Adam’s Daily Post

I visited my hometown’s annual festival today.

And it reminded me of the importance of simplicity:

I recognised people doing the same thing there as they were on old childhood cine film reels from the same event. And they looked like they were loving it just as much as they did way back then.

Morris dancers. Maypole dancers. Accordion players. Balloon animal makers.

Their ambition was to be great at what they do, and that’s it.

Not great in terms of popularity, fortune and notoriety.

But great in terms of mastering their craft and bringing it to bear.

The creator economy can learn a lot from these elderly folks:

If you’re good, your tribe will show up every time. If you’re niche, you’ll be picked to do it every time.

Master your craft. Bring it to bear.

Dear indie product developers:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas Edison

This quote is around 100 years old.

That’s not all that long ago.

And despite all the advances since then, we still need to find 10,000 ways that OUR thing won’t work.

Don’t quit on your third attempt. There’s plenty of failure ahead to push through until you get the results you’re looking for.

Keep up the good work.

You know those rules you follow when building products?

Those aren’t rules. You don’t have to follow them.

You don’t need 100k followers. You need to connect with people you can help, and help them. ‘Followers’ is just an integer in a database.

Your tweets don’t need to be text. Your content can be anything you want it to be. Don’t be afraid to stand out.

Doing YouTube doesn’t need to be hardcore. Your channel, your rules. Build a cadence that works for you and those you serve.

Working 80 hours is not required. 40 is possible. 30 is possible. Plan for what you’d like to invest. You don’t have to compromise.

Money is not the measure of project success. You set a goal when you engage a project. If you achieve that goal, it succeeds.

Mediums can be mixed. I’m building courses that play like games, and educational videos that play like cartoons. Why not?

You’re not breaking the rules.

The rules weren’t there to begin with.

Before you head over to Google or YouTube to ‘research’…

Remember:

If your thing is worth creating, there probably isn’t a step-by-step tutorial for it.

Yes, there may be some best practices to keep in mind.

Yes, there may be some useful tips to pick up for your next project.

No, there are no shortcuts and secret tricks.

Here’s the big secret:

The only way to win is by trying, with discipline.

Get creating. You’ll learn so much more that way.

You achieve so much more in 3 hours of action than 30 days of dreaming.

But both are necessary.

30 days of dreaming may be happening while you’re doing other things. Your ideas are germinating. Your strategies are forming. This is the time for your vision to emerge and your plan to crystallise.

3 hours of action are where things actually happen.

If you don’t dream, your 3 hours will be wasted doing things that don’t matter.

If you don’t take action, the dreams also amount to nothing.

Both have a place.

Celebrate both.

Skip neither.

Marketing is like food.

Fast food (like fast marketing) might seem like a good idea for a short while, but too much of it and you (like your brand) will experience a decline in health.

Up-market restaurants (like premium marketing done by experienced artisans who love their craft) might seem expensive in the moment, but you’ll be talking about the meal for many years to come (like your customers will talk about your campaign).

There are many options in between these poles.

But most practitioners have an unhealthy diet.

Do you want a quick-fix, or do you want to be remembered long-term?

Invest your focus and resources accordingly.

Maybe you love building but hate distribution.

Maybe you love distribution but hate building.

One of these probably describes you better than the other.

Pretend you’re the other, for just a moment:

• What would you look forward to in the week?
• What would your plan for the week look like?
• What would be your favourite tasks and tools?
• How would it affect the thing you actually love doing?

Ooh, insightful.

How could you get some of those results in your real life, by learning to like the other side just a little bit more?

Darwin could have written this for 2023:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

The world continues to remain in flux, and many folks are getting tired of it.

They’re striking for raises. They’re off on stress. They’re arguing on Twitter over popular issues. They’re convinced they deserve to live like yesterday, today, and that it’s tomorrow’s problem.

But there are many other folks who aren’t tired of it.

They’re committed to their craft. They’re growing through hardship. They’re thankful for their families and what they have. They’re still doing right by others, especially when no one else is looking. They’re pivoting and responding to change, and glad of the opportunity to.

Perspective and virtue make all the difference.

Know when you go to YouTube for something, but click a homepage video instead?

Or when you watch a video ad to the end?

Pay attention:

• Edutaining (fun & informative)
• Good hook (you looked)
• Good delivery (you stayed)

Save them. Study them.

It’ll help your work spread.

People are desperate:

• tired of buying crap products
• tired of new-money-bro DMs
• tired of fake guarantees
• tired of obnoxious prices

Creators have the answer:

• pick a specific audience
• pick a specific problem
• solve it safely
• look after them

Creators are the ones who save us from a marketplace full of greedy, selfish corporations and entrepreneurs that pump out ill-conceived, marginalised, marked-up commodity products that hold us all back.

Creators are the new superheroes.