I gave a talk to a writers' group this morning and one of the things that came up is the mindset that writers and artists often have. My graphic representation is:
I call it the supplicant mindset. Because writers and artists get a lot of rejection, it's easy to slip into the notion that somebody is doing us a favor if they buy our product or service.
However, the fact is that if somebody wants what we have, it becomes a straightforward business transaction. It's not about doing us a favor or liking us, it's about their perception that they will gain something in the process.
If we approach that transaction with a supplicant mindset, which has whiffs of desperation and feelings of inferiority, we're doing ourselves an injustice.
Also, desperation is never a good look. As you've probably noticed, the time that people are most inclined to give you something is when you least need it, or at least when you project that you're going to be just fine whether or not they give it to you.
