Five documents that say it all, if you've ever struggled to answer the question, so what do you do? Then that ends now? These five documents give you something to say in any situation. Just be you. What does that even mean? When you introduce yourself as someone who does whatever it is you do?

Do you feel strong unsure about it? Or does your voice shake? Do you look down at the floor and blurt out apologetically, after years of dreading the question, so what do you do? I've come to learn a handful of nifty techniques that have massively relieved me the pressure from pitching. First of all, different strokes for different folks. It's fascinating to see how many different reactions I get from the words creative introvert.

Some people light up and fervently declare that they too are creative introverts and want to learn more. Others confused, asked me to repeat what I just said. Then I explain what an introvert really is. Their eyes glaze over like cold custard. The trick is reading what the situation calls for. I've never been in a position where I've had to pitch somebody in an elevator.

So I've safely decided that the elevator pitch is not for me, and it may not be for you either. Instead, consider a handful of situations, some you might have been in before, and some you might anticipate being in the future and write an introduction feet. I keep a long document on Evernote with all my different BIOS from one liners to longer life stories. The more I add to it, the more comfortable I become in declaring what I do and who I do it for. I recommend having at least five documents which can be used for a range of different situations. And the guide to writing these will be coming up soon to practice makes progress on that note, the more you do this, the easier it gets.

It's that frustrating thing about all kinds of creative pursuits. Actually all opposites in general, the more we do something, the more comfortable we get with it. Of course, you'll get more confident in your ability over time to, but simply the act of saying what you do and talking about your latest projects, even to friends and family will help your confidence massively. Give yourself as many opportunities as possible to be in a circumstance where people will ask you what do you do? I know that sounds a lot like networking, but it doesn't have to be. Chances are there are some great meetup groups classes or workshops need that are low pressure, but with enough new people that the opportunity to talk about what you do will arise.

Research your creative heroes. What are the people you love and respect doing? If they can do it regardless of how challenging it might have been for them, then you can do it to write some examples to get the ball rolling. I'll simply on the send a weekly newsletter out to over 55,000 subscribers, which is jam packed full of great little tidbits. around the web, but he always remembers to pop a little call to action in the email to check out his own products at the end. For that great free content, of course, I'm going to click that link.

And TJ Miller of the creative pep talk podcast uses his art as promotional graphics for his podcast. And his Instagram feed looks really amazing as a result, he's doing what he does for his clients, illustrating their message and helping to spread the word about his own show. Ask us the poet has used Instagram traditionally a very visual platform to showcase his written words to great effect. Though 80% of his posts are poetry. He doesn't shy away from the occasional mentioning it of his page for books and as giveaways as incentives for followers to support his work further. So onto these five documents that will help you say anything and everything it is about what you do.

These are great time and energy savers to have at hand. Not just for helping Other people to understand what you do. But for yourself, this process strengthens your own understanding of what you're here for, what your aims are and how far you've come. When you have these five documents, I have no doubt you'll feel a lot more confident about your creative pursuits and feel much more ready to show and tell the world about them. notes that these will evolve over time, just like you keep writing and revising them and make a regular habit of returning to them, especially if you get the feeling that you're outgrowing them. Number one, the quick pitch.

I may not be a fan of the elevator pitch, but this quick bit is really worth having. I can't tell you how many times I've struggled to answer the simple question. What do you do concisely having a slash career as in doing multiple things at once for work? Make for cumbersome and kind of random answer, which I try not to subject anyone to fellow multipass minutes I recommend having a handful of quick pictures at the ready Myth many of us trap ourselves into is that once we have this elusive perfect pitch, we'll be able to reuse those exact words over and over again. In reality, depending on who you're speaking to the context of the situation, and what you're hoping to gain from this conversation, you can have a custom pitch for each. When I was mostly working on a website designs yet wanted to grow my pet portrait business, I often gave the pitch.

By day I designed and built websites for small businesses. And by night I draw people's pets. The latter usually got more eyebrows raised and provoked a much more interesting conversation than the website stuff alone. This isn't because that pet portraiture is inherently more interesting. It's because my passion for that came through in my pitch, and that's what people connected with. As long as you can talk about your work with some degree of passion, even if it's a weekend only thing, you have material for a great pitch.

