Author: Dan Blank

It’s so easy to justify not sharing about your writing or creative work. To hide away, and conclude that doing so is a smart move:

• “Shouldn’t I be writing my next book, not posting on social media? I heard it doesn’t really sell books anyway.”
• “I’m not reaching out to other authors. What I want is readers, not writers.”
• “I hate email. I’m not launching a newsletter. Everyone I know hates email too.”
• “Podcasts? I mean, unless I get on (insert name of super huge podcast), I don’t see how it will help me sell a single book. I’m not bothering.”
• “There is so much going on in the world. Who wants to hear about me and my book? It would be insensitive of me to even share about it now.”

When we don’t share about our creative work, is it any wonder that it languishes? That it feels like something that so few people know about. That opportunities are few and far between. That the market — even the world — seems out of sync with what you write and create?

Today, I want to encourage you to step into your creative identity with bravery. To celebrate your unique creative voice. And to share that voice from a place of deep authenticity because it truly matters to you, and likely, will matter to someone else.

In working with writers for more than 20 years, I feel that one of the biggest things that stand in the way of a writer developing a public identity and sharing is this: social fear. Why? Because choosing to share opens ourselves up to judgement. Or we worry that nothing we share can adequately communicate the depth of our work. Or we fear that we will share and people simply won’t care.

Is it a risk to share? Yes. But I think that risk is worth taking.

What does it feel like to step into your creative identity?

So many people try on the roles of “writer” or “artist” or “creator,” as if it is this article of clothing, like a smock that magically allows you embody that role when you have it on, but then the identity slips away when you take it off. It becomes a hidden aspect of yourself, one that you try to squeeze into your life, between all the other activities and responsibilities which often crowd out your creativity. So many people who write and create only discuss it with those around them if the perfect moment comes up, where they feel it is safe and welcome, where validation feels completely accessible.

Stepping into creative identity with bravery means honoring that place deep inside you that calls you to write and create. It is the recognition that your creative work matters. It is acknowledging that someone may be moved by what you create, that it may be the respite they need in an otherwise overwhelming day.

In embracing your creative identity more fully, you learn to talk more easily and eloquently about not just what you create, but why it matters so much. You find that there is more to say than you ever thought possible, and that it triggers conversations that other people want to have.

It means not waiting for permission or validation from others. Not caring if something you share gets any ‘likes,’ or not. You are stepping off the sidelines, and not waiting for others around you share about creativity first, to make it “safe.” It means not hiding in doing the minimum to share your work, or relying on widely accepted “best practices” as the only way to live this identity.

Simple ways to talk about your creative work

What does stepping into your creative identity look like on a practical level? Well, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to be polarizing, you don’t have to seek out the spotlight, and you don’t have to be self-promoting.

The first step, of course, is to simply write and create. Then, casually mention that to those around you. Talk about your process with nuance, helping to focus people on the journey, not the destination.

I mean, how often have you heard your favorite singer or actor answer a question with a depth that moved you. Maybe the interviewer says something that focuses only on the destination: “Do you think the movie will do well at the box office?” Then the actor slows it down and redirects in their answer. They say something like, “It’s funny. For this role, I had to spend 6 months preparing for the character. Some of that was research for historical accuracy, but I also worked diligently with a voice coach to get the accent just right. When this movie comes out, my hope is that someone in the audience sees a bit of themselves in this character. That it gives them a moment of hope. I can’t control what happens at the box office, but I work really hard to try to encourage that special moment to happen on screen, on that will truly move someone in the audience.”

An answer like that isn’t just avoiding the question. It is bringing people into the process. It is showing layers of depth. It is reflecting on the power of cinema. Plus, it is all very honest and direct.

For your own work, be open to telling stories of where you are in the process, because people often don’t know. So when someone you know says, “When is your book coming out?!” instead of shrinking away, help them understand the process. For instance, “So I’m finishing up a chapter, and then I have to write a query letter to literary agents. Those are the people that will help me present my book to publishers. My goal is to start reaching out to agents on March 1st. I’m kind of excited and kind of terrified. Honestly, the process to even get a publisher can easily take a year.”

This isn’t just about educating people on the process, it is about preparing for the next conversation. That if the same person asks about your writing a month from now, they aren’t confronting you with the same question of “So! When is your book coming out!” They know to ask about agents, they understand the timeline. This also allows you to go deeper with them about the creative process.

Now, it’s common for writers and creators to be nervous about sharing about their creative work with family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. They worry about judgement, impostor syndrome, and so much else. So why am I encouraging this? Well, one way to consider this is through Bronnie Ware’s “Top 5 Regrets of the Dying.” As a palliative caregiver, these are the regrets she heard again and again from those who were near life’s end:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

To me, so many on this list are about celebrating your unique creative voice. They are reasons to feel good about sharing about your writing and creative work, and why it matters.

Are You Building Connections, or Building Walls?

Stepping into one’s identity is not just about stated values, it is about how you connect with the world and develop relationships. With social media changing so much, I see so many people leaving different networks. Which, of course, is fine. But what I consider is this: how else are you building connections?

When things change, sometimes we can react by closing down. By doing less. By becoming more suspect. Then building higher walls around ourselves because we are surprised that something we invested in is changing in a way we don’t like.

The justifications, of course, are sound: to feel safe, to feel protected, to diminish that which scares us.

Something I spend a lot of time considering and acting on: how can I develop meaningful connections and collaborations. The realities of this are often rather simple, but deeply meaningful. For instance, it may be a choice to schedule a long conversation with a friend, instead of endlessly scrolling online. Or reaching out via email or direct message to tell someone I admire their work, instead of simply clicking “like.”

When we leave a social network, we separate from those we knew there. Are you reaching out to them in other ways, even via email, direct messages, phone, or in person? Are you finding a way to honor and continue those relationships in a new manner?

We have the opportunity to dream it all up again

One of the most radical shifts I’ve ever seen in music is the transition that U2 made from their work in the 1980s, to that in the 1990s. Now, you may not like U2, or you may not like Bono, but I think this story matters, so please be patient with me if you aren’t a fan.

