You Are Your Differentiation
You don’t need some gimmick to stand apart from other creators. You already do.
In business school, one of the first concepts you learn is something called differentiation. It’s what you do different from competitors, and the reason why a customer would pick you over them. Some businesses differentiate by being the cheapest (or the most expensive!), some by being the fastest, and some have patents for things that only they can do. Everybody’s got something to set them apart.
I think a lot of creators who are just starting try to find their differentiation in the same way. By being the cheapest, the fastest, or having a gimmick that only they do. But I personally think this is the wrong way to think about it.
In my eyes, the absolute, unequivocally best way to differentiate from other creators is — just be yourself.
Yes, one of the most cliché, borderline useless sayings is what I’m suggesting you do. Don’t worry, I have an explanation.
Whether you’re creating for yourself and your audience, or you’re creating for a brand and their audience - your work is art. Your work is your art. And art may take shape in the brain, but it is rooted in your heart, your passions, and your experiences. All of which are things that only you have. The unique blend of your history, your interests, your hard-learned life lessons, and all of the other nuances that make you who you are has never been experienced by any other human on this planet. That’s wildly valuable, and means that you alone have the style and approach that a some potential clients are desperately seeking!
It may not feel this way sometimes, though. It may seem like you have to be somebody else to grow. It may seem like you need to make your designs look like everything you see on Dribbble, or that you need to make photos look exactly like they do on big Instagram accounts, or that your writing needs to replicate what you see trending on Substack. That’s what these huge clients are buying, right? No - they already bought it. And they’re going to use that for a while, and then look for something new. And if you’re trying to make your work look like your inspiration, you’ll blend right in.
As somebody who hires creators regularly, I look for people who fully lean into who they are. The people who I’m most excited to work with are people whose personality shines through their work and their clients work. I feel confident in a person when I can look at their work, and know exactly who made it without seeing their name. Those are the people that I hire, and those are the people that thousands of other businesses, agencies, and entrepreneurs are looking to hire. You might occasionally run into the business that wants you to replicate somebody else’s work, but don’t worry about these people. If they want that look, they really should just hire that person. (But we all have bills to pay, so of course do what you gotta do!)
I really do believe that being yourself is the best decision you will make in your creative career. Learn about who you are and incorporate yourself into everything you do, even if it’s for a client. You’ll stand out, and you’ll build a brand for yourself that nobody can take away from you.
