen and unheard in such an environment can result in a loss of objectivity. Choosing the right collaborators and creating a safe, supportive environment is crucial to maintaining objectivity.
When facing communication struggles and feeling unseen by collaborators, we risk losing objectivity. So it's crucial to choose supportive collaborators and manage the risk of being labeled 'arrogant' by staying true to your artistic vision and aligning with your creative goals.
Choosing the right collaborators... where we feel safe... is probably priority one.
Session Excerpt:
I'm guessing what you're struggling with is communication and not being seen by your collaborator.
(Yes, absolutely!)
That's a tricky situation - it's a classic!
You might be:
- Working with a team.
- Co-writing with someone.
- Working with a producer.
And then, all of a sudden you have artistic differences.
And no one really knows who makes the final artistic call.
---
What happens when we're in an environment where we constantly feel unseen and unheard, is that we start losing objectivity.
Which is why, choosing the right collaborators and choosing an environment where we feel safe and seen is probably priority one!
If not, our objectivity, our skill sets start taking a hit.
---
If you want to be passionate about getting your voice out there, you cannot be in fear. . .
The first thing I'm going to say is: get used to being comfortable labeled 'arrogant' or 'egoistic'.
Because if you want to be passionate and serious about getting your voice out there, you cannot be in fear of being labeled something by someone else. It's easier said than done, but the trick here is to remember that someone calling you arrogant doesn't axtually make you arrogant.
And you also have to allow that freedom to others to label you whatever they want because either way they're going to do it.
---
Be true to your artistic vision... make peace with the risk... by being labeled something unpleasant.
The irony of it all is you could give in, or agree with all of your collaborator's suggestions, and still be called arrogant. Between that, and being true to your artistic vision, I suggest be true to your artistic vision and make peace with the risk you're taking, by being labeled something unpleasant, if that's the collateral damage.
That's what I'm going to start off with.
That being said, that's not a license to actually be arrogant!
So always check in with yourself to make sure that you are doing what you are because it's in alignment to your artistic vision. And not because you're falling for that trap where someone challenging your view automatically makes you defensive.
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