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Every day, we each have the opportunity to not just consume, but to create. We can each make the choice to double down on a creative vision, and spend a few moments writing, drawing, crafting, or performing.

I encourage you to create every day.

This year I spent a lot of time on personal reflection with the goal of creating more. What I found is that growth can be scary. It can confront our comfortable habits, the narratives that keep us feeling justified to “just get by,” instead of doing even more.

My conclusion is that I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to create every day.

When viewing this as an opportunity, I found the time to write every single day since May 1st. I doubled-down on my creative work by signing a lease on a private studio space.

Yet when I speak to writers and artists, some of them tell me that they can’t create because they are stuck. This is what I tell them to help them get unstuck:

• Assess your path and find your inspiration. What inspires you to consider creating vs consuming? For me, I am inspired by great artists, writers, and musicians, so I hung their photos on the wall of my studio. It reminded me: to create is a habit. It is a lifestyle. It is an identity. But most of all, it is a small and simple action, repeated every day.
• Create a simple system. Many people avoid structure with their creative work because they are afraid that it will kill the muse. Yet, what I find is that all great art requires boundaries. I would encourage you to embrace any boundaries that you feel are holding you back. Make them a part of the creative process. One great reminder of this was the title of the book (and contents, as well) The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday.
• Resist comfortable habits. Don’t confuse systems you are comfortable with, with those that will actually help you push your art forward. Growth is often about challenging comfort. I’m not saying that you need to live an arduous life of discomfort, but instead, I encourage you to experiment with new practices, new habits, and new ideas.
• Invest in yourself. Not just in money, but in energy and time. Many writers and artists tell me that they don’t create because they feel guilty taking time away from their family or job. While I appreciate how much they care about those other responsibilities, I don’t think that it should require that they sacrifice their own creative vision in the process. You should be able to create without guilt.
• Identify what holds you back. Oftentimes, what holds someone back are internal narratives in their minds that they use to try to keep themselves safe. They are narratives that say, “Artists shouldn’t earn money,” or “I have found the perfect system for creating… but something seems to always get in the way.” What holds you back is very likely not something outside of yourself. It is a mindset that stops you, or a narrative that convinces you that progress isn’t possible. Regardless, identify what holds you back, because that is the first — and most powerful — step in overcoming it. Name it.
• Prepare for success. While oftentimes in life you can’t plan for success, you can prepare. Ask yourself: what would I do if I actually succeeded with my creative vision. Put your energy towards preparing for this, instead of preparing for failure, which is what many people do.

Recently a writer told me that they aren’t quite sure what they are doing with their craft, but they know it will work out as long as they keep creating.

It reminded me that the process for a professional writer or artist can be very messy, and that they accept this and move on anyway. But the amateur gets tripped up. The amateur says to themselves, “Well, let me not be a fool and move ahead until I KNOW exactly what I should be doing, and have proven that I know how to do it. Because I don’t want to waste any resources. I don’t want to look like a fool.”

But if you go to the studio of a pro, you see it is littered with wasted materials that were used up on experiments. That for every finished piece, there are 100 abandoned pieces.

This is artist Alexander Calder’s studio:

It’s a mess, right? If you feel stuck and want to focus more on creating in 2018, I encourage you to find a way to take a simple step ahead and experiment via the tips above.

I will leave you with this: Be Diane Keaton. Here is a photo I saw from a friend on social media awhile back:

This was a Vanity Fair cover where Diane Keaton stands apart by being herself. There is a great backstory on the photo that illustrates the wonderful collaborative process of the creative team working with Diane, ending up with Diane wearing an outfit of her own design.

But what is missing in that backstory is how the decision was made that the other women would have a certain serious look, at a staged angle, and that Diane would simply be smiling, her entire body squared with the camera.

Every single person involved in this photo (both in front of and behind the camera) is a unique individual. What Diane’s stance, smile, and clothes do is simply remind us of this. To be “for” Diane Keaton does not mean that you are somehow “against” anyone else. Everyone here is wonderful in their own unique way.

What “Be Diane Keaton” means is this:

Be a creator. Be yourself. Be a great collaborator.

And what that means for you can be different things in different moments.

Can you create something new every single day? What would it be? What is the smallest way you can make that happen?
-Dan

For the past few years I have dug deep into researching what it takes to find success with your craft. How writers, artists, and other creative professionals can go from just dabbling with their work, to realizing their full potential, and changing other people’s lives.

