The key to a successful creative practice has very little to do with natural creative ability. Developing your creativity requires an ironclad and consistent work ethic to develop and maintain what I like to think of as your creative muscles. I’ve put together a list of things to keep you motivated as you work your way towards greater – and more consistent – creativity.

  1. Set up a dedicated place to create
    • Having a place where you can work helps formalize your creative process and makes it easier to do.
    • This can be a spot in your office or even a corner of one of your rooms at home.
  1. Have a particular time of day to create
    • Schedules are good for accountability. 
    • Stick to your schedule.
  1. Don’t wait until you have huge chunks of time
    • It’s better to work on your creativity a little every day than it is to wait until you have four uninterrupted hours. 
    • Consistency, not duration, is the key. 
  1. Work with a collaborator
    • It’s often easier to share the load when it comes to creativity.
    • Collaborators keep you accountable.
    • In a good collaboration, the work feels half as hard.
  1. Go on input for a while
    • If you’re stuck for creative ideas, feed your inspiration by listening to music, going for a walk, browsing in a bookstore and looking at titles, etc.
    • It comes down to being present in your life and paying attention.
  1. Tell yourself you only have to try for five minutes
    • On the days when you least want to be creative, it’s usually because there’s something inside you that needs to be explored and that can feel daunting.
    • If, after five minutes, you’re not getting anywhere, give yourself permission to stop but, usually, you’re off to the races once you actually start the process.

Conclusion

Creativity is a wonderful gift but don’t expect it to come in a flash of inspiration. Instead, put together an environment conducive to creativity and carve out time in your daily schedule to actively pursue inspiration and grow your creativity. When it comes down to it, there’s nothing mysterious about creativity. We all have it and those of us who choose to develop it will reap the creative rewards.

Find out more about Cliff’s innovation & creativity workshops for business teams and organizations.

When it comes to successful creativity, there is very little room to indulge in stereotypical “artistic” behavior. The reality is that flighty, irresponsible and disorganized creative geniuses rarely have any significant success. Being organized in your creativity yields measurable benefits above and beyond the obvious ability to find a pair of matching socks. Below are a few important reasons why it’s worth your while to stay organized as you pursue your creative growth.

1. It’s good for business

I feel like I end up saying this a lot but if you’re hoping your creative efforts will translate into financial success, then you’re not just a creative, you’re a business person. The grim reality of businesses is that they don’t run themselves. Staying organized will only make your business (and your career) run more smoothly. Everything from being on time to appointments to keeping a current backup of your computer hard drive counts. To make it more personal, creative ideas are precious and losing them because you’re disorganized feels like an avoidable catastrophe.

2. Inspiration can accessed

The difference between having a creative idea on the rare occasion when all the planets line up versus accessing your creativity every day comes down to being organized. Keeping track of your inspired ideas in a way that allows you to go and find them, will allow you to more consistently create even if the magical inspiration isn’t on a predictable schedule.

3. You’ll avoid missing opportunities

Having an organized folder arrangement on your computer will enable you to find – and exploit – your creative ideas quickly and efficiently. On a personal note, my first big break as a songwriter almost didn’t happen because the artist was in the studio and couldn’t find the demo we’d sent them. Because I was able to quickly find and email an mp3 of the demo, the artist cut the song in the studio that afternoon. I can’t imagine how disappointing it would have been if I hadn’t been able to find the song until a day or two later when the opportunity had come and gone.

4. You’ll be more productive

So much of being effective in your creativity is about getting the maximum amount done in the limited time you have to do it. If you’re constantly rooting around your office or on your computer looking for where you placed your last creative project, you’re not making the kind of progress you could be. Staying organized can take you a long way towards being productive and, ultimately, successful.

Conclusion

It should be understood, of course, that there is no substitute for actively pursuing your creativity. Unfortunately, there are many, many people capable of great creative ideas. The way to differentiate yourself is to not only create but also keep yourself and your ideas organized in a way that will allow you to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. By improving your odds of success, staying organized might be the deciding factor in your next successful creative idea.

