Termed by Seth Godin (in which he writes and talks about it a lot, but I first found the term in his book This is Marketing (2010)). The term is pretty self explanatory, but it essentially speaks on the idea of avoiding the desire to please the masses and to not bend and curb your ideas in order to do so. But to instead focus on staying true to yourself and standing firm in your beliefs and ideas in order to influence and affect the right people, your people. It really boils down to the question: “What’s the minimum number of people you would need to influence to make it worth the effort”.
When thinking about that question from a Creativity standpoint, depending on what your goals are for your creative ventures, that number can (and arguably should) be just one: you. Even if you have bigger goals and dreams for your Art/Creations (i.e. Monetization), instead of trying to make Art that please everyone (which anyone will tell you is impossible), try and make Art that is impactful to your people. Your tribe. The people that really get you and support you. And then work to cultivate and grow that number.
Which is another reason why this terms is so powerful because it empowers rejection. When you’re not trying to please everyone, when someone doesn’t like what you created (but you do), you can find comfort in the thought that “it’s not for them”. And continue to work for the people that it is for.
Some Quotes I love from This is Marketing on the Smallest Viable Market:
- “Relentless pursuit of mass will make you boring, because mass means average”
- “What’s the minimum number of people you would need to influence to make it worth the effort?”
- “[Being] Specific is a kind of bravery”
- “Shun the nonbelievers!”
- “In the face of rejection, it’s easy to sand off the edges and fit in. Resist. It’s not for them”
- “It’s impossible to create work that both matters and pleases everyone”
- “‘It’s not for you’”
From “Creative Quick Takes” circa 2019