Is Different is Better than Better?

Different is better than better.

Author and all around deep thinking marketer and branding expert Sally Hogshead coined this term. She argues that "different is better than better" because better is transient. Better can be toppled by the next person with a bigger following, shinier award or better resume. She says "In any oversaturated environment, it doesn’t matter how wonderful you are and how much you have to offer. If your message fails to fascinate, you've failed. You’ve lost the sale before you’ve even had a chance to start a connection.Being the best isn’t enough, if nobody notices or cares."

Boom.

This idea of “different” has come up a lot lately for me. I've been listening to a “free-form thought” podcast called Idea Diary (which is the definition of “different is better than better”). She says her podcast is about business. I like her casual train of thought approach, and she presents some interesting ideas, such as every business is essentially a media company, and should have their own “show”. That's different.

But what does “different is better than better” mean for artists? I think it means artists should focus on differentiating their work and marketing from the pack or the norm. It means putting on the blindfolds and truly running your own race (this is hard, I know). It means allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and maybe uncomfortable when you really do move outside of the average or “norm”.

For years I've been declaring artists need to be different. But being different seems a bit scary, doesn't it? Being “different” might means you're exposing your "weirdness". The bits you keep locked in the back room of your brain most of the time. But I'd argue that those are exactly the bits and pieces you need to show.

So how does one start doing things “different”? With every gigantic task, sometimes it's easier for me if I break it down. What if every step of your studio process you asked yourself, “how could I do this differently?" And I mean every step. You're going to paint on a canvas or panel? What could you paint on instead? Going to use oil paint? What could you paint with instead? Going to use brushes? What tools could you use instead? When you try these new things, and they give you that “zing” feeling, you know you're on to something.

Keep going.