Many artists, entrepreneurs, and freelancers will tell you the same thing:
They love making the work. But marketing it, promoting it? That feels… gross.
It feels self-serving. It feels like begging for attention. It feels like an entirely different job—one they never signed up for.
So, they do what lots of creators do:
- They post about their work once and hope the right people magically find it.
- They tell themselves, “If it’s good enough, people will spread it for me.”
- They wait. And wait. And wonder why no one is paying attention.
- They hide, by telling themselves the work is private–just for their own personal satisfaction. Art for art’s sake.
But here’s an uncomfortable truth:
If you offered a way for an artist to support themselves, by building something that allows them to keep doing their work, while paying their bills–many would take you up on that offer.
But if you don’t engage with sharing and marketing your work, on some level, that offer never gets put on the table to even consider.
And the real reason you’re avoiding it? It’s not because marketing is sleazy. It’s because you haven’t reframed what it actually is.
Marketing Is Not Separate from Your Work—It Is the Work
Here’s where most creators get it wrong:
They think marketing is something they do after the work is done. A necessary evil. A transactional push to get people to notice them.
But the best artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators don’t see marketing this way.
They see it as an extension of their craft—just as creative, just as vital, just as essential as the thing they made in the first place.
- Writers don’t just write books—they shape the conversations around them.
- Musicians don’t just release songs—they cultivate community, and social movements around their music.
- Entrepreneurs don’t just build products—they create belief in the promise of what they’re offering to the world
Marketing isn’t a departure from your art. It’s the art of how your work travels, and spreads.
And if you see it as an afterthought, or something of little to now value, so will everyone else.
The Real Reason Promotion Is Hard
There’s a reason most creators resist promoting their work. It’s not laziness. It’s not even lack of time.
It’s fear.
- Fear of rejection. What if people don’t like it?
- Fear of self-indulgence. Who am I to ask for attention?
- Fear of being judged. Because once you put yourself out there, you can’t hide anymore.
Promoting your work requires the same vulnerability as creating it.
And that’s why it’s so hard.
But what if you approached it differently?
Promote with the Same Energy You Use To Create
The best creators don’t market their work as an obligation.
They infuse their marketing with the same curiosity, playfulness, and persistence they bring to their craft.
- David Bowie didn’t just write music—he invented personas to bring his songs to life.
- Banksy doesn’t just paint—he turns his work into global spectacles.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t just write Hamilton—he built an entire cultural movement around experiencing the show.
They didn’t separate the art from the sharing of the art.
They made the sharing part of the art itself.
So, what would it look like if you did the same?
Marketing As An Act Of Service
Here’s the shift: Stop “announcing” your work. Start telling stories about it.
Try this instead:
✅ Share the process, not just the result.
People connect more with how something is made than just the finished product. Show your sketches, your struggles, your behind-the-scenes moments.
✅ Talk about why you made it.
Your why is what draws people in. What problem were you trying to solve? What inspired this? What do you hope people take away from it?
✅ Involve your audience.
Ask them questions. Get their feedback. Let them in on the journey. People support what they feel part of.
✅ Be consistent.
Showing up again, and again, and again builds trust. It’s hard to do. Your brand is a shortcut–a promise of what your audience can expect from you. Setting expectations requires time, and consistently delivering on what you’ve promised.
Be Brave
If marketing feels unnatural, it’s because you’re thinking about it the wrong way.
It’s not about “pushing” your work onto people.
It’s about pulling them into the story behind it.
The more you embrace that, the more you’ll realize:
You don’t have to force people to care. You just have to invite them in.
And that—done right—feels a whole lot less like selling.
And a whole lot more like art.
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