We are constantly researching and discovering new creative people in our line of work. The ones who rise to the surface usually have something in common.

The designers, artists, illustrators, photographers and animators who get noticed either:

A. Are extremely talented or skilled

B. Have a “thing”

C. Have a “thing” and are extremely good at it

It’s the exceptions that get attention.

To find a story newsworthy, a journalist needs an angle. For your work to stand out, you need an angle, too. That leaves you with one of the three above options: Option B.

Now the tricky part is, you can’t necessarily fake or force this 'thing'. The people who become known for their niche usually don’t start out with the desire to become known. They are simply pursuing a weird, unusual, singular interest – and going all-in on that.

The point is that y...