-Cliff

Find out more about Cliff’s creativity & innovation workshops for business teams and organizations.

Don’t get me wrong, compared to most work in the world creative work is pretty great even from the beginning. That being said, once you’ve made the decision to take your creativity seriously, there’s so much more to consider than whatever your inspiration happens to provide on a given day. As you progress, there will be plenty of challenges ahead but the good news is that the longer you pursue your creative work, the more fun it gets. I thought I’d put down a few of the reasons why I’ve found this to be true.

1. The technique disappears

When you begin to really study the craft of your chosen creative field, it seems like you can’t create at all without getting bogged down in all of the techniques you’re supposed to remember. Given that there are tons of things to consider when you’re refining your craft, it’s a miracle you can make it through the work at all. But, as with any technique, the more you do it, the more it will become ingrained and the less you’ll find yourself actively thinking about it. Once you’re no longer consciously considering technique, your creative process will get back to feeling as inspired as it did when you first started out.

2. You get better at getting out of your own way

When you’ve only worked on a few creative projects, there’s a tendency to agonize over every detail and to constantly second guess yourself. The more creative work you do, however, the more you’ll come to realize that your instincts are worth trusting and that the details will work themselves out if not in your first attempts then in the subsequent ones. The more you’re able to relax and get out of your own way, the more open your creative channels will become and the less you’ll hinder your own process.

3. Your work will get more consistent

As my friend and hit songwriter, John Tirro, said years ago, “every once in a while you’re going to screw up and write a great song.” What I think John was referring to was the fact that early on we can occasionally show flashes of extreme creative brilliance. The problem is that when we’re new to our craft, the likelihood of consistently repeating that particular feat is low. The more creative work you do, the higher the baseline level of quality. There is absolutely no substitute a large volume of creative projects when it comes to raising the level of your work.

4. The more creative projects you have out there, the more good things will happen 

In the end, creative work is a numbers game. I’ve always believed that as creatives we have to reach some mystical critical mass of effort before we start to see success with our work. Not that it’s exactly like this but if you think of each of your creative efforts as a lottery ticket, the more tickets you buy, the greater the likelihood that one of them will be the winning number. On a slightly less poetic note, working on more creative projects simply improves your odds of the work getting noticed and connecting with people in the industry. I feel I should mention that it’s not just the creative work that counts but your effort in getting that work out into the world. In other words, don’t forget to pitch and promote your work.

Conclusion

Given that I wrote songs for twenty years before I had a #1 single and thirty years before I wrote a song on a GRAMMY-winning album, I feel like I can speak with a certain authority about how creative work gets more fun the longer you do it. I’m living proof that if you stick with it, things can – and will – improve. Otherwise put, when in doubt, keep going.

-Cliff

Find out more about Cliff’s creativity & innovation workshops for business teams and organizations.

For those of you who are relatively new to creative collaborations, it can be difficult to know what to expect when you get together with another person to combine your efforts. As a veteran of over a thousand songwriting collaborations, I thought I’d put down a few of the indicators you should be noticing if – and when –  your collaboration is working well. Another way to put this is that if you aren’t experiencing these things, it might be time to look for other collaborators.

1. You feel comfortable/secure expressing yourself

The foundation of all successful collaborations is trust. If you can’t trust your fellow collaborator with your suggestions and ideas, then it’s pretty much game over from the start. You need to feel safe suggesting potentially ridiculous things while brainstorming so that you can ultimately get to the good stuff. Conversely, you, too, will need to be patient and trust that while all of your collaborator’s suggestions won’t be great, you’re going to get there together. There’s no room for negativity  or nonconstructive criticism in a healthy collaboration.

2. You’ve got complementary skill sets

One of the best scenarios possible arises when you and your collaborator are strong where the other is weak and vice versa. If visual ideas come easily to you but your copyrighting skills are lackluster, you’d be best served working with someone who has a gift for writing but might struggle with visuals. It’s been my experience that the talent of your collaborator in their given speciality will also help you up your game in yours. In other words, your writing will work even better when paired with your partner’s brilliant images. The key here is that you easily fall into your respective roles and, together, create something that is better than either one of you could have done on your own.

