158: Mastering the Art of the Pitch: Building the Confidence to Reach Out

One of the most difficult things to do as an artist or a designer is to show your work, let alone pitch it to a company and see what they think. So today we're going to focus on how you can master the art of pitching your work. But the tips and strategies that I'm going to share with you can really apply to any career, any business, or even your own personal life. Because we all have to overcome some type of fear when it comes to putting ourselves out there and feeling really vulnerable.

I'm Bonnie Christine and this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing

the most creative and impactful work of my life. But when I first set out to

become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and

experience the same success.

I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.

So many of us as creatives struggle with self doubt and the fear of rejection, especially when we're showing our work or pitching it. This fear can hold us back from reaching our full potential and also from finding and locking in some amazing opportunities. So today's episode is for anyone who struggles with confidence and being bold in their creative career. And so by the end of this episode, I want you to walk away just knowing that no matter your personality or your place in life, you can confidently reach out and pitch your work and go for a big goal or dream that you have in mind and take the first step towards achieving something that seems impossible. We're going to cover some strategies that I've used over the years to go from feeling uncomfortable and honestly just terrified to feeling confident. Now on the business side, I've had to work up the courage to reach out to business mentors and connections who seemed out of my reach. And so many of these connections that I was brave enough to make have turned into some of the most beautiful friendships and relationships that have also just significantly impacted my business growth. And I wouldn't be where I am today if I had stayed safe and never put myself out there. So what is it that's holding you back from having the confidence to reach out. This can be so many things, maybe past failures or maybe just the fear of failure. This can be vulnerability. You know, this is a tough one for me. I learned in the past five years that it's vulnerability that I'm so uncomfortable with. And so I've had to do a lot of work in getting more comfortable with being vulnerable. And maybe it's never feeling like your work is done right, so it's never quite good enough. If you could just tinker with something to death, like until it's just tweaked and tweaked and tweaked, it's probably because we're feeling like it's just never good enough. And then of course, fear of rejection or just like that feedback. The feedback or the criticism that could come can also be terrifying. So this is all really normal. But if you can see it as part of the process and actually the good that can come out of every single one of these points, it's going to reduce its power over you. So I want to share several strategies and mindset shifts that I've used over the years and still use today to build the confidence to show my work. The first is to be prepared. And the only way to build confidence is to tell yourself that you are going to do something and then go do it. The more prepared you are, the more confident you'll be going into any situation. So when I think about pitching your work, being prepared means understanding the industry that you're going to focus on and then keep that in mind as you finalize the work that you're going to show them. The second one is to develop a list of maybe 15 to 20 companies that you think are a great fit for your brand and your vision and then gather as much information about them as possible. What I like to do is pitch in tears. So let's say you have 20 companies and naturally some of them are going to be like your dream come true. Companies like you have made it if you sign a licensing contract with this company, right? And so naturally you're going to have some that are still incredible, but they may not be like the end all, you know, dream come true, but still really good fits and really solid companies to work with. And then I think naturally you'll also have what I call like a third tier company, which still a great fit, still would be someone you'd be really proud to work with, but the opportunity is just smaller. Maybe it's a smaller production, maybe it's a local store or Something like that. So I like to pitch in tiers because if you think about it, your top tier, your first tier companies, they're also going to be the busiest, which means that they're going to take the longest to respond. And what you want to avoid is pitching to, let's say, all 20 at the same time. And your second and third tier companies getting back to you really quickly and saying, hey, we want you and you feeling like, oh, but I really want to wait to hear back from my top tier company puts you in an awkward spot. So I would pitch in tiers, pitch to your top tier first, work all of those through. And if they, they are, if there are none that you're going to move forward with, you'll move to your second tier and then finally to your third tier. So that's how I love to do it. Number three is to really work your portfolio with your best work and the pieces that you're so proud of and that also kind of match the company or the industry that you're approaching. I also think that you should only include work in your portfolio that you want to continue doing to do more work. Similar to, for instance, when we create work, there's something inside of us that there are babies and so we want to include them. Like if I've designed it, I want it in my portfolio because what if they love it? And technically it is available, right? But if you put work in your portfolio that doesn't really represent the direction that you want to go in anymore, then you're at risk of getting signed up to just do more and more art in the direction that you don't want to go in anymore. So be willing to kill your darlings. Be willing to kind of archive them or put them in maybe a catalog situation as available, but maybe not your best work or the work that you want to do more of. Then I would develop a routine. So make pitching your work just a normal part of your routine rather than this big event that you build up in your mind. And so maybe you pitch to five companies a week, or maybe you pitch to 10 companies in the first week of every month or something like that. Just make it a part of your process and know that it's always there. So, you know, I've got to talk to you about this resource that we have right now. It makes all of this so much easier. So as we dive into this, I want to share with you about our ultimate licensing handbook. We've been working on it for months and months and months, and we are so Excited