I AM TERRIFIED.
Terrified of standing up. Afraid of being judged I guess. Afraid of being found out for being a fraud (which I am not of course, but always feel like I am). Afraid to raise my profile as a writer and producer; what if my work is shit???!!!
So, time and time again I hear creatives reject big (and small) events and opportunities. During my career in the creative industry I have often heard the following:
A. I don’t need to go because I am a writer, I write, that’s it.
B. I don’t want to go, all that schmoozing isn’t my thing.
C. I’m too scared, I don’t do all that ‘being out there’
D. It’s too far and I can’t be bothered.
E. Why should I have to pay for a ticket?!
F. I didn’t win, I don’t want to go.
These are my answers to those complaints:
A. Yes, you write and you owe it to your writing to raise your profile and get out there.
B. Schmoozing, kissing arse whatever you choose to call it, is part of your success. The name you give it is simply the resistance in your head. It is about building relationships.
C. Facing your fears is part of your success as a writer/creative. Writing is very often the easy part. Getting out there takes courage.
D. Is the work you have put into your creative baby not worth the effort to travel and celebrate your success? Unless you live in London, potentially all events will be too far away from home. These are things you need to evaluate. Making the commitment and effort could be life changing. You never know who you could meet.
E. Good question. In an ideal world the tickets would be free, especially to the winners. The reality for many creative projects is that they run at a loss and they are often funded by the more successful projects within the company. So please don’t assume that companies are money grabbing.
F. Fair enough, but did you submit a story? Did you nearly make it? Or did you consider submitting? Come and celebrate that! Again, you never know who you could meet. It could inspire you beyond words.
Come to the party. Come and join in the fun and see where it takes you.
Tickets HERE
Without you, the writers, we are nothing.
Without your courage and creativity, we are nothing.
Without your dreams and goals, we are nothing.
And without each other, we are nothing.
Creativity can be achieved in solitude for sure, but together we are powerful. We all embarked on this project together and I have learnt a huge amount from each and every one of you, so come, come and introduce yourself, let’s drink, schmooze and let’s see what magic we can create in the future.
See you on the red carpet!
Cristina
Twisted50 Founder