3. Things move along quickly and easily

Another hallmark of a successful collaboration is that the creative process is a smooth one. Instead of agonizing over what comes next, you find yourselves steadily moving through the entire process and watching it come together naturally and efficiently. This isn’t to say that there won’t be difficult days no matter how good your collaboration may be but, typically, when a collaboration is good, things tend to move along at a nice, steady pace.

4. You’re having fun

Don’t underestimate the value of enjoying yourself during a collaboration. As a collaborator of mine once said, “We should be having fun here. After all this isn’t air-conditioner repair school.” The reality is that if you’re enjoying yourselves, that’s a great indication that you’re working at your peak creativity and capacity.

Bonus Indicator: You’re both proud of the work

When you’re fortunate enough to be in a great collaboration, you’ll both end up feeling strongly about the quality of the work which is not only great for morale but also makes the less romantic prospect of communicating your work to others more appealing.

Conclusion

Let me be clear. Not every collaboration is a great one. The reason, in fact, that I feel qualified to write this article at all is that I’ve spent enough time in crummy collaborations over the years to know unequivocally how the good ones look and feel. However, just because you’ve experienced a bad collaboration is no reason to give up on the concept all together. Stay at it and if you keep the above indicators in mind, you’ll be sure to know when you’re on to something great.

 

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Gratitude. It’s a seemingly simple concept. Be grateful for the things you have or are given. It almost seems like it would be difficult not to be grateful when something good happens or someone shows you a kindness and, yet, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our pursuit of creativity that we forget to stop and simply be grateful. Take my word for it. Stop. Appreciate all the good things and the generosity you’ve been shown and everything will almost immediately feel – and get – better. 

  1. You’ll enjoy yourself more

At its best, developing your creativity comes slowly with relatively little proof of progress for a very long time. In the absence of that major creative breakthrough, it’s up to you to find the good in the little things. A comment by a colleague in appreciation of your creative effort would be a good example. If you’re going to – and we all do – take the less than flattering comments to heart, then please remember to take the compliments to heart, too. It’s a long road to consistent creative confidence so stopping to smell the roses will make that road a much more pleasant one to travel.

  1. More opportunities will come your way

I know this seems a little mystical but the energy you put out in the world is tangible. If you’re brought in on a creative project and you make sure to express your appreciation for your collaborator’s work and talent, not only will you be more likely to get another opportunity to work with that person but you’ll also be an easy recommendation for another creative project when the opportunity presents itself.

  1. Your reputation will precede you

OK, this one’s personal so bear with me. I’ve been a songwriter for a long time (if you consider writing songs for thirty-plus years as “long”) and over the years I’ve developed a reputation as an expert in the field. As a result, I would guess I receive a dozen or so requests a week via email or my website asking for help on a songwriting related topic. It’s a point of pride that I read – and respond – to every single request. I like doing it and I know how good it feels to hear back from someone in the industry given how few and far between those responses can be. Thinking back to when I was starting out, I still remember exactly how good it felt when my call or email was answered. 

Now to my point… I can’t help but notice how few of the people who have asked me for help actually take a moment to send a thank you email in return after I’ve responded to their questions. I won’t even try to guess why this is but I will tell you that it makes me appreciate the grateful replies that much more.  On your creative journey, connecting with those who are more experienced and able to help will be much easier if you remember that everyone likes to be appreciated.

Conclusion

We all know developing creative skills is a challenge. That being said, why not avoid the low-hanging fruit of complaining about it or, worse yet, letting it affect your work. Take time to be grateful for the good things and the kindnesses along the way and you’ll be amazed at how your creativity will flourish. 

 

Find out more about Cliff’s creativity & innovation workshops for business teams.

One of the best parts of working as a creative for as long as I have is that I’ve gotten to observe – up close – the way my successful creative peers manage their day to day lives. Beyond their obvious creative talent, there are lots of other things that these people do day in and day out in order to make themselves successful. I thought I’d list a few things that are worth adding to your daily routine if you’re serious about moving your creative practice forward.

