Be Your Own Biggest Fan (an open letter to the artist)
This is a letter to my past self and anyone who’s listening. Here’s the takeaway: love your shit.
As an artist, it's the ultimate expression of self love and creative self care. Because all my bouts in self doubt only made things worse. So now, I am my own biggest fan.
And things have gotten easier (go figure).
I love my music, my blogs, my words, ideas and videos — it’s all a reflection of me, a version of me stamped in time.
And it’ll never be perfect.
But that was never the point.
Because what an odd thing to strive for.
I listen to my own music. I watch my own videos. And I read my own articles. This is healthy, and sort of fun. It’s strategic too (like research). But really, it’s just a guilty pleasure.
So let’s dig deeper into this whole thing.
Let's do this.
Love Your Stuff (here’s why)
Intuitively, you know it’s important to like your own art, music or whatever craft you’re making. But why?
I can think of a few standout reasons:
You enjoy making art more — which helps you make more art
Become more motivated
Stand out with more confidence
Infuse more authenticity into your work
Lessen perfectionism
Process negativity better
Avoid comparison culture more effectively
Get rid of “needy” energy or a desire for validation
Support a better mindset and mental health
Create for the sake of art — not for the metrics, etcetera
Be happier — a happy artist is a more creative one
8 Tips to Be Your Biggest Fan
1. Find the Cause – Become Self Aware
Why don’t you love your craft? What about your music or art makes you dissatisfied and why?
In my super humble (unqualified) opinion, self awareness is the first step to understanding our habits, beliefs, etc.
So, what are the causes for not liking your stuff?
It could be childhood trauma or a past experience or some other seemingly unrelated context. It could be complex or it could be simple.
But shining a light on those reasons will bring them to the surface. From there, you can unpack, examine, and work towards overcoming them.
Of course, this is a bit reductionist and broad. Understanding individual behavior and overcoming limiting beliefs needs more than just a few paragraphs to fully address. But start the journey.
As someone once said, know thyself. Self awareness as an artist is your foundation.
Why do you think, feel and believe the way you do about your creations?
Be on the lookout for creative baggage that doesn’t serve you.
2. Create for You (not your audience)
“Stop creating for your audience, and start creating for you.”
Rick Rubin (of The Creative Act) talks about this idea. And I think it’s great advice — it just feels a little counterintuitive.
Creating for you is the most authentic and genuine form of creativity. And by putting yourself first, you create better work that you’re happier about (well, that’s the idea at least).
By prioritizing this creative happiness, you’re actually better serving your audience. Creating for you boosts the authenticity of your work, which perpetuates the very reason people followed you in the first place.
By serving your creative self first, you’re actually serving your audience best.
When it comes to becoming your own biggest fan, start and end with this idea in mind.
And of course, love and appreciate and listen to your audience too. Just don’t forget to appreciate yourself first.
Explore more:
➤ 8 Tips for Intuitive Songwriting
3. Know Your Quirks — Own Your Quirks
The thing(s) you don’t like about your craft could very well be the thing(s) that make you stand out.
Your quirks are your authenticity. Your umami — the je ne sais quoi that no one else can replicate. Knowing them is step one and helps create better stuff (IMO).
Step two is owning them (i.e., loving them, leaning into those nuances). This is where you start to become your own biggest fan. You see your quirks and differences in a positive light.
Your quirks are your superpower. So you should probably let them play and be their biggest fan.
When I remember this (and shift my mindset to believe it as so), I feel more artistically stoked about my stuff. I can fully embody the nuance that is me.
Nice.
Explore more:
➤ Embrace Your Weirdness
4. Address the Ego In the Room
Attaching quality-based metrics or emotions to art is an ego-driven thing.
Art, creativity, music, whatever — it is not good or bad. It just is.
Someone in the world hates the Beatles. Another is confused by Warhol. And countless artists who shaped modern life will never be known.
Quality is subjective. It’s individual, nuanced and ego-based. And it infiltrates the creative process of artists worldwide. Metrics make us feel big, but only for a moment.
But what’s more sustainable? Loving your own stuff — being your own fan.
So I say, spot your creative ego and let it go.
Detach from expectations, quality, goals, praise, fear and any external context that influences your flow. I know, easier said than done.
But step one is awareness. And then practice. Eventually, you get better.
Address the ego in the room and let yourself love what you’re making.
If you want more, Leah.Creative wrote an awesome post diving deeper into this creative ego topic.
