“Why You Should Never…” February 2009

(Editors Note) “Why You Should Never..” is a new monthly column written by the talented Belkis of BelkisNYC.com. Each month Belkis will provide readers with a look at marketing comic books and art through a personal experience point of view, providing a valuable resource for anyone eager to have their creative work noticed. I now present you with…

“Why You Should Never…” February 2009
by Belkis, Columnist

You should never treat your friends like they aren’t professionals. As independent artists, you all run to your friends first for support and feedback. After all, they know you and would most likely be interested in your endeavors because they care about you. This is true. However, I have seen my fair share of people becoming snobs to their friends.

Don’t ignore your friend’s opinion or suggestion. If anything, you should value them more than anything else. In fact, I bet you that your friend knows a few things that you didn’t know and may enlighten you with some great ideas or better direction.

I once was asked, “How can I promote my show?” So I told him of a few changes that he needs to do that will boost his level of listeners. He never took my advice and his show never really took off after that. Now, I’m not saying that if he had taken my suggestions, it would make or break him. Not at all. I simply gave him my point of view as a person who was in the marketing business. That alone should have struck a chord for him. But it didn’t and that’s because he didn’t see me as a professional in the industry. Instead, he saw me as just a friend with an opinion. That’s it.

Now, let’s say I had an illustration and wasn’t sure about the colors. I would ask my friend, who happens to be a professional colorist, for his opinion. He gives it to me. Now what? Do I take his suggestions into consideration? If not, why not? It would be foolish of me not to work off his comments because he knows valuable information that I do not know. He sees it in ways that I wouldn’t. I would make changes according to a person who specializes in this area, someone who I happen to consider as my friend.

You do the same. Treat your friends like the professionals they are. Someone out there always has more knowledge about a certain area of expertise than you. Value their skills and show your friends that you appreciate them. If not, you will not go very far.

Belkis
http://belkisnyc.com/
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