1. Read
As creatives, we spend so much time in “output” mode that it’s easy to forget that we need to feed our creativity, too. Reading great writing and reading about great ideas is just as important as the actual process of creating itself. Make sure you remember to go on “input” from time to time to stoke the fires of your own creative process.

2. Write
This may sound obvious but now matter what your creative medium, it’s a good idea to do some kind of writing. A journal is a simple and easy way to make sure you’re writing at least a little each day even when you don’t have time to dig deeper into your own creative pursuits. I think of writing as a muscle and the more you work it the stronger it gets.

3. Network
I know for a lot of people, networking is an uncomfortable concept. It conjures up images of schmoozing, staying up late and hanging out in bars. That’s really not what I mean. I think of networking as simply building relationships. If I’ve learned anything in my years in the creative world, it’s that relationships are what keep you moving forward and connected to the industry. Networking can mean finding new collaborators, taking the time to send a nice email to a speaker you enjoyed hearing at a conference or any one of multiple ways of reaching out and connecting – either in person or online – with people in our chosen creative arena.

4. Pitch their own projects
Most creatives, especially early on in their careers, think of representation as the answer to all their problems. After all, now they’ve got people who are going to spread the word about them and their work. While, strictly speaking, this is true, the most successful creatives I know don’t sit around hoping that their manager or agent is going to pitch their ideas or material, they’re actively doing it themselves. It’s best to think of representation as an additional means of getting the word out but, in the end, no one is going to care about your creative work as much as you do.

5. Follow up
Ready for a little more unromantic news about the day to day of successful creative people? They tend to spend a lot of time following up on emails, phone calls and other opportunities that they’ve been pursuing. There’s a myth that the more successful you are the more opportunities present themselves to you. My observation has been the exact opposite. In other words, the more work you do, the more opportunities you create. Waiting around for opportunity is not something successful people in any field tend to do.

6. Practice patience
A career in creativity is all about the long game. There is very rarely an immediate result from the effort you make. Being impatient in the creative industry is a recipe for discouragement or regrettable behavior. While we would all like an immediate payoff for our efforts, it is often years between the time an idea is hatched or a project is completed and the time it actually generates any income for the creator. That being said, the better your work ethic and the more patient you are, the more likely you are to have success and enjoy the journey along the way.

Conclusion
If there’s one single point that I’d like to make in this article, it’s that you shouldn’t wait until you’re a successful creative to behave like one. There’s a tendency to think that once you start doing well with your work, then you’ll start taking care of all the other stuff. I’m here to tell you that it’s by taking care of all that “other stuff” that you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of success.

 

Find out more about Cliff’s creativity & innovation workshops for business teams.

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”  – Mike Tyson

In my years as a creative professional, I’ve found that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” you’re going to hit a rough patch. The key, in my experience, is not trying to avoid these tough times but, rather, to learn to navigate them in such a way that you emerge on the other side stronger and wiser for the experience. Easier said than done, I know, but stay with me on this one…

Make a Plan

I think on some level we all enter the world of creativity with a mixture of blind optimism and unrealistic expectations. Both of these are, in their own way, essential. After all, who in their right mind would enter a career where the financial payoffs could be years – or even decades – down the road? The plans we all begin with are based on some combination of myth and dreams and yet they’re somehow enough to convince us we should give it a go.

Get Punched in the Mouth – Take 1

A few years into our creative pursuits, we begin to see the true shape of the road ahead. We now know the landscape, understand our place in it and, at the same time, we begin to see how far away we are from achieving our initial goals. This is, in equal parts, educational and completely demoralizing. This gut check moment tends to thin the herd of creative hopefuls by a significant amount.