Today I want to share what I have been learning. Some of what I found was surprising — it challenged the perception I would like to have about how to succeed.

What I have been piecing together is the success path that is common for many writers and artists. It consists of steps that breaks them free of struggling alone with their craft, and connects their creative work to the world in a meaningful way.

Let’s dig in:

Give Yourself Permission to Create

When I interviewed crafter Elise Blaha Cripe, she said:

“The number one problem that I hear from people who read my blog or listen to the podcast is that they have 100 ideas. They have so many things they want to do. My recommendation is to pick one idea and move forward.”

I have spoken to countless people who felt stuck because they had too many ideas, that they didn’t know which to pursue. They didn’t want to make the wrong choice, so the result was: they made no choice. They ended up half-baking several ideas at once, the entire time hoping that someone else would make the decision for them as to which path they had to choose.

The first step on the success path is to give yourself permission to create. To double down with vigor, on a single idea. And on yourself. As I have been researching legendary creators for my next book, I have been adding photos of them to the wall of my studio:

I tried to choose photos that showed each person in the moment of creation, or before they found great success. When their genius was perhaps less certain. When they were exploring a boundary that brought harsh judgement from others, not kind validation.

Each of these people gave themselves permission to create. With this permission came clarity. As they dedicated themselves to their craft, a path became clear to them.

• Ray Eames imbued her creative process with play.
• Bob Ross made painting accessible to millions.
• Kate Bush blended her sense of performance with otherworldly songs.
• Richard Feynman realized his gift was teaching.

They turned uncertainty into a roadmap. With it came the clarity to create, to finish, to push boundaries, and to effect the lives of millions for the better.

You Need a Process

Creation doesn’t magically happen. For many, it is a struggle, including for many of the world’s most successful creative professionals.

The second step on the success path is to see your craft is a choice, and to realize it fully requires a process. This process must be intentional, part of a larger system where you can get work done even when uncertain or unmotivated. This process will include habits that help avoid distraction, improve your craft, and push it farther than others would.

It is about creating a system of prioritizing what matters most to you, and engaging with collaborators who act as your support system. What I have found is that the surest way to fail as a writer or artist is this: go it alone. Great writers and artists establish support systems around their work.

If you want to know what this looks like in real-life, listen to some of my podcast interviews. What you will find is a behind-the-scenes peek at what creative work really looks like. The facade of “A writer just writes and the world finds it!’ slips away. What is left? Practical steps that you can take to develop processes and a support system to help ensure your success.

Embrace Your Top 10 Supporters

Stop trying to go viral. Don’t worry about how many people follow you. Instead, reverse that instinct. Consider: how can you invest in the 10 people who support your work the most?

Double down on these people, instead of turning a blind eye to them with the hope of attracting others.

Ask them questions, and really listen to them. Listening is probably the most important tool in your toolbox, if you are hoping to grow and engage an audience for your creative work. What you learn in the process is why someone engages with your work. You learn about them as human beings, not a simple number in your “follower count.” This brings your work into the context of where it matters most: someone’s life.

This can look like many things. Such as how, 5 years after reading your book, someone who needs strength remembers a character you created. Or someone who stares at your painting to find hope when all else seems lost in their life.

When you understand people at this level, you become armed with all that you need to engage with others. Stop obsessing about some social media trend. Start focusing more on human beings.

Conclusion

That’s the success path:

1. Give yourself permission to create, and create a roadmap for your creative work.
2. Develop processes and habits to double-down on your craft.
3. Invest in your top supporters, and really listen to them.

I’m curious, where do you feel you are in this process?

Thanks!
-Dan

Do you struggle to keep up with consistently posting to your blog, email newsletter, or even a podcast? Let’s solve that once and for all, right now. I’m going to share the 10 simple steps that will create an easily manageable system for your blog.

This is what I have learned after helping people launch thousands of blogs, and in writing my own weekly blog for 12 years. This is my best advice.

Okay, let’s dig in…

Step #1: Have a Clear Focus

You want to be laser-focused on what you write about, and who you write for. Create a mission statement for the blog, identifying exactly what you are focused on and why.

Be clear about who this blog is for. Have a picture in your mind of the exact person who will read this. Don’t write for “an audience,” write for one person.

Step #2: Mindmap the Themes

Now that you have a clear mission and sense of who this blog is for, create a mindmap of the basic themes. You can do this on paper, or via software such as Freemind.

Create a circle in the middle and write your mission. Then create a line extending out and write one primary theme of it you will dig into. Draw a circle around that. For that specific theme, create sub-topics around it.

