Choosing Your Niche
When I was doing hand lettering, I hated the thought of choosing a niche.
The idea of lettering in one style, for one type of client FOREVER seemed like the exact opposite of why I started my own business in the first place—for the FREEDOM it afforded me.
But there were 2 major flaws in my thought process about niching...
If you struggle with the idea of choosing a niche too, this breakdown should help you out.
Misconception #1:
Niching = Doing the same thing over and over forever
Niching doesn't mean you're going to do the exact same project for every client you ever work for, over and over, for as long as your business exists.
It doesn't mean you have to use the same 3 colors in all your illustrations.
It doesn't mean you have to letter (or draw, or photograph, or design) in the exact same style in all your pieces.
It could mean one of those things if you want it to—but choosing a niche is a strategic decision based on the needs of a group of people, not based on a way you think your artwork needs to look.
When you choose a niche, it should be all about the people that you can best serve with your creative talents.
Your niche might be industry-based: you design logos for eco-conscious small businesses, or you create hand lettering for YA fantasy book covers.
Your niche might be persona-based: you design interiors for adults who haven't lost their sense of play.
Or your niche might solve a specific problem: you design location-specific greeting cards and prints to send to homesick loved ones.
When you focus on how you can serve an audience, every project will be unique because you're approaching it from a problem-solving mindset.
Which means you have to take into account your client/customer's unique set of circumstances, and come up with creative ways to fulfill their need.
Which means every project will be different, fresh, and not boring!
Misconception #2:
You have to pick a niche now and stick with it forever
There's that word "forever" again... I think the perceived permanence of niching is what frightens a lot of creatives.
But guess what—you don't have to start your business by choosing a niche and sticking with it forever.
You're allowed to change your mind.
Will your business be a huge success if you change your mind every few weeks? Probably not.
BUT, as you're starting out, it'll take time to find the perfect fit for you and your business.
You might start down a path in one niche, realize you're not super passionate about it and can't see yourself doing it long-term, and pivot into something new. That's okay! (I've done this at least 3 or 4 times myself, you're not alone 😅)
There are questions you can ask yourself to get a more educated guess on what the right niche might be for you, so that you can avoid these pivots and reach success quicker (which is one of the things I help creatives with in my 1:1 coaching program, The Content Strategy Glow Up!)
But ultimately you need to be okay with the fact that it might take some time for you to define the perfect creative business for yourself, and appreciate that none of that time is wasted because you're learning valuable lessons to set yourself up for long term success!
In the end, niching is important for your business because it allows you to better articulate the service you provide and the needs you fulfill, AND it allows you to perform those services BETTER because of how deeply you know and understand what that audience needs.