Get Back Up and Make Another Plan

For those of us who still choose to continue, our process from this point on is all about refining our goals and looking for the things we can do to keep the joy in our chosen creative field. This can include finding collaborators, experimenting with different styles, reluctantly learning about the business side of creativity, etc. In other words, we’ve begun the process of growing up and into our careers. The good news is that this approach will lay the foundation for what can become a truly fulfilling lifetime in creativity if we’re prepared to stick with it.

Get Punched in the Mouth – Take 2

Despite our newfound knowledge and work ethic, the industry will still conspire to deliver significant valleys between the peaks we’ve begun to experience. The peaks can be everything from our first industry recognition, our work being made available to a mass audience, a big creative payday, or any other of many possible creative high points. These peaks are what will sustain us when the valleys seem to go on forever. At least by now, we’ll have the benefit of some perspective on how we wound up in these valleys and that will help us make a new plan informed by our past setbacks and disappointments.

Get Back Up Again (lather, rinse, repeat)

If there is a common character trait among successful creative people in any field, it would be their unwillingness to give up or stop doing what they feel compelled to do no matter how often they encounter adversity. So much of the success in our business goes to the people who wouldn’t take no for an answer whether it came from an industry decision-maker or from life itself. One of the ways I’ve found to weather these storms is to make sure that I have other interests outside of my creative pursuits. I know exactly how all-consuming a career in creativity can be but, sometimes, it’s the perspective you gain from stepping outside of that world than can be your salvation.

Conclusion

I should close this piece by stating that I am not a cynic. There’s no way I could have survived as a songwriter for thirty-plus years without a pretty good-sized dose of Pollyanna in my DNA. That being said, sometimes it can help to hear from someone who’s been through it that although you will almost certainly get figuratively punched in the mouth, from time to time, you can – and I hope you will – get back up and keep going.

 

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I should begin this piece by stating that you won’t find a bigger fan of technology in general than I am. Starting in the earliest days of the personal computer all the way up and through the internet of things, I’ve always been fascinated with how technology can make life both more efficient and richer in general. 

I believe we’re at the earliest beginnings of what ChatGPT and other generative AI companies will be bringing to the creative table and I’m genuinely excited about it. However, I’m also a professional creative and I’ve spent the last thirty years on my own creative journey from amateur to GRAMMY-recognized, hit songwriting professional. To that end, while I don’t yet know how far generative AI will go towards truly stunning creative accomplishments, I do believe there is an area where we, as humans, will be better off without generative AI. Specifically, our participation in creative process itself.

To refine and simplify my argument, I’m going to use lyric writing as my example as it’s a creative arena with which I’m intimately familiar. It is now possible to prompt generative AI to write a lyric about any topic from any point of view using any metaphor and end up with – to my genuine amazement – a very solid result. A result that is better than most amateur songwriters could hope to achieve. As an experienced professional, I might quibble with the placement of certain lines or see places where the lyric could be further refined to add emotion but, overall, it would be hard to argue that the lyric provided isn’t as good as the majority of what’s currently being written by the majority of human songwriters. 

Also, I should state preemptively that I’ve never been a stranger to using technology to assist me in my songwriting process whether it’s text editing documents, rhyming dictionaries, drum loops or any other technological device to maintain and even enhance the creative flow during a writing session. 

However, the thought of being presented with a completed song lyric simply by giving an AI a series of prompts misses that entire point of choosing a creative profession in the first place. I believe that it is the creative process and not the end result that shapes us and our experiences just as much as our experiences shape our creative process. Having generative AI write your lyric is the metaphorical equivalent of buying a finisher’s medal for a marathon. You’ll have the medal but you’ll be missing every lesson about willpower and endurance that comes from the months of training (and the race itself) as well as the sense of accomplishment and hard won insights gained by exploring your own limits. 

I absolutely believe there’s a place for generative AI in creativity but in order for that creativity to have any meaning to the creator and, subsequently, the audience for creative work, the creative process itself must remain a fundamentally human one.

Everything about who I am and what I do for a living has been shaped by my journey and exploration of the creative process. I know that I couldn’t have done it alone nor would I expect anyone else to but I will always be glad that it was ultimately my process – mistakes and all – that got me to where I am today.