Step #3 Create an Editorial Calendar

Create a basic schedule to adhere to. Get out a paper calendar or use software such as Excel to create a basic editorial calendar. Plan to post to your blog at least once per week, if possible.

Take each of the themes from the mindmap, and begin to place each general theme on a given day or week. Plan 6-12 weeks out. You do not have to stick to a rigid schedule such as this, but I find that it is a useful organization tool, and prevents bloggers from feeling that they are starting from scratch each week.

Step #4: Consider Different Types of Posts You Can Create

Consider how each theme you write about can take a different form. Would your mission and the person you are writing for benefit from a long story, or a short how-to post? Would they prefer a video? Would a quote be useful? Do they need links and research? Would a drawing be most engaging to them?

Don’t feel trapped by “best practices” you read about the blog content that works best based on “industry trends.” Instead, focus intensely how your themes and mission can best connect with an actual person.

On your calendar, you can color-code these different content types. Blue can be a poem, red a short how-to post, yellow a long essay, green a diagram, etc.

Step #5: Capture Ideas

Your mission and themes will be a general guide, but I encourage you to have a place to capture ideas for specific blog posts. If you prefer paper, buy a small notebook that will fit in your pocket and an equally small pen. Jot down ideas as you have them.

If you prefer digital, download Evernote on your phone and computer so that you can capture ideas when you have them, or even just save a photo of something that inspires an idea.

Step #6: Process Your Ideas

Process those ideas weekly. Review your notes, and begin to outline how they would fit into specific blog posts.

Use a writing tool such as Scrivener where you can outline multiple blog posts in one place, or create a folder on Dropbox (so you can access them anywhere) where you can keep these ideas organized.

As ideas slowly turn into potential blog posts, brainstorm potential headlines early. Create an outline of what a final blog post may look like. This can consist of a few key phrases that gives the post a narrative arc. Consider how this post could delight the person you are writing it for.

If you have a file of outlines such as this, you never have to worry about writers block. When you sit down to write, you can choose the outline that is most interesting to you. This gives you a massive head start. You are FINISHING, not STARTING.

Step #7: Create a Writing Routine

Writing isn’t easy, and it can be an emotional process. Prepare for that by creating a routine that includes some of these steps:

1. Ideation
2. Outlining
3. Writing
4. Re-writing
5. Editing
6. Creating final headline
7. Formatting
8. Final proofing

You can even include these steps on an editorial calendar. Perhaps you want to focus on one post per week, and align each of these actions to a specific day. Or maybe you want to batch posts… outlining several at once, or writing several at once. Then processing them the next week through editing and formatting. It’s up to you.

Step #8: Find Collaborators

Consider if you need an accountability partner to keep you motivated. Or if you have a friend who will proofread posts. Or if you want to hire an illustrator on Fiverr.com to create diagrams for each post.

I have those things. I bounce ideas off of the people in my mastermind group every single day. I have hired someone to keep me accountable to certain aspects of my social media calendar. I have a friend I chat with once per week to talk about big picture plans, and keep me focused on item #1 above: the mission and who I write for.

I strongly encourage you to involve others in this process.

Step #9: Obsess About Engagement

Writing a blog is about sharing a message with someone. To do that most effectively, become more and more curious about who these people are, and what engages them. I wrote a whole book about audience research, and I suppose the short version is: care about those you hope to reach.

Give yourself a few months to experiment. Concern yourself with crafting the best blog posts you possibly can, and on meaningfully connecting it with others in a way that is welcome to them, not spammy.

Step #10: Celebrate

Throughout this process, you may feel uncertain. You may seek immediate validation of the work you post, and it may be difficult to receive that very quickly. You may hope for a lot of social media shares or page views, and you may be disappointed.

Keep going.

Celebrate what you do create each week. How your mission has become clearer. How you identified more ideas that inspire you. How you wrote more posts. How you connected with at least one person.

Because if you can make one person’s day better, you have changed their world.

Thanks.
-Dan

This past week a writer shared with me a familiar challenge:

“Publishers and agents expect authors to have a strong social media presence. I’ve taken seminars and workshops about social media. I feel like I understand how to do it, but I just don’t enjoy it.”

Today I would like to explain why I feel that if you are an author or artist, you DO NOT need social media in order to have “a platform.” Plus: I’ll tell you exactly what will make agents and publishers happy, even if you never touch social media.

