Archive of posts from October 2022

I was talking with a friend who works in jewellery and luxury goods last week.

When I asked how sales were going, I assumed the answer would be “down” - the British public have been grovelling to the government for help with their energy bills, so surely they aren’t buying expensive watches if they can’t keep the lights on?

They sure are!

Sales are through the roof.

Another reminder that people find what they need to get what they want.

There’s enough. You simply need to make things people want.

Good people are in short supply.

Partly because they often inadvertently self-destruct.

This is a quick reminder to not self-destruct.

It’s OK to charge money for your products and services. Stop trying to give everything away for free; people don’t value free, and so you’re ding them no favours making everything free. If you want to be good and help people, make an exchange and really help them.

It’s OK to cut bad partners and clients loose. Stop trying to save every lost puppy you come into contact with. Sticking with bad partners holds you back, and sticking with bad clients makes you long for the weekend. Cut them loose so you can help those who value you.

It’s OK to have an opinion that differs from the status quo. Stop trying to please everyone or throttle your enthusiasm for what matters. Many may not understand, but your work is not for them. Focus on those you serve so that you can serve them fully,.

Even Superman couldn’t be in two places at once.

Stay good. Stay the course.

Some creators show up and get discovered. For these creators, the work got picked up and found a life of its own. Their works take off suddenly and significantly. Count yourself very lucky if you’re one of these, as luck played a huge role in the process.

Some creators show up and uncover themselves. For these creators, luck wasn’t a key variable in their progress. Effort was. Drip by drip, they introduced people to the work themselves, achieving similar reach by their own hands.

Some creators don’t show up. For these creators, neither of the above circumstances sound relatable. They didn’t show up enough to become either.

Creator #1 and #2 are both great. I admire #2 the most.

If you’re #3, pursue #2, while knowing #1 may strike.

We’re all too afraid:

When you tweet, if you’re afraid of whether or not you’ll feel happy with the likes and RTs, there’s a problem. Tweet because it’s your voice, not because its what others want to hear.

When you create, if you’re afraid of the feedback others will share, there’s a problem. Create because you’re committed to your growth, not because of whether or not others will approve of your growth.

When you choose, if you’re afraid of what strangers will think, there’s a problem. Choose what is the highest moral good in accordance with nature, not what will appease strangers.

When in doubt, do it for the good it brings.

Sometimes all your work needs is a little nudge.

I signed up for Mastodon (decentralised social network) in 2017…

For whatever reason, I forgot about it.

But seeing the trending #twittermigration conversation talking about Mastodon gave me a little nudge.

And I got chatting on Mastodon again.

Don’t be afraid to give those who would benefit from your work a little nudge from time to time. It could be that they’ll really appreciate it. It could be that, for whatever reason, they just forgot. It could be that they’re your next big fan.

Sometimes all we need is a little nudge.

“Oh people might not respond well to that…”

“That might be a bit too exciting or fun for them…”

Who are these people?

And why are they the only ones receiving your consideration as you embark on creating your work?

Be careful about shooting down ideas you love, for people you don’t.

After all, you’re unlikely to have the resources to serve the entire marketplace anyway, so you might as well lean into your chosen few, and make something that will delight them.

Dare to make them think, “Oh my, this was made just for us!”

Dare to have a personality.

Ever find yourself agonising over a decision that isn’t, in the grand scheme of things, all that important?

Perhaps it’s whether or not to pick up a piece of software. Or maybe you can’t quite choose whether to paint your room white, pearl, porcelain, or alabaster.

Sometimes, time spent with these decisions is an expression of passion and care.

But more often, that time is an indicator that we’re dithering.

Perhaps the software isn’t the point, perhaps you’re stalling from the decisions your project really needs you to focus on. And perhaps the shade of white isn’t the point, perhaps you just really don’t enjoy painting.

What if we made the “dithering decisions” quickly, so we could spend more time on the work that matters most?

Love isn’t supposed to be rational, especially among craftsmen:

Some writers love Apple Notes but dislike Evernote. Evernote may technically do more for them, but a love for the essentialist form of the native, default option wins them over.