The band played a few final shows at the end of 1989 before a lengthy break. In their hometown of Dublin, they played on December 30th and 31st, 1989, and Bono gave a few hints at a radical shift they were embarking on:

“Here she comes, the future. Forget about the past, we’re going to celebrate the future… The only limits are the limits of our imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud, at high volume… This is the end of something for U2, we have to go away and dream it all up again.”

After being earnest musicians focused on important issues, they switched to being glitzy provocateurs. They didn’t slowly wade into these waters, they unleashed it. I was a college radio DJ in 1991 when an early copy of their album Achtung Baby arrived. It was eye-opening and mesmerizing, a total departure from how I knew them before.

If you look at the photo of Bono above, maybe you see a famous and wealthy guy, someone who is brash and overconfident. But in that moment and the year that followed, he and the band took an enormous creative risk. Bono later reflected on that period of reinvention:

“You have to reject one expression of the band first, before you get to the next expression. And in between you have nothing. You have to risk it all.”

When you are in the middle of a creative threshold, it can feel terrifying. As you cast away the safety of the life you knew, it can feel vulnerable. It would be reasonable to consider slowing down and waiting, to opt for inaction.

But what I have been considering is that in period of transition, there is possibility — the potential to create and share what truly matters to you. To connect with those who inspire you and support the themes that light you up. To develop your voice and share your work in a manner that truly connects with people.

As things change, what if is this is an opportunity for each of us to dream it all up again? To look at change with intention, instead of reaction. To make a radical shift, one that is more honest and direct, where you step into your unique creative voice with bravery.

This past week I started my Creative Shift Mastermind group, getting to know the writers and creators who joined. It has felt sooooooo wonderful having this private space to focus on doubling down on our creative work. To share and collaborate day by day. I’m seeing new connections form, and we are going deep into getting clarity on each person’s creative goals. It’s a process that asks difficult questions about our assumptions, and how we can achieve what we hope to. But that is the work. To show up, to collaborate, to make progress each week. And doing it together feels kind of magical. (You can sign up for the early interest list for the next session in May here.)

I work with writers because I am deeply inspired by those who take the risk to create. To tell stories — real or otherwise — that matters to them, and likely, to others.

Books occupy this wondrous place in our culture, and those who write and publish them are stepping out into the light in a way that is inspiring and terrifying. One of my biggest core beliefs is to celebrate that each of us have a unique creative voice.

At a time of transition when it can feel right to play it safe, to do less, to close down and protect, I encourage you to do the opposite: to step into your creative identity with bravery. To develop your unique creative voice, and connect with those who will be inspired by it.

Please let me know in the comments: what do you think the greatest positive outcome of sharing your voice and your writing or creative work could be?

For my paid subscribers this week I shared a mini-case study on how to craft an online presence that reflects your writing and creative work, and feels authentic to who you are. You can view a preview of it here, or become a paid subscriber.

Thank you for being here with me.
-Dan

So many writers are afraid to share what they create. They fear judgement from others, especially those closest to them. They worry about being called out as a fraud, with someone saying to them something like, “Who is going to publish your book if you don’t even have an MFA?” Or, “A memoir? You? I thought those were for people who did really extraordinary things.”

They resist even telling people that they write, convincing themselves that doing so would be “bugging” the other person. The result is they push their work down, they soften their voices, they hide it — and a part of themselves — from the world.

We commonly talk about how writing and the creative process is a craft. But I firmly believe that how you share is a craft as well. A process that is nuanced, that you can get better at over time, and that feels deeply fulfilling. Today I want to discuss how we can make that an authentic part of one’s life as a writer or creator.

Before we begin, I wanted to share a final reminder to join me in The Creative Shift Mastermind! We begin this weekend. This is a 3-month program where you work directly with me and a group of other writers and creators. We become your support system, brainstorming partners, and the team of collaborators you have always dreamed of.

When you join the Mastermind, I will mentor you through a step-by-step process to establish rock-solid creative habits, define your creative identity, and get radically clear on your priorities of what to work on and why. Full information and registration here!

Okay, let’s dig in to today’s topic…

Give Yourself Permission to Share

You write and create what truly matters to you. What happens when you repress this part of yourself, choosing to hide it from the world? Where those around you never know about your curiosity, your craft, or your desire to connect your stories with readers? I mean, it can’t be good, right? To bury this all inside, to rarely talk about it, and to layer on a sense of shame when you do so. I have seen this happen so many times — where people resist sharing about their creative work, and when they do, they feel badly about it.

So many writers and creators consider the concept of sharing about their work as some separate act from that of creating. As if one could never naturally be in this situation:

• Coworker getting coffee next to you: “Hey, how was your weekend?”
• You: “Pretty good. Took my kid to a soccer game, reorganized the garage, and finished editing the third chapter of a novel I’m writing.”

“Nooooooooo!,” maybe people think. “That would be self-promotion.” Or they justify, “I don’t want to put on my marketing hat yet.” But then why would one not think of mentioning the garage or the soccer game in this same way? Why do we relegate writing and creative work as the thing that can’t be spoken of in a natural conversation, lest we “bother people with our self-promotion, becoming slimy marketers.”

Too often we shy away from talking about our creative work in a natural way. But doing so has such a powerful impact: helping people understand what we create, why we do so, and feel a sense of connection to it, even if just through being inspired by our passion for it.

Give yourself permission to talk about things you care about deeply, including your writing or creative work. Make sharing about it a natural extension of your passion and craft.

This is not about “putting on your marketing hat” — treating it like a separate role, and one that is icky. When people never hear about what you create and why, it’s no surprise that they have no idea what you really care about. Then, when you finally do share about it, that may be part of why it feels “promotional,” because you were silent about this entire side of yourself for so long, and now you are sharing about it when there is a book on sale (something to buy!) or a newsletter to subscribe to (something to promote!)

