Author: Dan Blank

Something happened this week that stunned me. On a whim, I decided to reach out to an old friend, and invite him as a guest on my podcast.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this. When I met him nearly 10 years ago, he was young, in his early 20s, and we met because we kept bumping each other at Glen Hansard shows in New York. Glen is a singer who became known for his role and songs in the movie Once. Jason and I were super fans of Glen’s work, so we would meetup hours before the shows to wait by the stage door to catch a moment with Glen, and then wait for hours after the show to meet members of the band.

Now, there is something you need to know about Jason. He’s 6 feet 9 inches tall, and probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet. His enthusiasm is just over the top… as is his height.

When I met him all those years ago, he was just starting school to go into acting. We stayed in contact, and I followed his career progress via social media updates. Then he shared something not too long ago which blew me away. This is Jason, on the right:

I thought it would be fun to interview Jason and ask him about how he got from the place of being a kid from Tennessee who dreamed of being an actor, to co-starring in a movie next to The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson.)

But I wasn’t expecting all of what Jason shared with me. His story just astounded me; his advice was so much more than I ever could have expected. I recorded the interview on Wednesday, with the intention of sharing it in mid-September. But the next morning I felt a compelling need to share this right now. So I spend the last 24 hours rushing through production on the podcast episode and this post.

I want to share some of what Jason told me below, the things that left my jaw on the floor, and the advice that I found most actionable.

Some background on Jason: He got his big break by being cast in Men in Black III, and — today — is celebrating the release of his new movie Death Note, where he plays the villian who was so complex, that it required two actors to play the role: Jason and Willem Dafoe. Here is Jason (left) holding Willem, along with Death Note’s director:

To get a sense of how big this movie is, here is a photo of Jason seeing a 10-story tall billboard of his character from Death Note in the middle of Times Square last week:

That movie with The Rock? It will release next year, and is called Rampage. (more on that from Dwayne Johnson’s Instagram feed: here and here.)

If you are thinking, “Dan, I’m a writer, what do I care about this actor friend of yours?” I encourage you to listen to what Jason shares. This is not only a wonderful story of success, but he shares specific tactics that I think every writer and creative professional NEEDS to use if they hope to find success. You can listen to the interview above or here on iTunes; here are some highlights:

• “I got Death Note by calling a [creature] shop that someone recommended. They said they were too busy, call back in a couple months. Then the next week, on a Saturday, they called and asked what my availability was for the next four months, and if I could come in Monday morning. They had no idea who I was the week before. I said I was definitely free, because I was working at Outback Steakhouse full time when this happened. I had no idea [that Death Note] was going on when I stopped by.”
• He dealt with anxiety and panic attacks in middle school, high school and college. He actually had to leave college because of the the anxiety. Seeing how his entire line of work is about performing in front of an audience, this was astounding to me.
• How a director of theater program at a big school told Jason flat out, “You are too tall for film. Forget about it.” How did he move ahead after such bad advice? He went to Broadway shows, waited outside the stage door and ask world famous actors such as Jame Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Jeff Daniels, and others: “Am I too tall for film?” Every one of them said, “Not at all. Just do it.” As it turns out, Jason’s height is a primary factor that is getting him so many of his roles.
• How he is able to spot and approach famous actors on the street and ask them for advice. An example, “Bryan Cranston talked for about 20 minutes giving me advice when I bumped into him in Central Park with his wife, because he knew I was a young actor.” He has done this with Michael Fassbender, Daniel Day Lewis, and others as well. To me, this was a reminder to use the opportunities that are all around you. Jason didn’t have any special access, and he didn’t let himself be constrained by perceived “rules” that you can’t approach people and ask them a question.
• His first job was as a stand-in. Later on this, same company got him his his spot in Men in Black III as well as his first commercial. I can imagine Jason saying “no” to a stand-in role because it is too small. But if he had, he never would have gotten Men in Black III, never would have established his relationships with people who were critical to future roles in his career.
• Why he says that more people need to get involved in the business side of their creative profession. How, in his field, you can be an amazing actor who never gets work, because you never learn about how to make the right connections. Or vice versa, you can be a mediocre actor who always gets work because you understand how the business operates.
• How he developed relationships in the film industry with this strategy: “I would do anything to get experience: student films, non-paying plays — anything.”
• The thing that made all the difference for him: “The biggest thing that I did was to get to know people in the creature shops. Sometimes, the creature shops would be responsible for identifying the actor to play specific roles. Getting to know them, I can bypass producers, casting directors, and others. I learned who all the shops are, and keep in touch with them.”

Thank you to Jason for taking the time to share your story and advice.
You can find Jason in the following places:
Instagram
IMDB

Thanks!
-Dan

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There has been a quote ringing in my head for awhile now: “Not only does it not get any easier, it actually gets harder.”

That is from Dani Shapiro, reflecting on on the desire that nearly every writer and artist has. When you are working so hard to try to create work you can be proud of, and develop a career around it, you often hope to reach a place where everything isn’t such a struggle.

Where it is easier to create, easier to feel validated, easier to reach your audience, easier to get your next book deal, or client, or exhibit, or the like; to where it is easier to earn money from your craft.