Some animators love Harmony but dislike Animate. Animate is simpler, like above, but a love for the unique, quirky, nothing-else-is-like-this world of Harmony wins them over.

Is simpler (like Notes) better? Or is complex (like Harmony) better?

There is no ‘better’, only ‘better for those you wish to serve’.

There is no singular, correct, rational path, only the leaning into your audience to discover what they love.

Don’t forget that you’re not building for rational minds, but ones that love to fall in love.

Endurance teaches us more about success than success does:

A ‘successful’ business (however you choose to measure it) can be so due to external funding and luck, or it can be so due to patience and sustainable, iterative learning. One teaches us more than the other.

A ‘successful’ marriage (however you choose to measure it) can be so due to lots of breaks and easy living, or it can be so due to learning to truly live and work as a team through thick and thin. One teaches us more than the other.

Endurance teaches us how to stay in the game, protect the downside, and stay committed to getting better in the face of adversity.

Learn how to endure.

I’ve had a lot of exposure to anonymous workers lately.

Pockets of the online world thrive on anonymity, regardless of profession or skill.

And I’ve discovered something about anonymity:

It reveals more about how people are:

People who are selfish become more selfish. They are less likely to honour their word, less likely to speak the truth, and less likely to come through for you when you need them.

People who are selfless become more selfless. They are more likely to speak up, more likely to donate their time and skills, and more likely to mobilise others who feel the same way.

When faced with fewer repercussions, people express more of their true intentions.

It reveals many great shames.

And it reveals beauty you should hold onto.

We celebrate Big more than Right.

Being Big is a popular goal for most businesses. Being Right for their choice of market comes second. Which is why those who prioritise being Right for their choice of market have to deal with growth.

Being Bigger in a market is a popular roadmap for most businesses. Being Righter in a market comes second. Which is why the pursuit of growth often comes with a sacrifice of ease and profitability, whereas the pursuit of becoming the perfect fit for those they serve usually ends up in near-effortless growth.

Big is a lousy goal. It’s a balm for the insecure.

Right is a great goal. It signals you deserve our attention.

Some things benefit from speed… Competitive environments where everyone’s rushing hastily toward a singular goal in a zero-sum game.

But most things benefit from calm. Environments where you’re not competing with the world, but building methodically toward a specific goal, alongside people who chose to go to that same destination, in the same timing.

One only works in short bursts, is exhausting, and may be a byproduct of a bigger problem that may hold you back from your best work.

The other works long-term, is enjoyable, compliments your life, and may be a precursor to something brilliant.

It’s a choice. You get to choose.

What’s your balance?

If you listen to online gurus and the loudest peers, you may feel that your desired balance is incorrect.

You may want to spend time with your family… but feel as though you should be working longer, harder, and better than you are.

You may want to earn a little less to gain a lot more free time… but feel as though that makes you a failure as a creator to want these things.

Behind every person is a story, and their story need not be yours.

Choose your own balance.

Being noisy on social is the popular way to grow an audience. But if it doesn’t work for you, you won’t like it - and who wants to create work they don’t even like?

Making promises you can’t keep is the popular way to get the deal. But if it doesn’t work for you, you won’t feel good about it - and who wants to do work they don’t feel good about?

Pursuing work you enjoy requires not filling it with activities you hate.

Remember that next time you feel like you need to ‘hack’ a guru or imitate an influencer.

Projects with a community only work when the community shows up. The community decides whether it wants to go where you want to go.

Projects with no community tend not to go anywhere, because there’s no feedback loop, no ears on the ground, no advocacy.

Maybe the focus shouldn’t be on “making the community want” what you’re doing.

Maybe trying to force it is the only failure.

Maybe the focus should be instead be on “the pursuit of things that people want, discarding the ideas and projects they don’t, so you can get to the right work”.

Maybe the willingness to kill work in favour of getting closer to your right-fit people is the only success.