So many writers only share during a book launch, and between those launches, there is silence. What if you shared about your writing and creative work as much as you shared about going to the store, your job, your kids (if you have them), or any other responsibilities you have in life? I’m saying you need to share about your writing exactly as frequently, but what if it wasn’t a topic that was shared only under incredibly specific circumstances, like a book launch?

Don’t Segment Your Creative Life From Your Real Life

Often people love social media because they create almost a second identity there, one separate from their daily life. They fear the judgement of those they already know: family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances who know them in other roles and contexts. In these social media profiles they create, they only connect with those who aren’t in their everyday life, and it becomes the only place they share about their passion for what they write or create.

The problem with this? No one in your life knows about your writing. Some writers will justify: “Oh, I will wait to do marketing once my book is finished, edited, and ready for publication. Doing it sooner would be putting the cart before the horse.”

I encourage you to erase that line. Why? Because sharing:

• Helps you embrace your unique creative voice.
• Allows you to grow outside of other roles in life that you may have had for years, and that you may feel restricted by. It is permission to grow, and for others who care for you to witness that growth.
• Brings together a powerful network of people in your life will may want to support and amplify your writing and creative work.

Now, of course, sometimes the opposite advice is true, and I totally respect if you have to proactively segment your creative life from the rest of your life. Reasons that may be the case: you truly don’t feel a sense of safety in sharing with those you know. They may feel threatened by it, which can in turn make you feel threatened. This can happen with interpersonal relationships where people feel jealous of your attention going elsewhere. It can also happen from your employer or other business partners.

What I would encourage is to not give up sharing too easily. That at the first sign of “Oh, my mom doesn’t understand what I’m doing,” you justify that you need to stop talking about what you are doing. Or if a friend asks, “What are you wasting your time on that for?” you don’t decide never mention your writing to them again. Sometimes we need to state a position and then live that position. Those in our lives don’t always understand our intentions through words, but rather, through actions. When you write each day, and you talk about writing each day, over time, people learn to accept, understand, and even care about it.

I remember telling a close friend years ago that I was starting a company. I had recently lost my job because the company closed down. We had a long conversation about my plans where I told them I was going out on my own, starting a business, getting clients, etc. Then, at the very end of the conversation, they said, “Don’t worry, you’ll find a job.” It was bizarre. We just had this whole conversation about how I was intentionally not looking for a job, and had specific plans to start this company, the one that has now supported me and my family for the past 15 years.

But this friend wasn’t ready to hear that. Maybe it confronted their own sense of feeling trapped by circumstances of their job. Or maybe they just couldn’t envision someone not having an employer. Or something else that had nothing to do with me. They weren’t ready to just embrace a new idea, so I had to live the idea in order for them to accept and understand it.

No big deal. That just takes time and consistency.

Do what feels right to you. I know your life is complex and the relationships in your life are nuanced.

Become a Student of the Process

When you embrace the concept of sharing as a craft and give yourself permission to do so, you learn more about your own creative process, and how to effectively communicate that to others.

To get started, I encourage you to become a student of the process. This is a nice easy way to begin, where you learn to identify and analyze how others that you admire share about their work. This helps us challenge assumptions that hold us back.

For instance, a writer who says, “Oh, I would never share about my writing more than once a week. I don’t want to annoy people.” But then, when we analyze a few writers that this person really admires, and notice, “Gee, they share about their writing process 5 times a day!” These people have embraced their craft as part of their identity.

I encourage you to find one person who inspires you or who you admire, and who shares frequently online via social media. If you don’t know where to begin, maybe try one of these writers or creators:

• Meera Lee Patel
• Erika Robuck
• Megan Carty
• Jessica Strawser
• Nikki Grimes
• Colby Sharp
• Kelly McMasters
• Samantha Dion Baker
• Dani Shapiro
• Janae Marks
• K. Woodman Maynard

There are literally thousands and thousands of writers and creators out there sharing every day. Find one or two that resonate with you.

Then do this:

• Actively observe what they share, once a day. This really doesn’t take more than a minute or two. See if they shared, how often they shared, in what channels they shared, and in what format. For instance, did they post a Reel on Instagram? Or update their Instagram Stories?
• Consider how much of what they share aligns to what they write and why vs. other aspects of who they are. Consider where there is overlap, and how sharing different aspects of themselves may actually engage their audience more.

If you want a clear example of how I analyze, I shared a 28 minute mini-case study on this in my paid newsletter earlier this week: “Mini-case study: you can be more than one thing.”

Look for lessons and ideas. Also consider what challenges your assumptions. This is one way that has helped me consider, “Gee, how can I share publicly if I’m also a major introvert?” What I find is that so many people who share in a manner that really inspires me are also introverts. They have simply set clear boundaries and processes that help them share, while also feeling comfortable and safe.

Do One Thing Really Well

When you focus, your craft improves. So if you worry that you can’t share well, then I want to encourage you to focus on it more and more. Each day, each week, each month, it will feel more natural.

One way to approach this is to do fewer things. When you do less, you can give more energy to the few things that matter most.

Now, I understand that you are very busy. That you are writing amidst raising kids, working a job, managing your mental and physical health, and so much else. But what I mean here is what if you forget about trying to be on all the social networks (or threatening to leave them all), and just focus 6 months on learning how to talk about what you create and why. How to craft a conversation that people want to be a part of.

To put your energy to the things that matter most, and allow yourself to let go of responsibilities or opportunities that are draining you, and where you can’t possibly do them well because you are so swamped.

One example is how I have been managing my own sense of showing up for writers. I have done this work full-time for fifteen years. I love what I do, and it is an honor to speak with writers each day. I know that there are 1,000 things I can do to grow my presence and my business. Yet, in the past couple years, I find myself doing less. Doing fewer things with the intention of ensuring the few things I do, I do well.

So that means I only offer a very limited number of ways to work with me, either one-on-one consulting, or my Creative Shift Mastermind.

It means I have barely posted on social media in the past year, but instead have focused on writing weekly essays here on Substack.

Logically, that is a bad move. I should be constantly posting on every social media platform to support my business and reach more people. But I would rather do one or two things really well, than five or six things at a mediocre level.

