You deserve to take up space

Sometimes we need someone to shake us up and get us out of our comfort zone. Being introduced to new ideas and new ways of seeing things is a big part of the Friday Fireside, and this conversation was no exception.

James Victore is an art director, designer, and author known for his bold and unconventional approach to design. He challenges creatives to be authentic, take risks, and embrace their unique voice through his book Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life and his podcast and community at Your Work is a Gift.

This one’s for you if…

• You want to put your work out there but are scared about what other people think

• You struggle with an inner critic that says you’ll fail

• You’re looking for no-nonsense inspiration to take more risks

• You need a reminder that you deserve to take your creativity seriously and to take up space

Watch or listen to this episode

Here are nine takeaways from the conversation:

1. Make your own luck by taking action

James says he got lucky by being an “action guy”. He put his voice out in different forms to generate a response, for example, by channeling his constant drawing into randomly stuck post-it notes, which people still have framed to this day.

2. Find those who resonate by being your true self

When we want to fit in, we often censor ourselves. But by sharing his “dark” sense of humour and the unique way he wanted to say things, James found it resonated with others in a way that being a “professional” didn’t.

3. You might lose people on the way to your best work. And that’s okay

James’s initial book designs were safe, and they paid really well. When he introduced his own sense of style and humour, many clients dropped off - but the new ones propelled him towards his best work.

4. Courage is easier to find in short bursts

Despite appearing very confident, James admits that he’s not always comfortable in his own skin. You don’t need to be brave all the time. An hour, even “20-second spurts”, are enough to serve others through the power of your conviction.

5. Quit trying to be for everyone

We build our audience by having an opinion. James gets lots of unsubscribes and sees them as a good thing as they show he’s “doing his job” of crafting his audience into those who really want to hear from him.

6. Rejection is a test of how much you want something

So often, we seek safety over creativity to avoid being rejected by others. James says, “They will, but so what? That's the purpose. That's their purpose.” He has intentionally chosen a life of authenticity and simplicity over comfort.

7. Schedule time for your creativity

James set his alarm for 4.40 a.m. so that he had time to work before his young children woke up. Commitments take practice and discipline. Schedule the time to pay attention to your creativity so that it has the space to evolve.

8. F*ck that inner critic

When he was writing his book Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life the voices in his head were “f*cking brutal”. We can all battle with a harsh inner voice that tells us we’re no good. By making it conscious, we can ask why it’s “keeping us small” so that it doesn’t “direct our lives”.

9. Remember: you have every right to be here

Many of us struggle with taking up room, and James grew up with a tough father who made him doubt his validity, too. But he passionately believes that nobody should ever question whether they “deserve to take up space”. He’s right. We need you, your voice, and the work only you can do.

James’s work is a provocative call to arms for creatives and all of us who want to make an impact with our work to choose authenticity and self-awareness over comfort.

He doesn’t shy away from how difficult it is to overcome the internal voice that says we can’t make money doing what we love.

So many people in our community, be they artists, coaches, founders, or entrepreneurs, experience the same self-doubts.

It’s the reason why we started Vision 20/20: to encourage and support mid-life entrepreneurs to forge a new path and embrace who they are, their needs, and what really lights them up.

What would you accomplish if you had the courage to be yourself?

Notes

Thanks to James for his time. For more on his work, visit www.yourworkisagift.com

If you’d like to better explore your relationship with being yourself and putting your work out in the world, then we’re now recruiting for the next tribe of our Vision 20/20 program.