For this installment of 5 Questions, I chatted with Robert Hanna. Robert is currently producing & directing a Documentary Series called “WHY.”
“WHY” is a documentary series with a focus on People who are inspired & dedicated to pursue a particular calling in their Life.
What is your number one tip to creators (new and old) on how to best market themselves in today’s world?
These days it’s real easy to get ahead of ourselves in thinking about how we can use all these different “social tools” to reach people, but at the end of the day, the true catalyst is the art itself. If you have something worthwhile to say, have created something helpful to others, have created something that brings people real joy, or inspires them to think differently about something, see it through first.
Do it thoroughly and create your piece with presentation in mind. See “where and how” you are going to present your creation as inseparable from the process. Give your presentation the same creative energy and respect as you gave to the piece itself. If you can accomplish this, you’ve already done the heavy lifting of marketing.
Robert Hanna in his natural habitat.
Why is marketing yourself, aka the business of creating, so important for creators to learn and embrace?
Because it forces you to consider context. Marketing is essentially the presentation of your creation. When you try to see your creation in the context of presentation from the beginning, it challenges your intention & skill in a healthy way. It provides you with the opportunity to get to learn and know your piece better. A piece that is presented and framed well will naturally resonate with more people or at a higher rate, which is essentially a process that “marketing” is trying to replicate or bolster.
What do you like best about being a creator?
When I am creating, I am the most natural, excitable, peaceful, inspired, happy version of myself. I like who I am.
What do you like least about being a creator?
How vulnerable to fear we become. Especially when you go all-in on yourself. Doubt can creep in…”Is this worthwhile?” ” “Should I be doing the dishes right now?” “Should I be pursuing money?” This thinking is destructive to the process and totally normal. It is particularly amplified when being a creator is your “job”, which can seem to be totally paralyzing. But this is just another inseparable part of the process. If you can get to a place of being able to move forward regardless of how comfortable or “secure” you feel, these types of thoughts start to diminish. Fighting this battle is integral to growth.
Who (or what type of art) inspires you most and why?
It’s people getting up every day and getting at it – regardless of circumstance. It’s the pieces, in any medium, that clearly have layers and layers of mind, will and emotion baked into them. It’s the pieces that when you really start to dig deep, you realize that this was not a transactional endeavor.
This did not come about for the sake of “look at me”. When the effort and intention transcend all that the systems of this world can make sense of. When your effort is clearly in the service of beauty, inherently in the service of people, and ultimately in the service of God. These things are most inspirational to me.
Check out a preview of “WHY” below, and see more at the website!
Washington Transcription Services 