So I focus on deep collaborations and engagements. And you know what? Not only has it been effective, but it feels really good. Isn’t that what we all want?

Focus on Experiences that Truly Matter to You

Sometimes this means that you have to make polarizing decisions in order to create the experiences that matter most to you. I saw a fascinating example of this the other day. It was an interview with Paul McCartney where he said:

“You have to draw the line. These days, everyone has a camera. So the first then when I see people is they can’t say anything. They just reach for their phone. They say, “We’ll do a picture, we’ll do a picture!” And I say, “I’m sorry, I don’t do pictures. But I’m very happy to shake your hand, and we’ll have a chat.”

Without question, Paul is disappointing people when he does this. And it must happen dozens of times a day. These fans want social proof of their meeting with him, something they can post to social media, hand down to their children, and make their profile photo. Paul is choosing instead to create an experience that connects them as human beings, through a short conversation.

Other people have expectations of you — what they want you to do, or how they want you to behave. But you, and only you, get to determine what those things are. What’s nice about the way Paul does it, is that he lays out a path for them both. Where he isn’t rejecting them, he is merely redirecting the interaction so it feels meaningful.

Full Send

There is a phrase I hear video game streamers use: “full send.” They use it in a situation where they are making total commitment to an action. Of course, there is the potential upside: if their strategy works, they will accomplish a big goal. But “full send” also implies that they are risking it all. That their entire game will be over if this doesn’t work out, they might lose gear they have accumulated over the course of days, or their character may die, wiping away progress that took them awhile to earn.

I am an incredibly nervous person, so I always have backup plans, and my backup plans have backup plans. So why would I end this post with the advice to “full send”? Well earlier this week, Instagram recommended a post from someone I don’t follow, an example of when the algorithm does something very positive. It shared a photo of a DJ I listened to in high school, and met maybe once or twice over the years. The post said:

“This is my pal Matt Pinfield. Matt is a legend in the music business, he can school ANYONE in rock n roll trivia, and he is a helluva wonderful human. Matt suffered a severe stroke recently and has been in the hospital for weeks now. I’m not asking you for anything. I’m just asking you to keep him in your thoughts… Most importantly, he LOVES music like no other. It’s in his veins. It’s in his body language when he talks about it. The smile on his face and fire in his eyes when talking about any record you can rattle off to him is so magnetic and beautiful.”

Below is the last social media post that Matt himself shared, the morning of the day he had the stroke. The text reads: “Starting another week with gratitude for a life surrounded by great people, life changing music, and unforgettable experiences that I never take for granted. Here to another week-another day-open heart and open mind. Let’s rock!”

To me, the concept of “full send” is not about taking an unnecessary and foolhardy risk. It is about being intentional about living a life filled with the craft that brings you joy, of connecting with people who inspire you, and attending to relationships that help you feel a sense of deep fulfillment and connection. That is why I view sharing as a craft.

Please let me know in the comments: who inspires you in terms of how they share? What is it that resonates with you?

And one final reminder to consider joining me for three months in my Creative Shift Mastermind! Full information and registration here.

As always, thank you for being here with me.
-Dan

Social media has been changing, and I see it causing rifts in how writers are able to connect with readers, each other, and like-minded communities that celebrate creative work like theirs. Today I want to dive deep into understanding some aspects of this issue, and explore solutions that may be available to you right now.

I talk with writers every day, and this year is the 15th anniversary of me doing this work full-time: helping writers connect with readers, grow their platforms, launch their books, and feel fulfilled in their life as a writer. So many writers have expressed how they are concerned about the ways social media has been changing, and affecting their ability to share their work, connect with communities they love, and stay in touch with colleagues and readers.

I feel collaboration and community are so important to writers, artists, and creators. That is why my consulting work is focused on deep collaboration, and also why I’m relaunching my Creative Shift Mastermind after a 4-year hiatus. To come together with a small group of writers and to create a support system to establish rock-solid creative habits, define your creative identity, and get radically clear on your priorities. (If this sounds interesting, please check it out! We begin on February 1st, and everything happens in a private online workspace.)

Recently I was talking with a writer I know, and they made some interesting points about not only how social media has changed, but how we have changed. This, combined with my own experiences and observations working with thousands of writers, is part of why I’m focusing so much on intentional actions we can each take to find a path through a changing world of social media. Some of what this writer shared is infused in what I’m writing below. They gave me permission to share some of their thoughts, but preferred to remain anonymous.

When I asked about how social media feels different to them now, compared to an earlier time, here is some of what they said:

1. “There were fewer social media sites in general. I felt like I used Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter differently; each had its own distinct purpose. The bookish community on Twitter in the mid-2010s was unparalleled! That community left Twitter and scattered across multiple apps. Every time we all migrate, it’s a chore to find everyone again. Conversations are happening on Bluesky that aren’t happening on Threads, and vice versa. We used to all be in the same place, and now we just aren’t.”
2. “The algorithms didn’t exist then as they do now. Now, my default social media feeds simply don’t feel as relevant to my life and interests. It’s a battle against the algorithm to make meaningful connections. (And on Threads, where the algorithm is overzealous, you can’t like one post about, say, a cute puppy without your entire feed becoming puppies…)”
3. “[I have become] really being cautious about what I share and what conversations I join. Before I post—even something mundane—I have to consider: Could it be read the wrong way? It just feels like walking on eggshells, in a way that it once did not. Which makes me less likely to post, period.”

What I share today about social media and connection is in many ways the tip of the iceberg. My analysis and advice does not cover all aspects of what is going on, and will not apply to everyone or every situation. My goal here is to help you feel a sense of agency in your ability to share your unique creative voice, and create a sense of connection to those who inspire you, whether that is readers, writers, or so many others who support creative work.

Oh, and if this email seems longer than usual, I apologize. My wife and our 7-year-old were home sick this week with the flu, and I’m still recovering from a pinched nerve that makes it difficult to walk. In some ways I feel like I could have edited this down. Yet in other ways, I genuinely feel like I’m leaving so much out from this conversation.

