BE LIKE TIM BURTON

Is it the painter or the picture hanging in the gallery? Admired by countless thousands who attempt to read the secrets of his vision of his very soul. — Strawbs, Hanging In The Gallery

You've probably seen at least one of director Tim Burton's films. They often feature dark themes, absurdity, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Here's the full list full list (IMDB link).

Tim Burton has been on exhibit at MoMA in New York City and TIFF in Toronto. Here's a review.

You too have many accomplishments. Why not make them visible? You're judged whether or not you want. You can give context and guide the impressions.

Impressions

Tim Burton polarizes you. You may not like anything he's done. You may prefer his mainstream successes such as The Planet Of The Apes, Batman Returns or Alice In Wonderland. You might like his odder offerings like Vincent or Edward Scissorhands (my fave) or The Nightmare Before Christmas. You'll have an opinion — probably positive but possibly (slightly) repulsed.

When you put yourself on exhibit, you give your clients (current and potential) the same opportunity to reach conclusions. Their consensus gives you the 5th universal principle of influence.

Lessons From Tim

Tim's exhibit lets you see his art in context --- and not just his successes. That's valuable and generous. He shows that what you've done in the past gives insights into where you are today. Some promising projects were discontinued or shelved. For instance, Disney didn't release Tim's short Frankenweenie in 1984 but he's now filming a full length version for release in 2012.

Your audience would draw different conclusions from your exhibit. Why not give them that chance?

Your Exhibit

Who'd create a special exhibit devoted to your accomplishments? If it's to be, it's up to thee. You can create your own by putting representative samples of your past work online. That's not quite as powerful as a gallery with timed tickets but more practical to ship and update.

Why not help others form opinions about you? They already do but without the benefit of your back catalogue. Your willingness to reveal yourself helps set you apart. When you display evidence of your past accomplishments and failures, you become more human. You become more memorable. My own gallery has been getting visitors regularly since 2006. Yours can too.

Caveat

Tim didn't unveil his whole life. He didn't discuss his family. He didn't show anything that would make him despicable. He didn't show many photos of himself. Instead, he showed his work and let us draw our own conclusions. That's an excellent approach. You too want to curate.

Links

• The 5th universal principle of influence
• Try giving unsolicited feedback
• Make your views public to stand out
• Smash '1984' conformity with your free hammer 
• You must see the Tim Burton exhibit at TIFF (new)
• Image courtesy of Chris Hoffman (US)

PS Your exhibit belongs on your personal website, not a corporate one.