to bring it to the public, to you. Now. This project has been a labor of love and it's been designed to do the heavy lifting of all of this for you, of researching, of finding art licensing partners. It's a task that is the most difficult and the most overwhelming part for artists and designers. And so we looked at the biggest pain point that our audience has and thought, how can we fix that? How can we help that? So we've done all the heavy lifting for you. This handbook is designed to help you navigate the world of art licensing. It is packed with over 400 meticulously handpicked licensing partners that span across 14 different industries. And that's not all. It also has tons of exclusive resources and best kept secrets and pitch templates that make reaching out so much easier. So to put this into perspective, based on the work that we've done, we're estimating that this handbook will save you 463 hours. My friends, that is 11 and a half weeks of full time work. And we've done it all for you. And so it's only $49 until August 20th. So my question to you is just how much is your time worth? My friends, I want you to get your hands on this handbook. We're offering it that super special introductory price again until August 20th. So after that, it's going to go to regular pricing, which is 197, which is honestly still an incredible deal. And our whole goal is to make this almost just incredibly affordable. I mean, my team thinks I'm crazy for even doing the introductory price, but we understand that this is the hardest part and I want to ease that pain point. I want you to get the resources that you need and I want to get them into as many hands as possible. And so we want to make it a no brainer, an easy tool to add to your tool belt. And you can go get your copy@bonniecristine.com handbook. It is an essential companion to your path as a licensing artist to. So go grab it again. It's bonniecristine.com handbook. Okay, so let's get back to our steps. Number five is to learn from rejection. Rejection feels personal, but it's not. It's often a matter of fit or timing or something maybe completely outside of your locust of control. So when you get rejection, and you will get rejection, I hear no more than I hear yes, hands down. So let's say If I get one yes per 99 no's, I'm happy. So go ahead and adjust your expectations. And rather than feel like I've been rejected. Right. You can separate you from your work. Your work wasn't a good fit for this company at this time. That feels way better and is honestly the truth. So remember the power of your mind. I want you to work on really being careful, like careful with your thoughts during this process because it's hard. I'm not going to tell you it's not hard. Reaching out and pitching your work is hard, but you can do it. So I've got some examples of typical negative fear based mindsets and what we can change those to and I want them to really sink in. So for instance, instead of feeling like I'm afraid this company is going to steal my work so I'm not going to show it, maybe you change that to my work belongs in the world. And by showing it, I increase my chances of success. Another one could be my work isn't good enough to be licensed. And the flip side we got to flip the script is every piece I create is a step towards mastering my craft and finding the right partners who value my unique style. Maybe this one is it for you. I don't think I have enough experience to start licensing. Well, flip that to every expert started as a beginner and the best way to gain experience is to get in the game. Maybe you feel like there are already so many talented artists out there, so flip that to the world can never have too much art. And my unique voice has a place in the industry. This one is a good one. I'll never understand the legal aspect of licensing. Well, we can flip that to I'm capable of learning and understanding the legalities to protect my work and I can get help if I need it. What about this one? Companies only want to work with well known artists. Well, that's actually not true. So many companies are eager to discover fresh talent and new perspectives and your work could be exactly what they're looking for. You hear me talk a lot about the importance of being in the right room, and that goes for any profession and any goal. So when you're in the room with the right people who can support you and encourage you, you're going to combat these feelings and fear like a pro. So I suggest something like a mentorship. I invest a lot in mentorship even today. Of course, it's so important to seek advice and encouragement from mentors and peers who have successfully navigated similar challenges. You know, for us, this is the professional creative business coaching program that I offer. And then of course, I'm in my own programs and masterminds to serve this part of me that needs it as well. The next one is feedback. So it may not seem like it, but because so many people are afraid of feedback, it's actually really helpful to ask for constructive feedback along the way just to kind of strengthen that muscle. The feedback will not only actually help you develop, but also really build your confidence. And finally, community. It is so important to just have a group of friends of peers who can help build you up. Just the opportunity to share what you're doing and grow and encourage one another is such a big confidence booster. So when you think about community, it could be local, it could be family, it could be friends, it could be an online community, it could be a peer group, but it does have to be full of people who know how to support you. My friends, I hope you're feeling more ready and more confident to reach out. It is hard, and it's still hard, but it does get easier. And every single conversation that I've had with every single art director, except for one, I told that story back in the early days of the podcast has been so incredible. Incredibly kind and supportive and happy. Think about it. If you're an art director, you live to see people's artwork, and it's your job to know what's available. So they want to see it. Don't feel like you're bugging them. They want to see what you have to offer. And so it is just so worth the effort. I want to encourage you, I want you to really be confident in showing what you have to the world. My friends, if you liked this episode, will you do me a favor and just send it to your creative friends? And if you haven't already, leave a review for me? I love reading the reviews and they are so easy to do. If you just hop over to Apple Podcasts, we can put a link to that in the show notes for today's episode. But if you would, it would mean the world to me. It's the best way to support the podcast and help it grow. Don't Forget to visit bonniecristine.com Handbook to get the ultimate licensing handbook. My friends, create the beauty that you want to see. Come alive in the world. And remember, there's room for you.