Every industry has its myths—stories insiders repeat until they sound like truth. But behind the slogans and the spin are unspoken (and sometimes unnoticed) realities – we asked some of the wisest folks we know to share what lies they’ve noticed in their industries.
Hope Duncan
Sadhguru tells a story that speaks to this question. A jnana yogi (Path of knowledge), bhakti yogi (Path of devotion), karma yogi (Path of Action), and raj yogi (Royal path of meditation) were walking separately through the forest when a great thunderstorm erupted. Read More>>
Sam Kiste
That art alone is enough. In the video world—especially in wedding and commercial production—there’s this belief that if you’re creative enough, success will naturally follow. But that’s just not true. Creativity is important, but running a successful video business takes so much more: discipline, business strategy, client relationships, marketing, and consistency. Many talented creatives struggle because they underestimate the business side of what we do. Read More>>
Kayla Reed
The biggest lie our industry tells itself is that commission salons don’t take care of their stylists — that you can’t make real money or have creative freedom unless you’re independent. That mindset has held so many people back- including myself for many years. Read More>>
Cat Coquillette
One of the biggest lies is the idea of the “starving artist.” That stereotype still lingers, and I want to push back on it hard. There are thriving artists out there who are building successful, sustainable careers. I know, because I’m one of them. Read More>>
Eric Block
The ratio of calories in:calories out, because calories are the same regardless of the food source is the way to lose fat, gain muscle, and maintain overall wellness. The short summary is, calories are a unit of energy while body weight is a unit of mass. Energy cannot be set equal to units of mass. Read More>>
Rashad Randolph
One of the biggest lies the fashion industry tells itself is that it’s about creativity. It’s not it’s about control. They sell this dream that anyone with talent and vision can make it, but behind the curtain it’s politics, money, and who’s in the right rooms. Read More>>
Miriam Moran
In this industry wrongly think there’s only one way to succeed in the art world, usually following popular trends or working under long time popular brands. As a visual artist, I find this view limiting and dismissive of the many talents in our communities. Read More>>
Ashleigh Dawson
That we are not the issue, Carbon Capturing can solve everything, and greenwashing the linear system of production. Read More>>
Brianna West
Sustainability isn’t important because it won’t affect us in our lifetime. It already does, but even if it wasn’t why would we want to leave things worse for future generations? Read More>>
Christopher Morelli
I think one of the biggest lies in the industry, on both the professional and consumer side, is the belief that there’s some massive gap between headliners and smaller artists. Of course, some artists are more experienced, more skilled, or more in tune with their audiences, but the difference isn’t nearly as big as people tend to believe. Read More>>
Becca Ferguson
The biggest lie our industry tells itself is that burnout is a personal problem. Society acts like if therapists just had better boundaries, took more bubble baths, or color-coded their planners, everything would magically fall into place. The truth is, the system was never built to support us in the first place, and it definitely wasn’t built for every kind of brain. Read More>>
Deida Massey
Here are two lies that intersect inside industries I am apart of: As a brand owner, one of the biggest inequities facing Black women in the entertainment industry—and in business more broadly—is access to funding. Read More>>
Alexander Tola
The biggest lie in this industry is that Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, or any of the so-called free AI site builders are a real solution. They sell the dream of cheap and straightforward, but the truth is you will never see one of their sites rank on page one in any serious market. Read More>>
Idris Veitch
One of the biggest lies in the art world today is that visibility online equals success. Social media pushes the idea that if you constantly feed the algorithm with reels and regular posts, your work will automatically find its audience. I’ve felt that pressure. Read More>>
Jen Mcfarland
The marketing industry likes to pretend it doesn’t have a credibility problem. I’ve read surveys where people trust marketers less than used car salesmen. The get-rich-quick, one-funnel away schemes that permeate the online marketing space do a disservice to marketers who uphold ethical practices. Read More>>
Fuzz E Grant
That sales are what makes a great artist. It’s such a weird industry (is it even an industry?). Naturally people want to define it in terms that are relevant in other areas and it just isn’t accurate. I know many artists who are amazing world class but have never sold their work- nor want to. Read More>>
Rachel Maier
Some of the biggest lies the industry tells you is that you are nothing without following all social media algorithms and trends. Also, that you have to buy every piece of every new product that comes out (which is constantly) in order to be on top of your game. Not true, any of it. Read More>>
Luv Docta
That talent alone ensures success. Read More>>
Chanel Hardy
That you have to be big and important or popular to be somebody. It can make the art world very intimidating. Gatekeeping is real, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to chase behind the ‘big’ people or opportunities to seek validation. Some of the most fun I’ve had as an artist is building relationships and collaborating with like-minded people. Read More>>