First, Write a Good Book

Okay, the first thing that agents and publishers want is for you to write a good book. So, start with craft. Write a book that an agent or publisher will fall in love with, or one that fits a need in the marketplace that is obvious.

For Platform, This What Agents and Publishers Really Want

When an agent or publisher says, “We want to see that you have a strong social media presence,” they could actually care less about social media. What they are saying is this:

“Hi. We like your book. But you see, it’s really difficult for us to ensure this book will reach an audience, garner enough sales, and not be a huge waste of our time and money. So what would be great is if you could help us out. Since you are the author, you know this work way better than we ever could. It would be wonderful if you could forge a connection with the folks most likely to want this book. Those most likely to seek it out. To buy it. To leave reviews for it. To tell a friend about it. To create conversations about it. To create buzz around it. Because we can try. We have wonderful sales people, distributors, publicists, editors, marketers and so much else. But these people are busy. We are publishing 10 other books this season. They will do their best to ensure each book is brought to market as best as possible. But with hundreds of books being published into the market this month by various publishers, plus the thousands others being self-published, we just can’t guarantee success. So what would be great is if you could PROVE TO US that you have a clear sense of who the target market is, and show a clear ability to actually get them to take action. Thanks.”

Again, all of this is packed into the shorthand “We want to see that you have a social media presence.” In summary, agents and publishers want you to:

1. Write a great book.
2. Have a sense of who may love it.
3. Have some way to reach them.
4. Have clear ways to try to get those people excited about the book, so much so that they take an action: buy it, review it, post a review, tell a friend.

Social media is not the only way for you to reach your audience or encourage book sales or word of mouth marketing. There are many other ways to do this, including plenty that are way more effective than social media.

How to Establish a Non-Social Media Platform

The idea of “platform” has nothing to do with social media. It is about two things:

• Communication
• Trust

If you have that with a group of people who may like your book, then you have a platform. Social media is not a requirement in this equation. Now, here is the kicker, the part that trips many people up:

Platform does not require social media, but it does require you to be social.

That can bring up all kinds of anxiety in each of us. I wrote about this in my book, Be the Gateway:

“That sounds scary, right? The idea that you have to seek out your audience, one person at a time, and engage with them. Think of it as being back in high school — the same social fears we had back then still exist within us today. Maybe you remember that feeling of walking into the lunch room on the first day of school. You are holding a tray of fish sticks, and as you look out across the lunch room for a seat, you don’t see any familiar faces. You panic, not knowing where to sit. If you sit in the wrong place, you could be rejected by others, or perhaps you will sit with the “wrong crowd” and forever be linked with them. Or worse, you sit alone, looking as though you have no friends as you dissect the fish sticks.”

“When it comes time to share our creative work, the high school fears rise up within us. It can feel like that first day all over again, where all of the security of friendships, sense of place, social standing, and validation are wiped away. We feel vulnerable because we are sharing something we care about with the world, and others can reject us. It is as if you walked into the lunch room, except instead of holding a tray of food, you are holding your creative work. As you look around the room, you are hoping for signs of someone noticing you and waving you over to their table — to be welcomed into a community of people who will appreciate what you have created.”

So, what are other ways to develop a platform for your book or art, without relying on creating a big social media following? What could you say to an agent or publisher that would get them excited about your platform, even with zero social media followers? Some ideas:

• “I do nothing on social media, but I speak at 40 events per year that will reach 8,000 members of the target audience for this book. These people have access to a wider audience of about 40,000 people, nearly all of whom represent the target market for this book. I will be out there, on the road, hustling for this book, speaking to ideal readers, all year long.”
• “I don’t do social media, but I have close connections to these 10 people who do. Each of them have already read drafts of the book, and told me they will help me out. In total, their social media reach is about 400,000 people, and all of them have a following who would love this book. Let me take you through the specifics of what each of these 10 people will do to feature my book when it launches…”
• “I don’t do social media, but I run a podcast that has 1,000 downloads a day. Over the past four years, I have shared more than 400 episodes, almost all of which focus on the topics from my book. In that process, I have established connections with about 120 people who are experts in this topic and who have strong credibility with my ideal audience. I’ll be reaching out to each of them with the following ideas…”
• “I don’t do social media, but I volunteer for an event that caters to the exact readers for this book. In addition to those I reach directly with my work, I have a strong network of 400 other people who also reach the exact people who would love this book. I have constructed a campaign to work with them to help ensure this book gains traction. Let me tell you more about it…”
• “I don’t do social media, but I own this amazing RV. I painted the side of it with the key message in my book, and have scheduled 100 stops across the country to meet with small groups of my ideal audience. I have called ahead to small organizations, bookstores, and events. I have created a marketing campaign that ties all of this together, and there is a charitable aspect to the work as well. In each stop, we will help highlight a cause that is central to the book’s theme. This has helped us get a lot of nonprofits involved too.”
• “I don’t do social media, but I have already setup 20 interviews with people who my ideal audience really respects. These will be published as essays, and I have convinced a conference to share it with their attendees as a digital gift. In addition, half of these people agreed to share the interview with their network, and in total, that equals a reach of 8,000 people who love this topic.”