The funny thing about ‘that thing’…

You know… the thing you’re afraid of doing…

The thing you keep trying to find other ways around, so that you don’t have to do it…

The thing you convince yourself you can do just fine without…

…that thing?

That’s the thing standing in your way.

What would happen if you overcame it?

Either adversity eats you for breakfast,

Or you eat adversity for breakfast.

Which is it to be?

Sometimes it’s the little things.

“You reply to tweets!” Most people are busy delegating their social media. Every interaction with my Twitter comes from me personally. The little things that go a long way in showing you care.

“You listen to your community!” Most people are eager to “free themselves” from having to “manage” their communities, if they’re fortunate enough to have them. But they don’t need managing… they need loving. The little things go a long way in showing you care.

“This is such a calm space, it’s my new home!” Most people are shouting for attention, amping up anyone who will listen, desperate for more to listen. But being a calm presence in peoples lives, simply working hard to make their lives better… the little things go a long way.

If spending time with your people isn’t your thing, maybe you don’t deserve their time.

But if spending time with your people is your thing, maybe they’ll be eager for your attention when they realise the others just wouldn’t care enough.

We have more power than we think.

If you love certain types of project, and wish you saw more of them, vote for them. Use your attention, amplification, and money and cast your vote.

If you love certain types of creators, builders and founders, vote for them. Follow them around, cheer them on, buy their things and cast your vote.

It’s easy to let someone else go first and join in the success cheers.

And it’s easy to wish someone else went first and wish that something you quietly loved was successful.

And it’s easy to cast your vote and invest in the kind of future you want to live in.

It’s all easy…

…You get to choose which kind of easy you’d like to pursue.

What’s enough?

A fan of my work made an interesting remark today that got me thinking.

He remarked, in good taste and in honour, that he hopes one of our upcoming projects will “add ten houses” to our portfolio.

This is a very lovely comment, intended to share good spirits and high hopes for the performance of the project’s launch.

And I was interested to notice my knee-jerk response was to say, “Yet I can only live in but one house at a time.”

Seneca the Elder wrote that the “measure of wealth” is “first, to have what is necessary; and, second, to what what is enough.”

I don’t need eleven houses. I’m not driven by ‘more stuff’. I love my family, my philosophy, and the process of creating things that (I believe) are meaningful. This is enough.

Knowing what “enough” is can unlock untold freedoms in your days, liberating you from empty pursuits that distract you from what you love.

What’s enough for you?

Bear markets aren’t bad markets.

They’re just bad markets for deploying bull market strategies.

But they’re amazing for deploying bear market strategies when most are still deploying bull market ones.

Those who coasted on reputations built in bull markets are yielding to the bear market builders prepared to love their communities more deeply.

Those who only know how to sell in bull markets are yielding to the bear market builders who cut their teeth on bear market norms.

The bear market builders who have meaningful work to share with their chosen few have an opportunity to expand while so many are contracting.

That bear market builder might just be you.

If you love creating, you’ve already won. The outcome and market response don’t affect you, you get to do it again tomorrow.

If you love spending time with your community, you’ve already won. You’ll never be far from the feedback you need to make your work fly.

If you love the process, the outcome doesn’t matter, and takes care of itself.

Industries have lines in the sand that define bodies of work from each other, so that the market knows roughly what to expect inside.

Thats what industries are.

But if you only play inside the lines, you miss huge amounts of opportunity.

For instance, a restaurant thinks its competing with restaurants as a place to eat, when it’s also competing with the movie theatre and bowling alley as a way to be entertained for an hour.

Your work may fit inside the lines… But so much innovation and opportunity can be found by ignoring the lines, for just a moment.

Some lines need to be followed. Like the lines on the road.

As for the rest, try ignoring them and see what magic happens.

What do creators and runners have in common?

Some sprint, some run marathons:

Different focus: Sprinters go fast, marathon runners go far. Creators get to choose whether what kind of race they want to run, and shouldn’t be jealous of creators who chose a different type of race.

Different muscles: Sprinters are high-twitch, marathon runners are low-twitch. Creators get to choose what skills and environments to thrive in, and learn from people who are playing the same game.

