Let’s talk a little bit about external validation. Oh, such a heavy topic for a Monday morning and certainly not the kind of thing I typically write about here, but I’m interested to hear what anyone has to say about the subject.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a pat on the back or some congratulations on a job well done. And hardly anyone wants to be criticized or judged. External influences are all around us, every day, constantly, and affect who we are and who we will ultimately become. The question is, how much of that validation or feedback do you allow to affect you?
Carl Jung ~ my hero
We derive our energy either internally or externally. Some people thrive on constant contact with people and feel invisible or inferior when their actions/opinions are not reciprocated with some kind of feedback (extroverts). Others find enough satisfaction and validation within themselves and don’t have much need for what others think of them or their actions (introverts).
What brought me to this subject matter today is realizing the difference between personal validation and business validation. When it comes to introverts and extroverts on a personal level I don’t think one is better or worse than the other ~ they’re just two different ways of processing. But when it comes to a business, it’s becoming more clear to me that extroversion will win over introversion every time. Can a business actually have a personality that can be analyzed as introverted or extroverted, or is a business the reflection of the personality type of the person who runs it?
How well does a business grow without external validation? If people don’t like the product they will not buy it and the business fails. When considering an artsy/crafty business, is it better to be run by an extrovert? Should introverts create simply for the sake of creating and keep the business aspect out of the picture?
I know, I know, it’s all a matter of the “target market.” But then creating is still reduced to the amount of external validation one receives, the positive response to products, if the creator seeks earning a living from her creations.
How much external validation do you need? How much work will you put forth to receive that validation? Is the validation necessary to your perceived idea of success? These questions apply both personally and on a business level. I, as a business, have hit the wall of conflict. Should I create what I like and hope for the best or kowtow to the masses and give them what they want?
Ideally I’d like to convince people they really want my product. That’s salesmanship. Salesmanship comes more naturally to an extrovert, which I am not. But that’s a blog post for another day.
If you’re interested in finding out whether you’re an introvert or extrovert (in case you don’t know already), there’s a little online quiz you can take based on Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs Myers’ approach to personality. You can find it by clicking here. Let me know how it turns out.
Strange how you can take inventory after spending an entire winter creating product and still feel like there isn’t enough to take to the craft show. Of course that’s a complete fallacy ~ the anxiety comes with the question have I made enough of the product people will love and buy?
Now it’s pushing midnight. I think I have everything ready. I have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow so there will be no time to second guess myself. Right now I’m ready to collapse. But with my exhaustion comes an anticipation I haven’t felt for a while. Time to welcome new and return customers and say hello again to the craft show friends I see only when I’m on the road. Show season is here with all its challenges and rewards.
Auntie B's Wax 