Did you notice how many there are these days?
What makes one an expert?
Is it past performance or just the ability to do research and write prolifically about a given topic? In many cases it’s the latter rather than the former.
It may be that we are going through an ‘expert glut’ right now. There are so many ‘experts’ that we have lost the ability to discern who is/is not real. It’s an interesting marketing tactic to establish yourself as an authority/expert but the reality is that many who claim they are … are not. But they rarely admit that because they are convinced that doing so will lose them your hard-earned dollars.
I’m not an expert.
What I am is a designer who continues to hone her craft and learns more about design each day/project. I’m a professional who realizes, and appreciates, that there are teachers to learn from.
What I know is that I know more about my craft than the average consumer/business owner does and ultimately s/he doesn’t care what my expertise is as long as I provide him/her with the end result s/he expected.
So why all the hyperbole about “expert” or “authority”? Because marketing says that’s what works.
How about stepping outside the box and being honest, real, and up front for a change?
It’s called ethics and integrity. I think healthy shots of that are important if not vital to our continued success.