Different heart rate: Sprinters have high heart rates, marathon runners tick slower. Whether a short exhilarating ride or long voyage is your preference as a creator, let it be what it is once you’ve chosen.

They are not the same. We are not the same.

Create in the way that best suits the race you’re running.

A great brand takes a long time to build and maintain. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the time… we need only decide if the brand is worthy of our time.

A great skill takes a long time to master and maintain. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the time… we need only decide if the skill is worthy of our time.

A great relationship takes a long time to nurture and maintain. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth our time… we need only ensure it’s the right relationship for us.

We don’t get infinite time, after all.

Sometimes, it’s better when the goal isn’t the goal.

**When the goal is the goal, we lose control. **Needing a project or business to succeed puts the keys to your happiness in the market’s pocket. Needing to be seen as a good father puts you in constant need for external validation.

**When the goal isn’t the goal, we gain everything we want. **That project or business gets a better shot at success when our happiness is found in the process, not the outcome. We may be better parents if we focus on the right actions, not merely those which attract praise.

What goals are you pursuing at the moment?

What if you made those goals…not the goal?

Which is the best tool for the job?

Is it the one with the most features? Not necessarily. Having all of the features may not mean you’ll want to use them. It may not mean you’ll be able to find them, or that you won’t be intimidated by them.

**Is it the one thats easiest to use? **Not necessarily. Easy may not mean you can do what you need. Easy may mean it adopted opinions that don’t match yours, or constraints that get in your way.

**It’s the one you’ll actually use. **It works when you use it. It’s not a mess when you return to it. Your peers are happy to use it with you if appropriate. It’s something you want to use.

Never mind what’s best. Find what you’ll actually use, and show us what you can do with it.

The more you talk to popular brands, the more you realise:

Things are not as they appear.

They’re hurting. From the market conditions. From one global disaster to another without breaks. From rapid shifts in customer behaviour.

They’re unclear. About what is going on. About what is going to happen next. About how to chart a path forward that will work without a map.

They’re afraid. Of the upstarts. Of what the future holds. Of whether or not they’ll have the innovation and execution to stay relevant.

So. If you’re feeling any of these things in your work, you’re not alone.

Keep going, friend.

That project you’re working on… are you doing it right?

We ask ourselves this all the time.

But it’s a trick-question.

You might create slow, artisanal pieces that a select few adore. It’s not wrong because someone else prefers to make fast, cheap commodities.

You might want to work and spend time with your family. It’s not wrong because an Internet guru said you should hustle more.

You may want a modest income on your own terms. It’s not wrong because a business magazine said you should raise funds and try to build a “unicorn”.

I animate in Harmony, you may use TVPaint. I code in plain text, you may use an IDE. I like long-term positive-sum partnerships, you may prefer cheap outsourcing. I like the peace of debt-free, you may prefer the leverage of an overexposed position. I like macOS, you may prefer like Windows. None of this matters.

There may a few ways of doing it “wrong” (crime, for instance, notorious for being “a bad idea”) but there is no “right way.”

Just “your way.”

What does it take?

Less than you think.

Launching your product idea doesn’t take as much as you think. Whether you buy time with money, buy money with time, or some combination of the two, you can do abundantly more than you think you can, with less than you think you need.

Developing new skills doesn’t take as much as you think. Whether it’s something you have some clue about or not, learning to be comfortable with feeling lost (knowing you’ll find your way if you keep at it) is the skill that unlocks a thousand skills.

Whatever you’re working on right now… if you’re fearful of the market we’re in, just remember…

It takes less than you think.

You might worry about what people may think if your idea flops, or your post doesn’t hit…

But people will probably forget all about it, almost immediately.

Even the biggest online personalities aren’t being thought about by anyone when they’re not actively consuming.

Even the biggest names in history aren’t being thought about by anyone for most of the time.

May this realisation give you permission to create.

And to post more often, if you choose.

And to try new things. Even if they carry a high chance of failure.

And to not worry for even a second if they don’t go to plan.

They forgot.

Go again.