Do you know who you are talking to? I am the most powerful person in the industry. I will do anything to destroy your career and make sure you never get any job after what you did.
Okay. I understand you with this one, right? It sounds scary, and I know it. But relax, I won’t destroy your career. Instead, I’ll talk about situations in which you’ll hear this being said, and what you should do when someone tells you they’re going to completely ruin you as a creator. Sometimes that sucks, and sometimes, it’s a baseless claim that you can ignore.
The first time I heard this said to me, I was terrified. You will too, so accept it and continue reading this article. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid of someone who says they’ll ban you from working. 
To your relief, no one can ruin your career. But some people can do things to slow you down or prevent you from getting the work done from your previous clients. This includes dealers, especially dealers. You will have to have a skill set that allows and helps you get the job regardless of the circumstances. There are two types of people who will say they will destroy your career: those who have the power to influence it and those who have absolutely no power at all.
When they don’t have the power to influence your career in any way
Without getting too personal with my photography career, I’ve heard the phrase “I’ll ruin your career and your reputation” from people who frankly don’t have the power to do so. Sometimes they will be members of the crew or just individuals who think too much of themselves. The most they can do is call your crew and throw shade at you. If you know the crew, which I suggest you do, you’ll hear about it from them. 99% of the time, a person who doesn’t have any power to do anything for your cause (for better or worse), won’t do anything but make stupid claims. 
In order to attract more people to this group, you need to talk to the group personally, customers, etc. Never let anyone do it for you. No matter how good they are, no one can speak for you without your knowledge. Meet with clients, go out for coffee, and never let someone represent you without your authority over that representative. This applies to agents who say they will “take care of the communication,” What will happen is your network will depend on one person. That is not safe.
When they have some power to influence your career
So, if you’ve made the mistake of letting someone represent you to the point where they can pass their lies as your claims, listen. I was there too.
This person has the real power to negatively affect your career. And, if they’re stupid enough to do it, they will. If they have prevented you from completing some work, what you need to know is that they are not going to stop. Blocking that person completely from seeing what you’re doing or even where you are is the best way to proceed. You should not call the same person you think they called and explained the situation. Just let it be for now. Read on to find out what you should do.
What should you do?
Immediately when it was happening, nothing. Let it be and focus on working with people who know you as a person and trust you. Over time, here are some steps to take:
Find new markets
There are many customers who like your work. Losing a number for any reason, even something as stupid as misrepresentation, doesn’t mean you don’t have any future customers. If you live in Europe, it’s as simple as looking at cities and countries near you. I have client bases in Germany, Austria and Hungary. These three clients do not combine on a (mostly) individual level. Even if there’s a storm in one of these ports, I still have two others to lean on. The beauty of being a photographer is that you can break into a new and fast-growing market in it if you’re good at it. So don’t be afraid to write marketing emails for new people in new markets. The more diverse your customers are, the better. 
Find different income streams
This doesn’t just apply to situations when someone is trying to ruin your career (remember they can’t), it’s generally good crisis management and avoidance techniques. Because the creative industry is a very volatile one, you should have income from other activities. This could be a part-time job, teaching, writing, YouTube, or anything else you can do. It’s a good idea to rent real estate if you have some. Ask yourself: if photography disappears tomorrow, how much can I continue without selling off my assets? If the answer is anything other than “months, with expenses severely cut,” you should think seriously about adding other sources of income. A good plan would be to add as many things as possible and make them about 30% of what you earn each year. This is useful for the quiet months, as well as those times when someone tries to ruin your career.
Problems Ruining Someone’s Career (Why It Makes They Look Dumb)
The problem is that in both cases, when someone tries to destroy your career, they are making the situation worse for themselves. Just imagine you get a call from someone and hear, “do not work with this person.” What might follow is a 40-minute rambling about how bad they are. That rambling will likely be filled with twisted quotes, inaccuracies, and just outright lies. If someone has the time to do that, they can be known for twisting quotes, misrepresenting, and outright lies. You can also think of a few such people. 
All it does is ruin the person’s reputation and cast them in a bad light. No one wants to be a part of a dramatic scandal, especially a client or agency. All they care about is getting pictures. To date, none of the clients I know have been interested in any small talk. Someone sassy is making it worse for themselves when they destroy trust. Don’t make small talk, children.
Final Notes
So you have it. No one can destroy your career. Sure, they can hurt it, but nothing in excess. If anything, you are your worst enemy. A good mantra is that you create everything that happens to you. So please, build your own career and stop whining that someone is trying to destroy it. They can not.
