The Worst Thing You Can Do As a Creative

Why you need to learn to bet on yourself

I grew up watching Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and How To Marry a Millionaire. My dreams were filled with scenes from the classics and the scent of Chanel perfume.

I basked in the glory of those films. I loved the class that Audrey Hepburn brought, the elegance of Grace Kelly, and the mischief of Elizabeth Taylor. And while Marilyn Monroe was highly publicized for her sexuality, I just found her to be a girl who adored the idea of love and the spotlight.

I didn’t necessarily want to become an actress; I actually wanted to be a writer. I wanted to make movies that displayed the class, elegance, and sexiness that all of these women had to offer. I wanted to be just like them, except I wanted to be the one with the movie starring brilliant actors and actresses.

In our current day and age, internet fame is the new way to get your foot in the door.

It’s definitely not always an honest way of growing your brand; you could simply get lucky one day with a video, photo, or article even. Algorithms work in different ways, and sometimes it just so happens to favor something of yours.

Digital culture has changed drastically over the years, and now anybody who wants to be somebody goes on the internet and does whatever “internet celebrities” do in hopes of hopping on their wave and gaining some sort of traction.

We used to have people like Audrey Hepburn, who was a major icon.

And now, we have people like Kim Kardashian.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Kim, but there’s a pretty huge difference between the two women.

The worst thing you can do as a creative or someone who is looking for fame is to be just like everybody else in our current society.

This is why I’m sharing three ways to show your individuality and why it’ll help you build your brand.

Bet On Yourself

According to Webster, individuality is the quality or character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind.

This means that there is an advantage to no one being anything like you.

Every one of us is different, and it’s up to us to tap into what that individuality is because it’s our competitive advantage.

Whatever it may be that you’re doing — acting, singing, writing, any creative person out there has a bit of a unique methodology.

The problem is a lot of us get influenced by systems and institutions when, in reality, the only thing we should truly be focused on is the work you put into your craft.

Do you want to be the person who breaks systems and creates magic, or do you want to be someone who follows in other people’s footsteps only to have the same mediocre thing over and over again?

When you learn to focus on what makes you unique, and you pursue your dreams, you create an entirely new lane. Whereas, when you set your eyes on being the next Instagram Influencer, you become just like everybody else.

Betting on yourself is like a cheat code in life. The moment you realize that you have a unique edge that no one else has will be your the day you tap into a privilege that millions ignore every day.

The privilege of being yourself and doing things in your own unique way.

If it doesn’t work the way history says it should work, then learn to make a new path.

It’s when you bet on yourself that you’re the happiest and finally fulfilling your true calling.

March To The Beat of Your Own Drum

As a child, all I wanted more than anything else was to fit in. The thing about fitting in though is, you either do or you don’t.

Society and media try so hard to shape us into being clones of one another.

The media dictates what’s hot and what’s not, and the problem is that nobody in that hierarchy has any individuality because they’re all striving so hard to become famous that they end up copying one another and ultimately losing their sense of self.

In the end, everybody is dangling on strings like puppets, with so many outside influences shaping their decisions.

When you learn to stop conforming to social norms and expectations, you reclaim your individuality.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t allow yourself to think that there’s only one specific way of living or achieving something.

Just because everybody you know reached their level of success by doing the same thing, doesn’t mean that you have to as well.

Uniformity isn’t necessary and creating a false identity in order to achieve your dreams will only backfire.

I like to think back on a famous quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” because it makes me feel less alone in a world of people who constantly strive to be someone they’re not in order to achieve something they think will bring them joy.

Learn to be the change.

March to the beat of your own drum and quit trying to conform to who others tell you that you should be.

Speak Your Mind

There’s a subtle sexiness in people who simply don’t give a crap about what other people say or think of them.

They speak their mind despite what anybody else thinks.

It’s a sense of freedom.

These certain individuals have the ability to look someone in the eye, listen to what they have to say, and still maintain their calm composure as they say:

“I understand you feel that way, but I disagree. Either way, I won’t be losing any sleep over this.”

I can’t count the amount of times I’ve felt poorly of myself because of someone else’s opinion. I hated it. I wanted to be free to stand on my own two feet speak my mind. I wanted to stop trying to get in sync with everybody else.

When you want certain people to like you, you hold your thoughts.

When you’re worried about what others will think of you, you soften your stance and bite your tongue.

I’ve always felt less inclined to feel empathy for people who threw their lives away, I disliked feeling that in a sea of ordinary people with average goals, I felt like I wanted more and had even more to offer.

The problem was, I was nervous.

When you decide to color outside of the lines after you’ve been taught to color inside of them your entire life, you get uncomfortable.

When you decide to color with a variety of different colors after you’ve been taught to only use red and blue, you get scared.

The purpose of life can only be understood by challenging the norms and learning to take the road less traveled by in order to leave your individual footsteps in the world.

When you learn to speak your mind and stand up for your beliefs, something cosmic happens.

You gain that same sense of freedom you once admired in others.

Instead of being quiet, you pitch in.

Instead of biting your tongue, you state your opinion without the worry of how others will react.

That freedom allows you to be your true self. And others admire you for it.

You’ll get what you want and be the person who can create, invent, write, sing and make art the way you truly wanted to in the first place.

Bottom Line

The only way you grow and become the person you want to be is by being uncomfortable.

When you learn to tap into your individuality and begin speaking from a place of belief in yourself, regardless of opinion, likability, or approval, freedom is found on the other side.

The freedom to be exactly who you want to be.

Audrey Hepburn was known for her fashion choices and distinctive look. She never changed herself in order to fit any certain category or persona, she remained her classy self all throughout her film career.

She was seen as an alternative feminine in comparison to the curvy and more sexual Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. And, when she was still unknown as a film actor, a young couturier just starting his own fashion house was hired to dress her for an upcoming film, which in turn created a friendship between them and she soon became his muse. That man we now know as Hubert de Givenchy.

Hepburn’s influence as a style icon continued several decades after the height of her acting career in the 1950s and 1960s.

Even in death, her individuality seeps through and inspires many still to this day.

Be the one individual who does the things that others are scared to do. Pursue your dream life your own way. Cave the path to success and create your own story instead of trying to copy others.