22 Comments
Jul 13Liked by Elin Petronella

This was so helpful! I focused on community and people first when I first began, but then got swept up into the toxic “business coaches coaching coaches” world and felt like I had to be aspirational or nobody would pay attention to or buy from me. This shift did not end well. It wasn’t authentically me, it didn’t feel good, and it broke my business. I’m now getting back to the core and am excited to see where it goes. I really appreciate the specific examples you gave of selling your art. I’m a newer reader, but love following along! Thanks for your generous sharing.

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So glad to have you here Suzanne and thank you for sharing your experience ! I’m certain you’re not alone in that, and I’ve especially seen many creatives burn out this way when not finding a middle way as to how to still show up and do what THEY love but to present it in a way that is valuable to others too ✨

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Jul 14Liked by Elin Petronella

Indeed, I burned out really bad. That was a really kind and affirming comment. Thank you ♥️

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💕💕🙏🏼

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Jul 14Liked by Elin Petronella

Wonderful post as usual! This sentence annoyed me, only because I’m not doing that and I probably should 😂

“2. Look at this art piece, it would be so stunning in a living room, adding a splash of colour and texture - and you know what? Spark conversations! How many have art-embroideries on their walls these days? You’d be a one of a kind.”

The proof is in the pudding, you have 1000s of subscribers in less time than I’ve got my 241 in nearly 12 months. Food for thought, thank you 🙏

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You’ve got everything it takes to get there too, it’s all about finding ways to present what you love so that others love it too 🥰 you’ve got this 👊

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I love this advice Elin, of reframing the narrative and empowering your community - given me lots to think about and put into practice. So helpful to see real examples too of what works and what doesn't.

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Thanks Jenna I’m so glad it was helpful 🥰 examples can be such a powerful way to “show easier” than to only explain ✨🙏🏼

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Jul 13Liked by Elin Petronella

What a great post, Elin. So much information, thanks you!

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Yay I’m so glad 🥰

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Jul 16Liked by Elin Petronella

Why do I want to get 1:1 mentoring, when I haven't even started my business (yet) and my salary is exactly 0 dollars per hour? 😅 It shows how good you are at what you do 🙂

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You’re so sweet Polina! Thank you for this loving comment 🙏🏼

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Great post and I love the examples you included too. Thank you for tagging me! Honoured to be included in such an actionable and useful piece of social media advice 👏

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Yay I’m so glad you like it and thanks for the first trigger! It’s how it works - we all empower and support each other for everyone’s benefit 🙏🏼💕

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Jul 14Liked by Elin Petronella

Love this Elin! 🌸

And I’m sure you’re not surprised when I say that this way of inviting people in works in tech sales too! It’s like a human language of connection of sorts?

When I switched from the first to the second example you gave above, things shifted for me when I was in sales a few years ago. And also, in the software world no one sells with images of their kids or super private stuff. Stories work so well when they can imagine what „it“ could do for THEM.

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Exactly this!! It’s the same across the board, i sometimes feel as though “share pics of your life” is a last resort recommendation because they simply don’t know what to share that could be interesting otherwise. An easy guideline is usually: if you find it interesting yourself, chances are great that others do too.

Personally, I’ve never really found pics of myself very inspiring haha though I’ve got some for the purpose of mostly sharing that you can bring your art with you when you’re out and about, which others have told me is inspiring!!

Thanks for your feedback and valuable insights too! xx

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Jul 14Liked by Elin Petronella

Thank you, Elin, This cannot be overemphasized.

When people read my writing - on here, my book - those who respond, 90% of them usually say something like, "This is what this means to me." It's about what they can get from my writing; it's about them. Even those reading this post are doing it to gain insights on how to market their stuff.

People do things for themselves. I know there is all talk about authenticity and sharing, but ultimately, people generally want to know what your life and ways can teach them. All these other things are neither here nor there, and they quickly run out of steam as marketing strategies.

Thanks, as always, for these insights.

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You’re so right Patrick!! Thanks for adding your experience too - it’s really this. And I think the gold is when you find a way to do what you love and simply “position it” or “share it” in a way that makes others love it too, that’s the winning long term combo ✨

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Jul 14Liked by Elin Petronella

Yeah, totally agree. Here, you live your life; you do your thing, and it creates value for others as well.

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It feels like magic sometimes, it’s wonderful ✨

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Yes! All of this, I struggle with this too. Or at least the idea that we should share all these profound personal stories to get people to buy our things. Anne Helen Petersen over at Culture Study did an interview with someone a few months ago, the other person had written a book about ways of dealing with an artist's personal life if it turned out to be problematic and they talked about this bit that stayed with me about how people never even knew anything about an artist beyond if they read an interview or sought out their biography but even then men's interviews and books would talk mostly about their work and women's ones would divulge much more about the artist's personal life. So why do we feel the need to share all the personal things rather than focus on our skills, abilities and work? *that's a rhetorical question of course 😉*

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Great tips here! And definitely so true! I learned this the hard way when my first blog years ago failed -- it was very "copy me," and much less "look at these things that can be valuable in your life." Focusing on the *connection point* between you and your readers is definitely the way to success.

Restarting on Substack now with a VERY different mindset than before. It feels better to me, and my bet is is that it will also feel better to my readers.

Thanks for the great piece of wisdom!

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