As an actor, I’m represented by an agent. This agent helps me get auditions, negotiate contracts, and many other things. In one of my first initial meetings with the agency I ended up signing with, they said something that caught me off guard.

“Our goal is to make you famous,” they said.

This may be exactly what you would imagine an agent would want, to have big name, celebrity clients. But as a twenty one year old just out of college, I was more interested in an agency that would get me consistent work doing the type of theatre that I wanted to do. I honestly didn’t care about fame, and I had thought this agency had the same mentality. I had heard and seen that their clients were doing great acting work all over the country. Even though they weren’t household names, they were living the dream by making their living as actors. That’s all I wanted. So why were they all of a sudden talking about making me famous?

“We don’t really care is Lisa Marie in Hoedunk, Kansas knows your name,” they continued, “We want to make sure that every director and casting director in town not only knows your name, but is a fan of your work. Our goal is to make you famous among the right people.”

To me, this is the goal of every artist, business, actor, or engineer. Too often we believe the lie that it is the number of fans or the number of followers that dictates our fame, and therefore our influence in the world. The reality though, is it’s not about numbers. It’s about becoming famous, gaining fans, and building trust among the select few that will catapult you in your business or industry. 

For there actor in New York, you can have hundreds of screaming fans at the stage door each night. But if you aren’t famous among the likes of Jim Carnahan, Tara Rubin, and Bernie Telsey, you might not be an actor in New York for very long. Actors are most successful when they are famous among casting directors.

Most of us don’t know who Neil Gaiman is. Unless, of course, you read graphic novels. In which case, Neil Gaiman, the author of the prolific Sandman series, is probably considered a huge celebrity in your eyes. Do you think Gaiman cares whether the suburban mother of three knows his name or not? Not unless she, or kids, really like comics. Writers are most successful when they are famous among their target audience.

Do you think that H2Odyssey cares if Oprah Winfrey loves their brand? My guess is, probably not. Unless Oprah has recently become a scuba diving fanatic. Businesses are most profitable when they are most famous among their target customers.

It’s not about reaching the most people, it’s about reaching the right people. 

Receiving feedback should be treated the same way as catching a water balloon.

When a balloon is tossed my way on a hot summer's day, I usually do my best to catch it first and examine it's contents before breaking it over my head. If I blindly trust every balloon that is thrown our way, and throw open our chest screaming, "Hit me," I will undoubtably end up covered in chocolate sauce, shampoo, or some other none H2O concoction from time to time.

Before we allow feedback to hit us in the chest, thus affecting us in a deep way, we must do our best to catch it first and examine the contents. We can't always choose what we hear. We can choose what we listen to, what we let into our hearts and affect the way we live. If the contents or the feedback are useful or helpful(water), then let it into your heart. If they are not(chocolate), then toss the feedback off to the side.

But what if the balloon is not tossed so gently? What if the feedback is aggressively chucked in the direction of your skull? The answer is simple, dodge. Not only is it important to examine the contents, we must also examine the thrower. Anyone who throws feedback, or a water balloon, your way with such inconsiderate force probably does not have your best interests in mind, and should be avoided altogether.

When receiving feedback on your next project, don't believe the lie that any feedback is good feedback. Examine the contents, examine the thrower, and then decide what should be implemented and what should be smashed on the ground next to your feet.

If you were to meet a farmer who expected to harvest a full, healthy crop every single day, you’s laugh that person right off his tractor. Such an expectation would be completely ridiculous. Everybody, and especially every farmer, knows that the harvest only comes in a certain season, and it will never come if one does not take the time to plant the seeds and tend to the crops. In fact, out of the twelve months in a year, the harvest generally occurs over a maximum of two months. That’s less than 20% of the work year. That means that 80% of the farmer’s time is spent plowing, planting, and preparing for the harvest. The harvest only comes in when all the prep work is done effectively. Their job is to farm, not to harvest.

Why should our creative work be any different? Most of us believe in the false notion that we can live in a constant state of harvest, always reaping the benefits of popular work. The reality though, is the harvest is only a short season. And without the hard work of honing and refining our craft or product, it won’t be a very profitable one.

Harvesting is not the farmer’s main job. Farming is. Harvesting is the short-lived, but satisfying reward of farming well done.