Okay, let’s dig in…

The Risk of Being Social

Many writers, friends, and colleagues have been either leaving social media, changing where they show up, or how they use it. This has been happening for awhile, and the process is messy. I see people I admire leave a network, only to return because they truly missed the ability to connect with friends and communities. Or they leave one social network because they feel it has become toxic, only to go to a different social network that is eerily similar, hoping to recreate what they once had, with the hope that it doesn’t change.

Some writers want to leave all these platforms. Others just want to be where everyone else is, but can no longer tell where that might be, because people are split up all over the place.

Something I consider is how easy social media has made it for us to find:

1. Conversations that are interesting.
2. People who are like-minded.
3. What everyone else is talking about.
4. Interesting posts about topics we are deeply passionate about.

Before social media, to be “social” required a lot of effort and risk. For instance, we might have to research a place or event that we felt might be filled with interesting people. Then we would have to wait for that day/evening, travel there, perhaps pay admission or wait in line. And then finally, we would be presented with something many people fear: a room full of people we don’t know. Then, one-by-one, would be the process of trying to strike up a conversation with a total stranger. This is assuming that we guessed right that this place/event was indeed busy and full of the kinds of people who inspire us. I can certainly remember in the 1990s driving really far to go to some “super cool cafe that everyone is talking about” only to find it nearly completely empty, not the scene we hoped for at all.

Nowadays, we can quietly create a profile, then effortlessly follow someone, and then follow along in all of what they share and conversations they have, without having to take the slightest social risk. We can even research someone’s entire public history online in moments, getting a sense of who they are, their background, and thousands of photos. Then, when we finally feel comfortable, we can take the tiny action of clicking “like” and feel we have somehow been “social.”

But clicking “follow” and “like” and “subscribe” isn’t really being social at all.

I know a lot of people miss how social media felt fun, and easy, and communal at a different point in time. For some, it all feels so fraught and complex now. For my advice below, some of what I’m encouraging is to be more intentional about truly connecting with people who inspire you, which may require more work and more risk.

But when we stop relying entirely on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, and so many others to dictate how we are “social,” we remember how much power we each really have. To simply fill our days with meaningful connections with those who inspire us and help us each feel we are a part of a like-minded community.

We Have Become More Sophisticated, As Have Our Expectations

In the early 2000s, it took most people I know years to feel comfortable joining a social network, and even more to become comfortable sharing there. We all slowly waded into the waters.

But now, everyone is aware of the power and potential of social media. It’s easy to feel like we are somehow failing if we join a new network, and only have 8 followers, because we are so hyper aware of the other people who have 8,000 followers. Or because maybe because on the social network we just came from, we did have 8,000 followers, and now have to start fresh, and that feels demoralizing.

Yes, social media has changed and keeps changing. But I think it is more difficult to look in the mirror and consider how we have changed. How our expectations have changed. The online networks we are a part of are now filled with way more people than they were years ago, many of whom understand the power of going viral in a manner that few did a decade or two ago.

In some ways, we have all become more sophisticated in understanding the nuances of what it means to share online and gain social clout in the process. What I am considering here is how our own expectations may have changed.

What if we stop judging social behavior on how many followers or likes we have, and instead, we focus on how many deeply meaningful (or fun) conversations we have in a given week? Or how many new inspiring creators we meet each month. Or how many new writers we can support and help feel seen each year. These are things we can each do right now, with the resources we have. Here is an example I saw from Courtney Maum on Substack:

These are simple actions that are inherently human, focused on considering, “How can I help someone feel seen and appreciated. How would that add a moment of joy to their day?”

We Use Social Media for Too Many Things

In my Mastermind group, one of the things I teach people is how to get control of their email inbox. One point I make is that email can feel out of control when we use it for to many things: how we communicate with our boss, how we find out about sales at our favorite stores, etc. It quickly also becomes a to-do list, with email being used to plan the pace of our workday, getting to them one by one. This keeps us from intentionally setting the tone for what we want to accomplish each day, and of course, ensuring we get to our writing.

Social media is similar. One might use it to:

• Follow influencers who inspire them.
• Follow influencers they kind of don’t like, but feel like they set the tenor for conversation in their industry, so they follow them anyway.
• Connect with colleagues presently in their lives.
• Connect with colleagues they worked with years ago, and barely knew then or now.
• Follow people they no longer know or even remember why they follow, but are afraid to unfollow because what if the person notices and then it makes them look like a bad friend to the person they don’t even know.
• Friends.
• Family.
• Brands they love.
• News (local, national, international) – from professional organizations to individuals who have crafted platforms focused on covering news themselves, or curating/resharing/reacting to news in a way that resonates.
• Musicians, artists, and comedians they like.
• That one feed of cute animal photos.
• Their friend’s dog’s social media account.
• Causes they believe in.
• Publishing/writing news.
• Those who teach them things, professionally or as hobbies. EG: yoga, guitar, writing, etc.
• Professional opportunities such as following agents, publishers, conferences, etc.
• Entertainment news, because they kind of like Star Wars, and now need to be up on all the Star Wars news, all the time.
• Aspirational follows, such as authors they want to emulate, but whose books they don’t really read.
• That quirky chef.
• That woman their friend told them about years ago who has the cutest house and posts daily images of their amazing outfits.
• Celebrities.
• Large companies and organizations who they might buy a product from, especially if that company posts a discount code.

Because of this, it can feel like a mess to open up any of your feeds. And that is before the algorithm takes over, recommending stuff that your friends showed interest in, or is gaining a lot of conversation, or is related to something it thinks you like: puppies, Star Wars, guitar, quirky chefs, etc.

Can You Sidestep the Algorithm Entirely?