Dani’s quote is a cold splash of water on that desire. That, as you get more successful, it may, at times, actually becomes more difficult to create; to reach people; to get another deal; to feel that any of this is sustainable.

Why has her quote been ringing in my head? Because I am 7 years into running my own company that surrounds my creative work, and 12 years of sending out my newsletter every week, I can still be completely blindsided by what works and why.

Last week, I wrote a post that told the story of the moment everything changed for my career. At 5am the morning it was going to be sent, I had this sudden feeling that this post is not what my readers want. I worried that it didn’t offer a tip-driven and useful solution to an immediate problem they had. That perhaps it was too self-involved, and too broad — focusing on career overall.

But it was scheduled, so I let it go out.

I was absolutely blown away by the response. Email after email came in, with people thanking me for the post. Two people told me that the post just changed their life. I had friends say, “Boy, I’ll bet you had a lot of feedback from that one,” And I emailed back, “How did you know that?!?!” As if they had a sixth sense that I didn’t.

Dani talks about her own experience navigating this:

“There isn’t one single piece of writing that I have done in the last 20 years, that did not begin with my thinking, “Here goes nothing, this time this is not going to work. Whether it’s a book review, an essay, a blog post, or a book. That feeling that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here.”

I mean, can you imagine this? In case you don’t know who Dani is, this is her:

Oh, did you notice the woman to her right? Oprah!

I mean, look at all that Dani has accomplished, it is stuff that every writer has every dreamed of:

Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of the memoirs Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage, Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, One Story, Elle, The New York Times Book Review, the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and has been broadcast on “This American Life”.  Dani was recently Oprah Winfrey’s guest on”Super Soul Sunday.” She has taught in the writing programs at Columbia, NYU, The New School and Wesleyan University; she is co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. A contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveler, Dani lives with her family in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Today I want to recommend that you become completely obsessed with Dani Shapiro’s work. Why? Because she talks about the emotional side of the creative process in a way that I think every writer and artist needs to hear. I am encouraging you to do two things:

THING #1

Read her book Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life.

THING #2

Watch my interview with Dani here:

Or you can listen to the podcast by clicking ‘play’ below, or in the following places:

• iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify
• Stitcher

In the conversation, we dig into so much, including:

• It is difficult for many people to give themselves permission to be called a “writer.”
• How many writers can feel held captive by their own “inner censor,” which keeps shifting, morphing, and changing as your career progresses.
• How she engages with others in-person and online, even though she is an introvert.
• How she has been “practicing the word “no.” And not attaching the word “sorry” to it. I’m learning about what it means to set a boundary.”
• Why she encourages writers to find a “rhythm and ritual” to write, because without them, “The space [to write] will not magically appear. If I don’t make the space to get the writing done, then the rest of it doesn’t work at all.”
• Why an internet connection can be so corrosive to one’s writing: “The instrument on which we are composing can, with one click, take you completely elsewhere. Before you even know what you have done. That is what is so insidious about it. With the flick of your index finger, you can be somewhere else. Most writers I know struggle with it.”
• Why “Waiting for inspiration is a surefire way to ensure work does not get done. I think inspiration is a fallacy. The number of times I have sat down feeling completely uninspired and then had a good day’s work probably equal the number of time when I sat down thinking “I’ve got it!” then had to undo everything that I did in that state. We are very often not the best judges of when we will do good work. A rhythm establishes a way of taking that question off the table.”
• Why she concludes: “It is a great gift, and it carries with it real risks, to live a creative life.”

Author Jon Acuff says this: “One of the cheapest, fastest ways to change your life is to read a book.” I strongly encourage you to read Dani’s book, Still Writing. Listen to the podcast. If you are wondering, “Gee Dan, how can I break through what is holding me back with my creative work,” I think you and your work will be changed by what she shares.

Thanks.
-Dan

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Samantha Hahn is a Brooklyn-based illustrator, creative director, and author. If you are someone who wants to pursue your creative vision, while also earning a living and raising a family, then you have to listen to what Samantha shares.

I was blown away by how she balanced so many practical aspects of developing her career and working within the marketplace, along with the ways that she stays inspired and nurtures her personal and creative needs.

When I researched her background in preparing for the interview, I realized why: growing up, her mother was a commercial artist, and her father worked in the music industry. It’s as if her childhood had been an apprenticeship at the crux of creativity and commerce. There is so much to learn from her experience!

As I went through the recording of our conversation, I kept coming back to these two quotes from Samantha — how they balance two critical sides of what it means to be a creative professional:

• “Nurturing the artist inside you is an essential part of the creative process.”
• “There is always this fear that you are standing on a precipice, and that any moment, you can completely fall off. I don’t want to be driven by fear, but to be a commercial artist, there does need to be that hustle attitude. If you don’t have a constant output of work, the industry is a moving freight train, and it is going to pass you by.”