Now, some these examples are a little bit extreme. But they illustrate the gumption required to prove to people that you will adequately reach the ideal audience for the book. If you have concerns that agents or publishers are turning you down because you “don’t have a social media following,” then simply find another way to prove to them that you can reach the ideal audience for your book and encourage those people to buy it, review it, and talk about it.

In each of these examples, you find that communication and trust are key. That being social in some capacity, is required.

Why You Will Still Pursue Social Media as a Core Part of Your Platform

I’m sure that many of you are thrilled to learn that you do not need to use social media in order to establish a platform for your career as a writer.

But I want to be real with you, and give you an example of why you will likely continue to pursue social media anyway. I saw Jon Acuff share this recently:

Seeing this, a couple things came to mind:

What Candace, or more likely her publicist, did is within all of our reach: Physically create a fun package with our book, and mail it to someone we admire, who also happens to have a large social media following. Jon’s audience is likely filled with people who would resonate with Candace. The sticking point here? It costs quite a bit of money to create and mail that package. Those gloves costs $30, the copy of the book probably cost $3 to print, and shipping was probably $8. I’ll bet she printed up stationary, so all in we are talking about $50 to reach Jon Acuff with this package.

Now, are you more likely to spend $50 per person to attempt to reach someone influential? Or will you just send a Tweet, which is free?

Because these offline channels can become expensive in terms of not just money, but time and commitment. You can engage in social media while waiting in the pick up line at your kids school, but showing up to an in person event three towns away requires at least a two-hour commitment.

The image above is also a reminder of something: we all wouldn’t mind hitting the lottery. To find success as a writer or artist requires a lot of work. If you stick with it for ten years, and work really hard, you will likely find some level of success.

But wouldn’t it be nice to simply post a single video to the internet and suddenly find the validation and audience you always dreamed of? Just as Candace did:

Social media is difficult because the process of communication and trust is not easy to forge. It requires patience, caring, attention, and giving.

My point is this: there are many ways to forge those kinds of connections with other people. Many ways to establish a platform for your life as a writer or artist.

How will you make it happen?

-Dan

I hung up this quote on the wall of my studio this week:

So many writers and artists I speak to are crushed by the weight of all the things they are told they “must do” in order to succeed. They are drowning in information. There is a constant barrage of webinars, courses, Facebook ads, and free downloads that become a source of feeling inadequate and overwhelmed.

For instance, just this week, I received email offers with subject lines that read:

• “72 Hour Bundle Sale…”
• “4 Hours Left…”

The first offered 9 different courses for a total of $97. Each course has multiple modules, resources, etc.

The second had, I kid you not, 75 digital downloads from 75 unique people. This too was priced at $97.

If you are like me, you can feel two sides screaming at each other in your brain:

• SIDE 1: “OMG, WHAT A DEAL!!! WHERE IS THE LINK TO BUY THIS?!”
• SIDE 2: “Um, 9 entire courses? 75 ebooks? How is this mishmash going to help me truly make progress. I’m going to drown in information, alone.”

In other words: these offers are too compelling to pass up, yet too overwhelming to truly take advantage of. So what does work? A writer asked me the other day, “Dan, if you had a book coming out a year from now, where would you focus your efforts? It would be growing a newsletter list, right?”

My answer: “Nope.”

If you want to develop an audience for your work, I suggest you do this:
FOCUS ON CONNECTION WITH REAL PEOPLE, NOT CREATING “CONTENT” OR “FOLLOWERS.”

I say this because when you launch your book, when you do a reading, when you release your art, when you want to get hired, I want you to truly reach people who love your work. I have simply seen too many people pursue hacks to grow their email list, their follower count on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or come up with a clever giveaway, only to have it translate to a MEAGER bump in actual sales. In other words: these writers hoped that big numbers of followers would lead to real fans and real sales, but they didn’t.