What if you sidestep the algorithm entirely? This will sound extreme, but I think there are many ways of doing this which don’t have to be that polarizing. What if you:

• Did a backup of everyone you follow (make a list or do an export), and then unfollow everyone. Every. One.
• Chose to follow an arbitrarily low number of people, like 20 or 40. Be very selective and consider if these are people you know, or if they are parasocial relationships, such as following an influencer you love and feels like the friend you want to have, but who also has 14,999,999 other followers besides you.
• This is where it gets weird: don’t use the app or website to look at your feed. Instead, bookmark the links to each of these 20 or 40 profiles in your web browser.
• Then, once a day, go to each bookmark. I think most web browsers allow you to open all of your bookmarks in a certain folder into separate tabs all at once.
• Then, look at each person’s updates as if you were visiting with them. You can still comment or like or reshare, because you can be logged into the social network on your web browser.
• Make it a point to comment on as many posts as you can, to truly show up to support these 20 or 40 people you are following.

Is this a perfect fool-proof system? Of course not. But it does illustrate that with a little more effort, you can focus on meaningful relationships through social media, and reduce the influence of the feed’s algorithm in your daily experience.

And of course, you can take a split strategy. Maybe you have one profile where you follow influencers and news that you are allowed to check once a day. Then another profile where you follow a very select amount of people you admire and know, and truly want to engage with as friends or colleagues.

Look for a Third Option

In some ways, I would call this “looking for a third option.” I’m inherently a hopeful person, which is why the idea of finding other options between “stay on a social media” or “leave a social media” feels appealing.

I am a huge fan of Star Trek, and one of the reasons is because of how many storylines have the characters stuck in a situation of choosing between two extreme choices. And then they find a third option that is inventive, considers ethics and fairness in a new way, and breaks the characters out of previously held assumptions and norms. “I want that third alternative!” Captain Kirk cries out in an episode where millions of people’s lives are on the line in choosing between either of two choices.

There is a story from Kirk’s life repeated in multiple movies, when he took a test as a cadet when still in school. He was put in a simulator to play the role of captain, and asked to save another ship that was in dire need. That other ship was called the Kobayashi Maru. The test was designed for there to be no winning in the scenario, meaning the only outcome would be for the person taking the test to be unable to save both the the other ship, and their own. The goal is to see how the cadet handles stress. But Kirk finds a third way, secretly reprogramming the test simulation, and changing the conditions so he can save the ship and his own crew. He says, “I don’t believe in a no-win scenario.”

When you feel controlled by people or situations beyond your control, choosing between two bad choices, to instead look for a third option. One that might challenge you to better understand aspects of yourself, challenge your own goals and needs, have more empathy for others, and consider previously unthinkable options that may break us out of a restrictive binary.

To get what we each want takes effort. When we just hand it over to the tech provider to give us what we want, they will (of course) have their own goals as well, especially if they are free services.

One example of a third option is how some writers I have seen have mostly left social media, and now have a paid-only newsletter. Meaning that they rarely send out a free newsletter, all of their content is focused on those who are paid subscribers. This not only increases their sense of connection because they are only communicating with their biggest supporters, but it also helps them feel less exposed to trolls on the web because their content is entirely behind a paywall. So they are much more open to share. Plus, it’s a sustainable business model for them too! Emma Gannon is a wonderful example of this, with her newsletter The Hyphen by Emma Gannon.

Actively Develop Friendships and Professional Colleagues

Social media has changed our awareness of how connecting with others can truly feel good, and even be necessary for positive mental health. To not feel alone. To support others. To see and feel seen. To be a part of something. To collaborate.

Sometimes it can feel like there are no communities left. Except there are, we simply have to forge them in ways that don’t become viral trends on a specific social network. This might mean that we have to be satisfied with a connection between 4 people or 40 people, instead of always seeking out thousands of connections as a sign of success. I’ve written many times before about how often writers say something to me like, “Ugh, I have an email newsletter, but it’s so pathetic. I only have 60 subscribers, so I don’t even bother to send anything.” I can guarantee you that every successful writer or creator started out with just a handful of people in their community, before it eventually grew larger. Honor each of those connections.

I often consider the value of flipping how we measure “success.” For instance, maybe instead of having 1,600 tenuous connections through the people I follow on social media, can I instead focus on having 40 meaningful ones? How can I take small but important actions to forge relationships and a sense of community that truly matters to me?

So often, we are scared to reach out to other people, worrying that we might be bothering them. I’m encouraging you to take that risk. It’s worth it.

We are Grieving for a Changing World. But We Also Have Agency to Change.

Recently I watched this film analysis by Kevin Harris of the movie No Country For Old Men. It resonated with me in terms of how so many writers and creators I know feel about social media a the moment.

Even if you have never seen this movie, I think his words will have relevance. All you need to know is that the movie follows a sheriff as he investigates a crime. Kevin says in his analysis:

“The world has changed. [The movie] is a cold reckoning with the truth that things don’t stay the same, no matter how much we wish they could. For Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, the world he once knew had rules. Good guys and bad guys were clearly drawn. And even criminals had motives that made sense. Their methods followed a certain logic. But this new world, it’s baffling. It’s terrifying. It all feels unlatched from any rhyme or reason. The feeling that Sheriff Bell experiences isn’t just fear, it is grief. Grief for a world that is slipping away… it’s the kind of grief that many of us feel when we look at the rapid pace of change around us. The speed of change leaves us scrambling to catch up, or yearning to go back. But is it the world that is changing, or is it us? That’s one of the movies quieter questions. Bell isn’t just grappling with a changing world, he’s grappling with his own aging, his own mortality. What’s really frightening isn’t the world getting worse, it’s the realization that it’s moving on without him.”

In many ways, we seem to be in a period of transition. For how writers and artists navigate social media, many are apprehensive, and trying to find a clear path. While there is much that may be upsetting or feel unfair, I find that focusing on being proactive with one’s clarity, habits, and identity are powerful ways to feel tied to what matters to you. To give yourself a new avenue to pursue when those you have previously known now feel closed. That clarity is not just meant to be a vague inspiration, it is instead an active process that requires work, and can truly lead you to fulfillment in how you create, share and connect.

Please let me know in the comments: how do you want to feel about the way you connect with other writers, readers, and those who inspire you?