*Note: I’m not saying get rid of your ego. It’s a part of who you are and what makes you human. What I am saying is become aware of it and befriend it — use it to your advantage.
5. Don’t (always) Share
This is both good and bad advice. On the one hand, share your art damnit! The world — nay, someone — needs it.
On the other hand, it’s tough. I get it. Even friends and family don’t seem to care or support you like you thought they would.
This snowballs into frustration, self doubt and artistic…oh I don’t know, let’s call it artistic ennui.
But when you occasionally keep your work private, you don’t get wrapped up in the modern clutter of social media, metrics, etcetera.
It’s easier to not judge yourself and your creations so hard. It’s easier to become your own fan again.
But my advice is to strike a balance. Share your stuff, but don’t feel like you have to either.
When you find yourself slipping into negativity and too much self-critique, step away and stop sharing so much. Take a break and disappear. Hustle be damned.
But just remember to come back. Quitting isn’t the answer (that leads to regret).
6. Break Up With Your Metrics
It’s time to pack up and say goodbye to your social media metrics. They’re a bit passive aggressive and they don’t always treat you like you deserve to be treated.
But I think you can still be friends.
Analytics and data can be helpful for artistic growth, branding and clarity. But they’re destructive for the creative process.
They have this uncanny ability to take something beautiful (something you were incredibly proud of) and make you doubt it.
Because it didn’t “perform” well, or it wasn’t packaged pretty enough, or you didn’t post at the right time, or the algorithm just didn’t find the right audience. Who knows why…
Either way, what a dikc.
The metrics mustn’t decide your happiness and sense of artistic self worth. Take back control of this one.
7. Celebrate Daily — Live In the Nano
“Success and happiness live in the micro and the nano (not the macro).”
When we focus on some long-term, macro goal, we’re stuck in waiting, in separation. We’re waiting for happiness, success and loving what we make. But when we focus on celebrating the small wins along the way, we live in the now.
It’s easier to appreciate and love what you’re making because it’s a small celebration. You see your creations for what they truly are — stepping stones and foundations that lead to a larger macro moment.
If you don’t celebrate the small wins, you’ll miss the big ones. Because the big moments are rarely a single point in time. They’re often missed because you don’t celebrate the path leading up to them.
For example, my first big goal for my other blog was 5,000 monthly readers. But I hardly noticed when that happened. Partly because I was so focused on reaching the next checkpoint of 10,000 readers (then 15,000, and so on).
I missed the macro moments and ultimately wasn’t fulfilled with what I had achieved, because I constantly wanted more. Once you get closer to the tall peaks, your focus moves to the next tallest one.
Don’t make your success a carrot on a stick. Be present.
Feeling genuinely successful and deeply proud of yourself on a daily basis is a great way to actually like your art and become your own biggest fan.
So, love the nano. Live in the nano.
8. Let Go, Or Be Dragged
This last tip is a bit trite. So I’ll keep things brief.
Let go of judgment on yourself.
Put another way, don’t be so hard on yourself and your art. And don’t forget the other part of this truth.
Let go of judgment on others too.
Judging others is low artistic energy and seeps into your psyche. What you project onto others, you project onto yourself.
Judgment (inward or outward) is a limitation we assign to art and creativity.
And it’s hard to love your stuff with limitations attached to them.
Focus on what you did “right” more than what you did “wrong”. When you feel guilty or bad or embarrassed, don’t suppress it. Instead, recognize it and embrace it. Then transmute it into better, more powerful and creative energy.
Don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t judge other artists.
But also, don’t be upset with your target audience for not supporting your work enough. Be patient with them. They’ll come around eventually.
Rather than waiting for outside validation, start loving your own shit, unconditionally.
You’re an artist no matter who or who doesn’t follow you. You cannot escape your fate.
Love it all.
Later ✌️
Being your own biggest fan is the ultimate form of self care for artists. But sometimes, it’s hard.
Things like expectations, past experiences, fear and social nuance get in the way. But the more I embrace my authenticity and weirdness, the happier, more creative and more stoked I become.
So I shared those thoughts here today.
From keeping some things private to celebrating your daily wins, becoming your own fan starts with awareness and intention. Then, practice.
Finally, don’t judge yourself or others. Go easy on your art.
Consume your own content, listen to your own music, hang your own artwork. Become stoked on yourself — with or without anyone else.
There is no destination, only this moment.
So love it.
