Some things should be obvious. No matter how funny they are, it’s hard to get today’s teens to watch a Laurel and Hardy movie. Most men will not be attracted to binge-watching The Gilmore Girls And you won’t attract many senior citizens with a Justin Bieber concert. Sure, there are always outliers that are the exception, but you can’t bank on an entire retirement community getting Bieber Fever.
It’s important to know your audience. At the same time, you have to be true to yourself because the biggest audience is the audience of one: yourself. If you found an audience but you hate doing what attracted them in the first place, it won’t last long. To achieve any kind of success, you must be true to yourself.
That’s why I feel for the lady in my cartoon. She must love her tuna casserole, and she probably excels at making it. But if she is trying to do something nice for the neighborhood kids, she needs to find another way.
When you find that happy balance between what you like and what your desired audience likes, that’s the sweet spot. I’m still working on it. Heaven knows I sometimes wonder if my writing and cartooning style hits the mark. Perhaps I’m still looking for that key audience for me. It’s a continual process.
How have you balanced what you like doing with finding the right audience for you?
