Let’s play a quick game of word association.
What comes to mind when you hear the following names?
- Claude Monet
- Vincent van Gogh
- Pablo Picasso
- Salvador Dali
- Jackson Pollock
- Andy Warhol
Even if you’re not an art buff, chances you’ve heard of the artistic movements that these guys were associated with…
- Impressionism
- Expressionism
- Cubism
- Surrealism
- Drip painting
- Pop art
Now, you may not be able to name a particular Picasso painting off the top of your head, but just about anyone can identify his trademark cubist style because it’s so distinct.
“Girl with a Mandolin.” 1910. Source: Wikimedia
Unmistakable, right?
But here’s the tricky question…
Can you name any cubists other than Picasso?
How about another impressionist, surrealist, or pop artist?
Drawing a blank?
Don’t worry: anyone who isn’t a art historian would find themselves in the same pickle.
This illustrates (pun intended) what I want to discuss today, and that’s the topic of MASTERY.
These artists weren’t just ordinary, or even “famous” painters: they were pioneers and visionaries.
They created things no one had ever conceived of before.
And they left an indelible impression on every artist who followed them.
When you’re a master of your craft, people can immediately identify your work.
This principle applies beautifully to business too.
Think about how you can instantly identify iconic advertising campaigns from the likes of Apple or Nike.
And guess what…
That’s an effect YOU can achieve with your own audience
…once you’ve mastered your craft.
Now, I know, mastery might seem like something waaay off in the distant future.
If you’re anything like most of us, you’re more likely in the apprentice camp, learning the ropes and constantly on the hunt for fresh ideas to grow your business.
And that’s a-okay!
In fact, that’s great news; you’re on the right track.
Soaking up knowledge like a sponge is exactly what we advocate here at Elite Marketing Pro.
But the thing is, nobody wants to be stuck in “student” status forever, right?
Beyond that, our goal is for you to graduate into full-fledged entrepreneurship, with your own offers and brand.
We don’t want you to need our tools and training forever.
After all, mastery should be the end-game of any business owner who wants to be recognized as a leader by their prospects and peers alike.
So how do you escape the realm of being a perpetual student?
…and become a master of your craft?
Is that sort of dramatic change possible for everyone in the first place?
You might assume that mastery is all about skill or talent, but that’s rarely the case.
In fact, there are three steps to put yourself on the path toward mastery, all of which are probably much easier than you might currently believe.
And here’s what you need to keep in mind…
Just as you’re hungry for new business-building knowledge, your prospects are looking for someone to teach them.
Unfortunately, so many marketers fail to achieve mastery because they get stuck in the wrong mindset.
Listen…
Mastery is within your grasp.
No matter how much you currently have on your plate, there are three steps you can start taking ASAP to become a leader instead of a follower.
Starting with…
No, Seriously; just start!
Maybe it’s cliche to say, but you have to start somewhere.
Every “master,” in the world of business or elsewhere, started at square one.
Think you have to be born brimming with greatness?
Think the ability to make your mark has an expiration date?
Absolutely not.
- Van Gogh didn’t begin painting until his late twenties and Monet only started getting serious about his craft in his forties, after the death of his wife.
- Leonard Cohen’s musical legacy lies in the song “Hallelujah,” a tune he didn’t pen until he was 50.
- Despite being an actor for decades prior, nobody knew who Morgan Freeman was until he starred in Driving Miss Daisy at age 52.
The list goes on and on.
Although we all come from different backgrounds and circumstances, we all have to start from scratch and work our way up.
Business owners should embrace this challenge and never be ashamed of it.
Don’t let doubt or imposter syndrome hold you back.
It’s never too late to start a new venture.
And you can’t assume your time will never come if you never start.
Seriously.
The person who spends an hour a day during their free time plugging away at their business is light years ahead of the person sitting on their hands waiting for something to fall in their lap.
Once you start getting your hands dirty, you have nowhere to go but up.
Despite popular belief, being a master isn’t about being struck with a lightning bolt of inspiration or brilliant insight out of the blue.
It’s about going through the motions.
It’s about the grind; growing and learning; trial and error.
As the old saying goes:
“Know the rules before you break them.”