Try to keep it to a sentence or two and expect follow up question. To explain the rest for inspiration, look at who you follow on Twitter or Instagram. What are these people expressing in their bios other than emojis? These are usually the right length for a quick pitch to the professional bio, often written in the third person, this is the kind of piece that you send to people who might want to interview you. I have one ready to go for the podcast hosts who are kind enough to have me on their shows. It can also be added to a media pack, a document you send off to press or people who might want to feature your work.

The idea here is to include your past as well as your present, giving an overall arc to how you've come to do what you do now, and pack it with achievements, awards, training, and anything else you have bragging rights on. I find this easier to write in third person for this very reason. Often bragging about ourselves isn't exactly the most comfortable job for an introvert. Pretending to look at yourself from the eyes of a benevolent outside character. Maybe a favorite grandparent. helps to get the accomplishment parts.

And for inspiration Mark levy gives two versions of his bio. One is more formal. And one is more like the about page that I'm going to be describing next. And I've put links to all of these examples in the resources. So for the about page, this is a great place to go deeper and share your story. This is coming from somebody who insisted for the longest time she did not have a story.

It's difficult to see our own story, especially when we're like smack them in it, where the protagonist and all around us looks like a bit of a messy muddle of dull anecdotes and sad one liners. That was until I discovered the archetypal structure outlined in it Joseph Campbell's the hero with 1000 faces. The hero's journey is a multi part structure seen in the literature from around the world myths and legends, as well as modern day cinema, from the Bible of souls. There are multiple ways of structuring a story and you don't have to write your own life. History into this format just because Mr. Campbell says so. But have a Google for the hero's journey and see if you can identify any common themes in your own life.

Was there a time of struggle? Most of us can recall at least one dark patch? If not many? What about the high times the discoveries and changes that lead to better times? Who are the people involved? the archetypal teacher, the bully, the best friend, in your creative work, Where can the story emerge?

We making art in a certain style struggling away until you made a breakthrough? Or did you get bored if you're 95 citing you weren't fulfilling your calling, and changed paths completely. There's a story in your history and it ain't over. You can write about where you hope to go, what you've got your sights set on, all of which is much more captivating than telling your audience where you went to school, and your favorite flavor of ice cream. Unless there's a story in that for inspiration. It's got to be there.

Activists@civis.org I've put his about page in the resources. Next, the resume, traditionally, the dullest of the lot that that doesn't mean it's not an opportunity to get creative. Depending on what line of work you're doing and the nature of the company, you can break out of the traditional approach to the two page black copy on white paper approach. You might not need a resume or a CV for your current career, you might be happy with your current workplace, or you have your own business and you're the boss for example. But you never know what might come up, and having an up to date resume isn't a bad idea. If you're a service based business and attracting new clients, simply having a resume of your project history is a worthwhile document to have available to download on your portfolio site for inspiration, I mean there are loads of online resumes to like as a MOBA if you just search on behance, or another portfolio style website.

Personally, I love the simple yet clearly branded start that car, Robert Robertson has accomplished. And finally, the manifesto. This is probably the least common document you'll find from a creative, but it's one I highly recommend, partly because it can also be fun, partly because it gives you clarity. And partly because it's fantastic marketing for your work. You get a chance to share what you stand for. what you'd like to see in the world, how you'd like to shape it, and attract people who think like you do.

So what goes into a manifesto? Naturally, there are no rules. It's whatever you want it to be. Here are some points to think about. intentions, what you intend to do, for example, what you'd like to do with your body of work, what you'd like to create opinions, what you believe your stance on a particular topic, such as your particular niche of the creative industries and vision, the type of world that you wish to see any lofty ambitions that you have about the impact that you hope to make You can also refer back to your truenorth, which we went through already, where you laid out your personal values and your mission. It can feel like a statement that gets set in stone, which may make you hesitate to express your Manifesto.

But I urge you to let go of that. You can update this as regularly as your underwear if you like. As I said, there are no rule set. Have fun with this action step. Have a go at writing one of these documents