Say you want the love and affection of people. You want people to know you and admire you. You love how Eminem or ___(put the name of your favourite celebrity) gets a standing ovations every time they perform in front of a crowd. You dream that God makes you famous, like Oprah.
Let me tell you the truth:
Fame is a by-product. It cannot be chased.
You can only build your skills and get on the stage to perform. Stop looking for get-rich-quick ideas and ways to become famous.
Okay, I have already revealed the secret. You cannot chase money and fame. Then, where do we go from here?
Well, let us delve deeper into the niche where you might want people’s love and admiration. Attracting the right kind of people is the key.
But, first let me warn you. It is a tough choice to make.
You can always find easier ways to get famous overnight. And you see people doing it everyday. You can always make a sex-tape like Kim Kardashian.
Or have a topless photo shoot that will go viral on Twitter. Or maybe you can make an anti-religious statement. Or maybe, you can speak irrationally against the generally acceptable norms (no, I don’t follow traditions, hello?) in society.
However, all these methods are nothing but pitiful and no good comes out of them. If you have self-respect and if you believe in spreading positivity on earth, abort the thought of routing on such missions. You will save the world a lot of time. Also, you will save yourself some old-age embarrassment and regret (perhaps).
How to become YouTube famous and then get trolled?
One of the easier ways to bring yourself to the spotlight is uploading a crappy video on YouTube. If you are in luck, it will go viral with hundreds of thousands or even millions views on it. Rebecca Black’s Friday did it, you can also think of one such social gimmick, can’t you?
But, this is an infamy. This fame won’t last long, and you might even regret it later – due to the incessant amount of trolls that will be designed and thrown in your face (if you will have the guts to log into social media accounts, that is).
Make use of the powerful social media tools in a constructive way – Do not become a meme, a joke.
Be known for your talent.
What scale is good enough for you?
Now:
I assume that I have convinced you to take the hard-way around for getting famous. If you are not convinced, there is no need to read further.
Next, let us find out the scale at which you want people to know you.
Would you be okay with the people in your local community loving you for your public service? Or would you like your native state to know you as a politician?
Or would you like to be nationally recognized for your work? The scale will play an important role in deciding when to say yes or no. It is about finding the fame-level-comfort-spot.
What field would you pursue?
What is the domain you would like to be associated with?
To find it: Go through the personalities that make your head go round. Which of them made you want to seek fame in the first place? You will get some quick answers. Write down the names of the top 5.
Remember that celebrities need not mean actors, musicians, guitarists, and writers. You can choose any realm for that mater.
Now read up on these famous people. Write down the top 3 quirks that make you admire them. Jot down the top 3 qualities that set these fellas apart from the others in your eyes.
You are getting closer to your chosen realm. Now, analyze which field is the one for you.
Now, hop on to the next step.
List your skills and pain points
Write down the top 3 skills that you need to achieve fame. Write down the top 3 pain points that stop you from reaching them. Now, set some time-bound goals and milestones in order to achieve the level of excellence in your niche/industry.
Here is an example that should explain this technique. Suppose you want to become an actor and Leonardo DeCaprio is your favourite actor.
Write down why you like the acting career trajectory of Leonardo and his 3 skills. Say these skills are his acting performance, real-life presence and fashion sense. The next obvious step would be studying acting at a school. But your major pain point is financial limitations.
Then, you can proceed towards your motto by joining a local theatre group. Keep performing and enjoying the art of acting at this local theatre community. Meanwhile keep hustling of ways to scale to the next stage.
Try to find scholarship opportunities at the top Drama schools and be on the lookout for sponsors. Or maybe give some auditions for movies.
As for the fashion sense and real-life presence, you can study courses/books on colour, fashion, personality development, etc. I hope you get the drill.
Effectively market yourself and keep at it to get your big break
It might take time to break into your field of interest. You will sometimes get compliments, sometimes not. It’s going to be a bumpy rid but make sure you keep the energy levels high. As long as you keep improving yourself and keep showing up you will make it.
Publicity and public relations are going to be one of the most important assets at your disposal. You will need to market yourself effectively on the right platform to get your first break. You can start contacting and cold-calling people for opportunities.
At the first contact, don’t try to sell yourself. You should just be willing to offer help. Just network and let them know you are available.
Communicate your skills and experience succinctly to convince folks to give you that first break. This first break can be writing a novel, your first music gig, first acting assignment, etc.
Make use of the Internet’s goldmine: Social media
The Internet (read as social media) is a powerful resource to promote your talent and skill. The best part is that it is cheap (most tools even free) and easy to use. As you have already decided the skill you want to be known for, you can publicize and broadcast your work on the Internet.
If you want to become a writer, start blogging, keep improving your writing skills, start interacting with other bloggers.
You might even land your first novel. Or if you want to perform a stand-up comic act, music act or a dance: upload your videos on YouTube regularly. Ensure that everything you share on the Internet is of superior quality.
Have a look at Derek Muller who owns a YouTube channel Veritasium. He is doing a PhD and uses YouTube effectively to present concepts of physics. He has done a brilliant job and already has over a million subscribers.
You can learn lots about building your audience, interacting, and engaging with them, handling criticism and much more by this activity. All these skills will be beneficial for you for life and simultaneously, you will be pursuing your aimed artistic endeavour.
Saying ‘No’ to lucrative choices
Suppose you want to become a national football player. You get a call to play as a captain for the regional club team. But you are also selected to play for the national team.
The problem is that you got selected as an extra in the squad (if someone from the main team gets hurt). You will need to say ‘No’ to one of them and make a judgment call.
Here is when that ‘scale’ on which you want to achieve fame comes into picture.
If you want recognition only in your community, the club team might do but if you are the ambitious kind you will take a shot at the national team (although you get a place in the extras).
Conclusion
Let the masses find you. Let that director discover you through a play. Or let that publishing house discover you through your blog. Meanwhile, you can keep up the marketing.
However, don’t sit idle, keep refining your skills. No one will like a hollow person who only likes to talk and is only average.
None of the talented famous people aimed at fame. They always tried to get better at their art. They focused on beating their own best.
You also need to work your ass off and forget about being famous now – Only then will you should reach the destination you aimed. That was your how to become famous guide.
Why don’t you tell me your takeaways from the post using the comment box below?