Everything I say above is why I’m running the Creative Shift Mastermind right now. To come together with a small group of writers and creators to collaborate. To honor your unique voice, develop the habits that make you feel whole, and use all of this to connect you and your creative work with people who truly inspire you. We begin February 1st, read full details here.

Thank you for being here with me.
-Dan

Today I want to invite you into a special group where you can work directly with me and a small group of other writers and creators.

For many years, I ran a mastermind group. What is that? It’s a small group (often around 20 people, sometimes more, sometimes less) who come together specifically to help each other move ahead with their creative goal. This is not a vague online forum or a course where you are overwhelmed with information, and where you feel lost lost amidst a crowd. Instead, this is like showing up to a private retreat or co-working space with a specific goal, and a wonderful group of supportive colleagues.

It has been incredible to see the connections people have made in the mastermind, developing colleagues and friendships. Here is a photo of the time that three writers from the mastermind group showed up to surprise a fourth on the night of her book launch:

Teri Case, Colleen Waterston, Kim Hamilton, and Kathy Ramsperger
This is how author Teri Case described it at the time:

“I had my first book event in Washington DC and guess who surprised me? Colleen Waterston, Kim Hamilton, and Kathy Ramsperger. They came from Minnesota, Maryland, and Virginia just to support me. I know them because of you, we all met in your Mastermind!”

A couple years later when Teri released her second book, another friend from the Mastermind showed up:

Teri Case and Cathey Nickell

Teri said that the Acknowledgments section of her novel is “packed with six-degrees-of-Dan-Blank creatives,” meaning a range of people she met somehow through me. I don’t know about you, but seeing writers support other writers fills my heart with joy.

Today I am relaunching the Creative Shift Mastermind. This is a 3-month program where you work directly with me and a group of other writers and creators just like you. We become your support system, brainstorming partners, and the team of collaborators you have always dreamed of.

When you join the Mastermind, I will mentor you through a step-by-step process to establish rock-solid creative habits, define your creative identity, and get radically clear on your priorities of what to work on and why.

During the Mastermind, you will:

• Create your Clarity Cards with direct feedback from me.
• Identify your Creativity Cave Trolls to clearly name what keeps you from creating, sharing, and reaching your goals.
• Outline your Goal Journey, getting radically clear about the outcomes that matter to you, the first steps to take, and how to move through challenges.
• Write your Manifesto and Mission Statement, so you know exactly how to describe what you create and why.
• Create your My Identity is an Experience worksheet to understand how to focus on the transformation your work promises and how to provide the simplest version of that experience to your ideal reader/audience.
• Identify three Creative Mentors that you can learn from to find guidance and permission to double down on your creative vision and how you share it.
• Create an Energy Audit to optimize your most precious resources. We develop a process for you to create more easily by optimizing your creative energy and time. We cover how to manage your calendar, email, and other tools for productivity.
• Establish Anchor Habits, which serve to fuel and focus you amidst your otherwise busy life. The goal is to focus on what matters most, and feel calm and fulfilled in the process.
• Identify your Creative Spaces, becoming a student of your creative process. We explore how to optimize your personal creative practice, and how to add more white space to your life so you feel balanced and with a sense of margin in your days.
• Craft a 3-Month Plan to stick to your habits, goals, support system, and momentum.

We also focus on weekly assessments to track your progress, and accountability from me and the other writers & creators in the Mastermind so you feel supported in your journey.

Whether you are just starting out as a writer or creator, or if you are a seasoned pro, the Creative Shift Mastermind will take you to the next level by providing:

• A clear step-by-step program to help you establish clarity and habits for your creative process.
• Accountability with regular check-ins.
• Collaboration with like-minded writers.
• Mentorship from me.

In the 3-month Mastermind, I help you move through a proven system I have developed in working with thousands of writers. The details:

• When: February 1 – April 30, 2025
• Where: In our private online group. You have 24/7 access.
• Price: $500 per month, with a three month commitment. You pay $75 to save your spot when you register, and the rest is billed in installments each month.
• Read full details and register here.

This group is where I show up every day. Here is a brief sample of some of the videos I post in the Mastermind, engaging with the group each week (they also showcase my collection of plaid shirts):

I call this the Creative Shift Mastermind because it is about moving your work forward. It is a commitment in a few ways:

• To Yourself: When you sign up, this is a commitment to yourself. You are committing to take action in moving forward with your writing and creative work. You are promising to make the creative shift you dream about.
• To Be Supported By Others: When you sign up, you are admitting that you want to work with other like-minded writers and creators. You will not sit quietly on the sidelines, you will get in the game and take action. In return, you will create strong collaborations with others in the group!
• To Engage With Me Directly: I show up in the Mastermind every single weekday, sharing advice and moving through the process. Show up when you can, whether that is once a day or when you have time throughout the week. The group is designed to fit a wide range of schedules, I know you are busy.

The feedback I have received on the group has been incredible to see:

I hope you will consider joining us. Read full details and register here.

Reminder: join me today (Friday, January 17th) for a free workshop at 12:30pm ET: Creative Clarity: Find More Time, Get More Done, and Live with More Confidence.

For my paid subscribers this week, I shared a mini-case study: how your passion and curiosity creates an engaging platform.

As always, thank you for being here with me.
-Dan

You are an experience. A person who is multifaceted. Who is more than “a brand.” Whose writing and creative work are not just catchy taglines that can be repeated endlessly. You are not a website (even if well designed), and not a social media profile. Of course, you are not how many followers you have.

You are an experience. A human being that creates moments and experiences for those who connect with your writing, creative work, or with you in other ways. These experiences can evoke a wide range of conversations, emotions, and ideas.

On the wall across from my desk I have photos of famous writers, musicians, artists, and performers. When stare at them, I am taking in so much of the experiences they have helped create for others. People try to define each of these people with a simple title, but each is so much more than that.

If you are an author hoping to find clarity in what you create and engage an audience of like minded readers in the process, please keep reading.