Ooomph. Listening to Samantha is like taking a masterclass in developing your career and your artistic vision. Here is some of what we discuss in our chat:

• Getting comfortable with discomfort while building a creative career
• The art of serving clients and still carving out time for creative projects
• The attitude working artists need in order to stay focused and relevant
• The healthy habit of getting outdoors
• How she manages her days while working from home, with a spouse who works from home as well
• How becoming a parent has changed how she defines success
• How “artists have an itch that cant be scratched” that constantly drives them forward as they seek to realize their creative vision
• The challenge of balancing one’s identity with “accolades, or social media followers, approval from the outside world”
• Why she needs to be malleable because the industry is always changing
• How she manages time with her family, focusing on essentials for profession, family, and personal fulfillment.
• How she characterizes how social media effects revenue for a creative professional: “We use social media as our way of sharing our work. That is where you need to separate your true identify from how you are perceived. I have seen artists who have an astronomical amount of followers, and I don’t necessarily see that it translates to a huge amount of work commercially. And I have seen people with stunning work, who don’t have a lot of followers. It’s not as simple as how many followers you have translates to how successful you are.”
• How she refills her creative well of inspiration
• Why communication skills are key for her professional collaborations
• How she views books as a side project that stems from her personal passions, even if they are a tremendous amount of work
• Why she says, “You have to learn to be comfortable with discomfort.”
• Her thoughts on social media: “It is so beautiful how social media can connect me with artists across the world.”

You can find Samantha in the following places:
samanthahahn.com
samanthahahncreative.com
Instagram
Pinterest
Her books:

• A Mother is a Story: A Celebration of Motherhood
• Stories for my Child: A Mother’s Memory Journal
• Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction’s Most Beloved Heroines

Note: this interview was recorded a little while back, so her kids are a bit older now, and she has been focusing more of her attention on her creative direction work in addition to illustration.

Thanks!
-Dan

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How do you forge your own path to success with your creative work? Today on The Creative Shift Podcast, I talk to Elise Blaha Cripe, who tells us how she turned a blog into platform, a podcast, and a series of products that has helped her thrive. But more than that, I was blown away by her reflection on what she has built, after 10+ years: “I have felt more and more fulfilled by the work that I am doing.”

You can listen to the podcast by clicking ‘play’ below, or in the following places:

• iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify
• Stitcher

Elise Blaha Cripe is a crafter and founder of the Get to Work Book, a daily planner and goal-setting journal. Among her many accomplishments:

• She has blogged for more than 12 years, with more than 3,000 posts.
• She has published more than 125 podcast episodes
• She has launched an unending list of craft projects
• She developed and successfully launched a new brand

In this time, she moved from being a person who shows you the behind-the-scenes of craft projects, to someone at the helm of a big standalone product line. It’s a powerful creative shift.

At every point in this interview, I noted how Elise doubled down on her creative vision and herself. In our talk today, we discuss:

• How the idea for her most successful product came by following her passion, and a talk that she gave at an event.
• How she found a niche for her product in an otherwise crowded marketplace.
• Her mindset as she invested $45,000 in a new product, without worrying too much if she would be able to sell it.
• How she framed the risk involved in growing her business: “If I had lost it all, that would have been awful, but we would have been okay.”
• How she slowly built up to a larger project via a series of small experiments and learning slowly: “There was no way that I could have gone from never selling anything, to diving into something this huge. I was only able to do that because I had done smaller things over and over again.”
• We talked a lot about anxiety and the reality of being a creative professional; Elise described it this way:, “You lose sleep all the time. That is part of running a business. My customer service motto is: What decision can I make right now that will help me sleep tonight. Whatever that is, it is often expensive and frustrating, but if I do that, then I will be able to sleep.”
• We talked about how she identifies collaborators and works with others.
• I was surprised to learn how small her team is: one part-time virtual assistant, and (drumroll please) her mom, who helps out with shipping! (Don’t you love that?!)
• How she manages running a full-time business while working from home with two young kids.
• The work ethic she had that lead to her blog’s success: “To me, writing a blog was like getting up and going to work. You don’t feel good, but you still go. That was the habit it was for me.”
• How she launched her own business. She moved across the country and launched her business with the assumption: “My husband and I moved across the country, so I would have had to find a new job. We made this agreement: If I can make for myself what I was making at my last job, then I don’t have to get a real hob. That was my 1-year trial to see if I can make $30,000. That is when I decided it was going to be more serious. That is when I got more determined to do projects on a bigger scale.”
• Why she says, “I am so not an overnight success story. I am a 10-year success story. It feels good, but it has been slow.”
• On what she has learned by interviewing guests in her podcast about creative businesses: “Im very aware that none of this is magic. I’m aware of how the sausage gets made. It’s fun and refreshing to see that people have the same struggles that I do.”
• Her advice to the number one problem that she hears from people who read her blog or listen to her podcast: that they have too many ideas.
• How she deals with negative comments.
• Her parting advice: “No matter where you are at, and no matter what you are working on, you are always scared. You are always striving for more. You never get to a place where you say “It’s all easy now.” That isn’t reality. There is always this thing that you are growing towards. While you never fully make it, you have to appreciate how far you have come. there is so much value in looking back and reflecting on the things you have done.”

Thank you Elise for sharing your wisdom and your journey with us!

You can find Elise at the following places:
GetToWorkBook.com
elisejoy.com
Blog
Podcast
Instagram
Twitter

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