Reinventing ourselves is necessary. Especially when we are talking about our brand, our business and our work. But here's the thing. I fear failure. And, yes, I know everybody does. But it limits me. And not how you would think. For me, the fear of failure was a cozy little blanket. It became a comforting thing. It was something I used to create an environment where failure was impossible. If I didn’t push too hard, and skated by, people would like what I did and I would experience some moderate success. But today, fear is a growth tool for me. The idea that I am creating things that people like is a raging alarm constantly going off in my head. It means that I could fall back into a comfortable cycle of creating the same things over and over again that everybody is happy with and wants to “like”. I want my clients to love the work I give them. But I don’t want to do the same things over and over again. I want to push in and fight for growth.
If every year I evaluate the brand to make sure we aren’t dating ourselves, why not evaluate my work? My work, and what I produce is every bit a part of the brand and is a direct extension of me and my personality. And you can absolutely produce work that becomes dated. If you think I am kidding look at your work from 5 years ago and compare it today. Yes you should have grown in your technique, and style. But is it similar? Are you doing the same things you were then? When was the last time you showed up to a shoot and forced yourself to do something differently? Have you truly evaluated your work for what it is? Maybe you can’t. Maybe you need someone’s objective opinion. I am telling you that you do. I know I do. We all do. The future success of what we do depends solely on our ability to push beyond the everyday norm of our work. Even if it means surrendering any level of comfort or security you may have in what you create.