Before we begin, two announcements:

• I invite you to join me for a free workshop on Friday January 17th at 12:30pm ET: Creative Clarity: Find More Time, Get More Done, and Live with More Confidence. You can register here.
• I’m relaunching one of the most powerful things I have ever offered: The Creative Shift Mastermind! This is a three-month program where you join me and a group of other writers and creators to establish rock-solid creative habits, define your creative identity, and get radically clear on your priorities of what to work on and why. I’ll share more about it next week, but you get an early look here! This will be a pretty small group, so join the early interest list if you are interested.

Okay, let’s dig into today’s topic…

You Are Not a Brand

When it comes to how you present yourself and your writing and creative work online, I see so much talk about one’s “author brand.” But you aren’t a brand. You are a human being. You are multifaceted. You are evolving.

Resist the urge to whittle down who you are in order to squeeze into some concise little box. This is why I so often encourage you to avoid “best practices.” Not because they can’t be instructive in some basic manner, but because sometimes they encourage us to be just like everyone else. Sure, we “fit in,” but in the process, our volume is lowered, and our creative work doesn’t shine or stand out.

For how people see you online, you are more than a catchy tagline, and more than a single profile image that you may have been using for years and years.

If you hope to engage others around what you create and why, lean into all the ways you are unique. Into how engaging with you is an experience.

Seek out Radical Clarity

Nowadays we have so many options for what to create, how to share, and ways of potentially reaching your ideal readers. That is wonderful, but can also be completely overwhelming. This is why I encourage you to seek out deep clarity to focus your attention.

So many writers and creators have trouble talking about what they create or why they create it. Too often, the result is that they avoid the discussion entirely. I think that many writers both dream of — and are terrified of — someone asking:

“So, tell me about your writing!”

It can be easy to get comfortable sticking with a simple catchy tagline to describe what you create. After awhile, we keep using it because it’s clever and it seems to encapsulate so many things very quickly. But what if your work has expanded, or if you feel you want to work on a pretty wide range of possible projects: literary fiction, memoir, children’s literature, and so much else?

So often writers tell me they don’t know what to work on first, and they can’t figure out how it all fits together. So they think they need multiple websites and newsletters to bifurcate these parts of themselves, and try to attract different audiences.

But this is where “you are an experience” becomes so important. Having multiple projects and working across genres or art forms or styles is a benefit, not a problem.

What I worry most about is someone not writing and not sharing. There is so much inside each of us, and I think the world is a better place when this is shared.

Getting radically clear about the experiences you want to have around your writing or creative work means getting super specific. This means moving beyond a vague sense of what it is, or using a simple feel-good line about your goals. Instead, I want you to focus your finite resources of energy/time/attention to all work towards the experiences that matter most to you, and your ideal readers

(A great starting point for this discussion is my free event next week: Creative Clarity: Find More Time, Get More Done, and Live with More Confidence. You can register here.)

You Have Agency

With so much changing online, it is easy to feel that you have zero control. That you can’t have a sense of ownership or be unique, because everything is controlled by big tech or algorithms. But you do have agency to do what feels right to you, and connect with other like-minded people in a meaningful way.

Last year I was reading a memoir and a quote within it stopped me in my tracks. The book was It’s So Easy: and Other Lies, by Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. There is a point in the book where his life is falling apart. Amidst this, he showed up to a kickboxing lesson from a legend in the field, Sensei Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. Earlier in the day, Duff got some very bad news, and Benny sensed something was wrong. Without asking details, he paused the lesson and said to Duff:

“Sometimes we have to face things, face people, face situations in life that we don’t like to deal with. It can feel like everybody is out to get you. That is when you have to refuse to succumb. Make people realize that you are a force. But you also have to give and take in these situations.”

Benny’s words are so powerful. As a writer, you may feel that your are lost amidst difficult waters in how to write, how to publish, and how to share. You may worry that the market is changing, that you can’t get an agent or publisher, or that you can’t reach your readers. Maybe you read some news about a social network that really upset you, and now avenues that seemed open before, now feel closed. It’s so easy to stop. To bemoan how things used to be easier years ago. But Benny’s words ring true in this context:

“That is when you have to refuse to succumb. Make people realize that you are a force.”

Who you are is unique, as is what you are writing or creating. Any partner that you collaborate with will be fortunate to work with you. Your words will one day move a reader in a deep and profound way, or give them a respite in a moment when they truly need it. You and your work matter.

Find a way to share that feels authentic to who you are. That focuses on meaningful connections and experiences. This is where I appreciate what Benny adds to the end: “But you also have to give and take in these situations.” This is not about being aggressive or over the top, and it is not about waiting for a perfect situation.

If you feel that every social media network is flawed and you can’t share online, fine! You still have options and agency.

In the 1990s I created my own printed fanzine. Basically, this was a magazine about music that I made on my computer, then made photocopies of and mailed or delivered to people. This took a ridiculous amount of time to create. It took a lot of money to print at a time when I earned minimum wage. It took lots of time on my bicycle (I didn’t have a car) to deliver them. But I found a way to write and share that resonated with what mattered to me. This is me at the time, with an issue being put together on my bed:

Even today, if you want to share, you can print and mail a zine, or you can send letters, text message people, organize meetups, have phone calls, do Zoom events, create a private community, and so much else. Each of these avenues are different kinds of experiences, and none of them require you to turn down your volume.

My hope is that you write and create what matters to you. That you publish in a manner that feels accessible. That you share your work with people in a meaningful way that create experiences that you remember.

Please let me know the know in the comments: what kinds of experiences inspire you? Tell me about a writer/artist/musician/performer/creator who helped create an experience that you were a part of that you always remembered. (A concert is an easy answer here, but it could be so many things.) What was it that made it so special?

For, my paid subscribers this week, I shared a mini-case study on how to get engagement online by focusing on feelings, not just topics. You can see a preview and become a paid subscriber here.

And a reminder to join me for:

• My free workshop on Friday January 17th at 12:30pm ET: Creative Clarity: Find More Time, Get More Done, and Live with More Confidence. You can register here.
• The Creative Shift Mastermind! Full details here.

Thank you for being here with me.
-Dan