Why are Australians Lime Green? (Selling to the Niche)
 |
| Erasing the Color |
I lived in Australia for six months, returning
my dysfunctional boyfriend back to the arms of his home country. In a sloppy,
emotional manner, of course. Australia, I found, was very American-adjacent, sharing reasonable
facsimiles of food and clothing and television. It was surreal, the
differences just subtle enough to not fully accept the country as reality.
Many Australians asked me the main change from the United States in attempts to pry small talk out of me.
“How is America?” they wanted to know.
“Gray.”
I’ve talked about it before, but it sticks with
me. The strangest thing I realized about my home country is how dull our colors are. Look around when
you drive through town and see the white and black and gray cars.
Sure, there’ll be a couple of reds and blues here or there, but they too tend
to be on the duller, darker side. Dark colored clothing, grayish blue buildings,
why is it that many of our possessions lack passion, personality, and just
vibrancy?
And the answer is obvious.
It’s the same reason why it’s so hard to find
shorter chained necklaces. The same reason tall, short, fat, and thin people struggle to get
clothes that fit from a mall; if you want to sell well, you want to create something that will work for most people. In a way, you don't really want to stand out. Simple and well made encompasses a lot of successful business modules. Because, despite being known for our vanity, Americans these days tend to think
of beauty as impractical, unnecessary, and lacking intelligence. We build
perfunctory, cookie cutter houses in mass so they can be cheaper, creative
heavy homeowners’ rules to protect ourselves from eyesores. We love Lululemon and Walmart where you have generic designs with a few variations. We move into white
apartments with unsheeted, white mattresses on the floor, keep all our photos
in the hard drive, and just generally focus on the grindstone of life instead
of taking a moment to stop and make some roses.
How does this affect the writer?
We all can bitch about the common denominator
movies which don’t push your mind or emotions too far, with the same story formula and actors who are
probably all related, but the truth is, selling something with personality is
difficult.
It’s not impossible, of course. If you note what
does extremely well, whether that be bestsellers like Fifty Shades of Grey or cult classics like Edgar Allan Poe, they tend
to be specific. There’s some weirdness in there, a risk that hasn't worked before, that makes it iconic, specific,
and touch people right in the right place at the right time. They take a—if only
a little—chance that doesn't fall in line with expectation.
This year, I finally escaped from my job as a
caterer. With the decrease in stress, having more time and focus, and just
being generally healthier, I started to really become determined in answer to a
question that had plagued me since the graduation from college: Do I try to be
a writer on the side, or risk poverty and aim to do it full time?
Of course, for a while, I had the sensible
answer of you need a day job. Yet, based
on my experiences and current situation, I thought, “This is prime time to not have a job!” I put so much energy
into work that I didn’t feel to be important, if
I could find a way to be that productive in a area I had personal investment…
Plus, more personal control over the success means having more mental stimulation.
Not trapped by the priorities of people above me, I felt I could utilize my
tendency to solve problems to make better decisions. Like ways to make my life easier, for one thing.
So I began to research. Those people who get
their word out there? What do they do differently?
Unfortunately, I learned some things that I didn't want to admit.
Self-publishers have often posted polls about
naming their stories, series, or other things, and I’ve found that the one I
liked best was… ignored. And the one that I hated? Adored! You look at those
who become successful through great online campaigns, Instagram posts, blogs,
and other strictly internet tacks and you’ll notice what society has been pushing
all along: They’re pretty generic, comparable with each other, minimalist and focused one change.
To look professional, the best way seems to be to do the most minimal.
There are exceptions. Youtubers are typically noticed
for their content and not the super-high quality. People connect with some things
that, regardless of the context in which it appeared to them, they just fall in
love. Love, is in fact, blind.
I guess the real trouble is that when you don’t
have that “something,” you need to just not alienate everyone, and to do that by having . Which seems
obvious, now that I’ve spent this time thinking about it, and frustrating because
what the hell is that something? It’s definitely being genuine. It’s definitely
having personality and doing something different. But if your personality and
tastes don’t compensate for skills, don’t fall in line with expectation and lack
the love, then people push you off with a little bit of disgust.
Or that’s how it feels.
As I try to come up with my style, a familiar
vibe each time someone sees my work, I struggle with the business I like and
the minimalism that appeals to many others. I struggle with the differences I see
rather than the similarities others recognize. I (and this is the important
part), imagine that each time someone looks at something I’ve created this
whole storyline of how much I’m doing wrong, at the reason they don’t care. But
while I do feel I have a long way to go in hooking in my audience, it’s
important to pay attention to the facts.
Yes, my dark and busy style contradicts the successful
blogs of Jeff Goins and The Bloggess, yes, I’m busier than most, and yes, I don’t
want professionalism to mean simplicity, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not on
the right path.
I can sell my hot pink and lime green cars to a
world of beige, and even though there’s a reason most don’t, it doesn’t mean it
won’t ever be exactly what someone else is looking for.
My focus is to do something I like, something I respect.
And yes, gathering the skills to do that requires me to identify what others
are doing “right,” but it doesn’t mean that I won’t be able to sell myself by toning
me down.
If you liked this post, want to support, contact, stalk, or argue with me, please consider...
Liking Charley Daveler on Facebook
Following What's Worse than Was