The problem? They went “a mile wide and an inch deep.” In other words: they had broad reach, but not real depth of connection with those people.

Let me give you an example: let’s say you are a writer with a book coming out in 6 months. You have heard that growing your email list is critical. So you decide to give away a free iPad, and to enter, people have to sign up for your email list. Quickly, you jump from a list of 100 real fans to a list of 1,000 people, 900 of whom signed up because of the giveaway. You feel great. A friend of yours who works in marketing tells you that the “acquisition cost is 50 cents per lead, which is way better than industry average.” You feel smart and professional, like you finally cracked this this whole marketing thing. You begin doing math… if you give away one iPad a month for a year… how many subscribers you will have. Then you start making assumptions: if 10% of that list buys my book, and most of them leave reviews on Amazon…

But a week later, you send out a newsletter, and your open rates tank. Your unsubscribes shoot up. You get 5 people responding to you that you have to stop spamming them.

Suddenly, you don’t feel so good.

Now, I help lots of clients and people in my masterminds to run giveaways that work, to grow their email subscribers and grow their followers. I’m not “against” these things. But if we go back to the question above: what would I do if I had a book coming out in a year, I want to dig into that more. I would focus on two aspects of connection:

#1 Develop meaningful connections with your core readers

I would rather have a deep connection to 60 people, than a shallow connection to 600. I think that leads to a better outcome for a book. Having 60 people who love your work means they may actually buy it, may actually leave a review for it on Amazon, may actually tell their friends, may actually show up to a book reading.

Part of you may be saying, “60 people Dan? That is pathetic. How can I make a living as a writer with 60 fans? I’m about to go onto a webinar from someone who is promising me 1,000 new subscribers to my email list this week.”

But I would ask you to think about it this way: how would you feel if 60 people showed up to your book reading? Here is a book reading author Jon Acuff recently did with about 90 people:

Here is another event of his, again with about 90 people:

What if around 60 people left a review for your book on Amazon? I wrote about that happening to my book just a couple weeks ago. I can tell you, it feels amaaaaazzzzzzing:

What if 60 people emailed you a heart-felt note of congratulations when your book was released?

What if 60 people each told 3 other people about your book?

What if 60 people each bought 10 copies of your book?

What if 60 people were staunch untiring advocates for your work?

This is why my first recommendation to prepare for your book launch is to focus on deep meaningful connections with those who would deeply align with your work. Too many books die in silence. I don’t want that to happen to your work.

#2 Develop connections to those who reach your ideal audience

If you don’t have colleagues, do you really have a career as a professional? Whenever I talk to a creative professional and they can’t tell me about other authors who write in the same topic or genre, I worry. If they can’t tell me who their ideal audience loves, I worry.

Why? Because you can’t succeed alone. You need colleagues. You need relationships with those who reach your audience. Not transactional relationships where you are using them to sell something. But true professional relationships as two people who care about the same things.

This is what I find with nearly every creative professional I interview in my podcast. Professionals rely on these relationships. Yet when I talk to someone who is just starting out and suggest it, they may guffaw at me. “Who has time for that, Dan? My art speaks for itself.”

Get clear about who your ideal audience is. Talk to them. Find out what events they go to. Who else’s creative work (art, music, books) they love. Identify what podcasts they love, blogs they read.

All of these — these connections — should be a journey of discovery. I recently interviewed musician Will Ackerman (podcast coming soon!) When Will plays, his eyes are closed, and he is lost in the music:

An interviewer had asked him why he does this, and this was his reply:

“I think that at my best in performance, I am recreating the time of writing. I’m feeling that same sense of discovery. I feel I’m exploring things in terms of dynamics to a degree and subtlety that I had never even known existed before. That always helps me get back to the wondrous time of discovery.”

Why do I encourage you to focus on forging meaningful connections, not amping up hollow email list and social media numbers? Because your creative work is a process of discovery, and the path to connecting it to others should feel as deeply meaningful as well. It is a process of discovery to connect your work to the hearts and minds of others.

These are the things I explore every single day with the small group of people I work with in my mastermind. It is the work I explore for my own writing at 5:30am each day.

This is a collaborative process of improving one’s craft, and improving how it truly connects to people in the world. This is about people, not “content.”

If you are curious about more details on how to do the things I mention above, please check out my book Be the Gateway. That is where I walk you through the process step by step.

Thanks!
-Dan