If you look at the styles of some of our previously noted artistic masters, you’ll notice the style they became synonymous with is totally different from their earliest work.
As is the case of any artist, they were imitators before they were innovators.
Picasso’s early works are technically-flawless drawings and paintings of landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and classical Greek statues.
Night and day from what we’re used to from ol’ Pablo, right?
This sort of imitation game applies to business owners and marketers, too.
We imitate tried-and-tested tactics from old-school ads because we know they work
And over time, we figure out how to take these tactics and make them our own, but it’s not going to happen overnight.
News flash: no one starts an “original.”
A master doesn’t bypass years of painstaking skill development, hard work and experimentation.
Instead, they embrace it.
You’ve probably heard of the 10,000-hour rule, right?
The claim you have to do something for 10,000 hours before you truly “master” it?
Whether or not you subscribe to that belief, there’s no denying that becoming a master takes time.
Thus, successful people must learn the habits of success.
Creativity doesn’t fall from the sky: it comes from work.
If you find yourself dismayed about the concept of putting thousands of hours into mastery, don’t despair.
Instead, just get going.
Write the copy; create the content; run the ads.
Each commitment you make brings you one step closer toward mastery.
And making that initial commitment is what’s going to set you apart from other businesses in the long-run.
Besides, there are tons of other ways to save time in pursuit of becoming a master (but we’ll get to that soon enough).
Finally, it’s crucial to understand that the most important aspect of mastery is coming into your own.
Developing your style.
Your unique flavor that nobody can get anywhere else.
Just like an artist has their signature touch, advertisers, bloggers, and copywriters find their voice which makes their content or ads totally distinct.
And how do they find that voice?
You guessed it.
By doing.
I’ve said in the past that creativity is overrated, and it’s a statement that I stand by.
Again, it’s not a magical spark that’s going to help you write more creative copy or ads, but consistent practice and the occasional jolt of inspiration.
The bizarre yet brilliant work Salvador Dali is a prime example of such inspiration in action.
“The Persistence of Memory.” 1931. Source: Wikimedia.
You see, Dali was inspired by the irrationality of dreams and would capture the images of his subconscious through forcefully jolting himself awake and immediately recording what sprang from the depths of sleep.
A little “out there?”
Definitely.
But his unconventional approach yielded incredible results.
Similarly…
Your style will develop through your personal process of “doing”
You might not have the slightest clue of where your muse is going to come from, but it’s there.
It’s just a matter of time (and doing) until it comes to you.
I could emphasize how building your business can be done practically overnight.
We’re marketers, not world-class painters, and our ads don’t need to hang in a museum to be effective, after all.
Still, you hear all the time there will be bumps along the road, right?
Well, that’s what separates those stuck on the fence from the go-getters out there.
Because honestly, it’s never too late.
And once you actually get started, the path becomes so much clearer.
So, what are you waiting for?
Think time isn’t on your side?
Think again!
Marketers are often daunted by the idea of not having enough time to accomplish everything that needs to get accomplished.
It never feels like there are enough hours in the day, right?
Well, maybe it’s time to look beyond the clock, because unfortunately the main issue facing most marketers isn’t lack of time…
It’s lack of focus.
Specifically, a lack of direction on exactly where they need to focus to solve their biggest problems.
Take driving traffic and generating leads for example, which is hands down the #1 problem facing most business owners.
Long gone are the days where we you have to pound the pavement or sit around waiting for new prospects to trickle in.
In fact, you can drive traffic to your business in droves, in almost no time flat.
Picasso once said…
Good artists copy; great artists steal
And taking a page out of his book, I’d like to invite you to attend a 100% FREE online workshop, hosted by none other than Tim Erway, co-founder and CEO here at Elite Marketing Pro, who’s responsible for generating over 30 million dollars in online revenue (and counting).
You’ll discover how you can practically steal a $10 test campaign we turned into $141,246.30 in sales.
All it takes is 10 minutes a day with as little as $10 in initial ad spend to get started.
Tim will show exactly how we did it…and how you can too.
So if you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for?
Pick a time that works for you to attend Tim’s traffic workshop right here.
Here’s to your success!
Andrew Draughon
Director of Content
Elite Marketing Pro
RCBuild MyEconomy 