How to connect more deeply with your audience

The quickest way to connection I’ve found is honesty. Speaking your truth and doing it in a way that is genuinely you, not trying to sound like anything you think is supposed to be the way something should sound. This applies to writing, photography, and filmmaking. There’s nothing wrong with emulating people you look up to, especially as you’re starting out in your creative field. It’s a great learning tool and you’ll end up keeping the bits that work the best for you, that resonate with you the most, and shedding the rest as you find your own voice.

But under all of that is the willingness to share yourself, to bare yourself in ways that might be uncomfortable for you. The fact is, we’re all human beings, perfect in all of our flaws. We tend to spend a lot of energy and effort though in trying to mask those “flaws” and the effect, exacerbated by social media, is that we think everyone else is living way better lives than we are, that they aren’t experiencing many of the same things we are – the sadness, the loneliness, the insecurities…the fact that we don’t have it all together and sometimes it’s a struggle to just get through the day.

I think we all seek connection, and that is a major driver as a creative. In my experience I’ve found that the quickest way to connection – meaningful connection – is through sharing vulnerabilities. There’s nothing more rewarding for me than to see a comment on something I wrote like, “Thank you for this, it’s exactly what I needed today.” We don’t know how we will touch people; it’s hard to grasp the power of our words. The only control you have is how truthful you are.

I encourage you to explore this more in your own creative efforts and see how others respond. At the very least it makes us all feel a little less alone.

[Feature image: -Salvaje-]