-Cliff

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In any business, your reputation and the impression that you make plays a major part in the success of your career. Being well-respected and taken seriously as a creative will, in time, open doors and lead to work that will get your ideas and creations (whatever they may be) to a wider audience and generate income as well. However building your reputation takes time and conscious effort. Below are a few things you can do to begin building your all-important reputation as a creative.

1. Develop quality material

It should go without saying – but I’m saying it anyway – that you should be actively working on your creative craft. Coming up with consistently good ideas and results of any kind takes lots of practice. Don’t let the myth that “all you need is one good idea” distract you from working on improving your work every day. I’m of the belief that creativity is a muscle requires constant exercise in order to stay strong.

2. Present your ideas professionally

Whether it’s is fair or not, you’ve only got one chance to make a first impression with your work. Even though, strictly speaking, a good idea is a good idea, the way you present that idea counts. Creative industry professionals are exposed to a lot of ideas every day. Don’t give them a reason to discount yours by pitching a poorly prepared concept. Remember, you’re running a business and you need to make sure your product (in this case, your creativity) is polished and marks you as a pro.

3. Develop your people skills

I think it’s important to remember that your ideas don’t exist in a vacuum. Your best bet for finding a receptive industry audience for your work is to remember that interpersonal skills count. Being friendly and taking an active interest in the people you’re meeting makes a big difference. For example, if you’ve got a meeting with someone in the creative industry, do a little homework and find out about the person and their company. Take the time to get to know someone before you begin asking them to do something for you. This can also be as simple as asking the person you’re meeting with what they’ve been working on instead of immediately telling them about you and your projects. And, although I’m not your mom (I don’t think…), I’m going to remind you say “thank you” when someone has taken the time to meet with you and/or answer your questions.

4. Take criticism well

Creativity is subjective. Everyone has their own sense of what they like and what they’re looking for. If you’re hoping to get one of your ideas or projects accepted, then listening to the comments of an industry decision maker about your work can give you real insight into what they’re looking for. Responding defensively to these comments won’t get you anywhere. You certainly don’t have to agree with every comment or critique but it’s in your best interest to give them real thought and consider the source. Remember, these are the people who make the decisions about whether your creations will be put in the position to succeed. Pay attention and see if there’s a way to give them what they’re looking for without feeling like you’re compromising your creative approach. I believe it’s possible to do both.

5. When pitching your work, remember that “less is more” on every level

I understand how passionate creatives are about their projects. It’s incredibly tempting to want to show any interested person A LOT of your material. Don’t. Only present the idea or project that is most appropriate for the pitch. There’s no good reason to add a “bonus idea.” Believe me when I tell you that if an industry exec wants to know more about your work, they’ll ask. Here’s an example, if at the end of their work day, an industry decision maker sees two portfolios, and one has one concept/project in it and the other has nineteen concepts/projects in it, which portfolio do you think they’re going to review? Also, once you’ve submitted your idea, be prepared to follow up. Again, less is more. A very brief email or voicemail about two weeks after your submission is just about right. You might need to do this a couple of times (with at least a two week space between each successive contact) before you get a response. However, if you’re polite and to the point, you’ll almost always get a reply eventually.

6. Be dependable

It’s essential for people in the industry to know that they can count on you to do what you say you’re going to do. By showing up to meetings on time, following up on things you’ve discussed and generally being reliable, you can go a long way towards developing a bond of trust. When people on the creative industry side feel they can trust you, it’s amazing how many opportunities present themselves. It sounds simple but by consistently delivering on what you promise, you’ll stand out from the crowd.

Conclusion

There’s really no way around it. Building a solid reputation as a creative takes time and effort. That being said, a healthy dose of patience and humility will ease your path. The good news is that once you’ve established yourself in the eyes of the creative world as a solid, reliable professional, the benefits far outweigh all of the work it takes to get there. 

 

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I’d like to begin by saying that I’m not a cynic. On the contrary, I’m a big believer that if your dream is to have success with your creative endeavors, then, in time, you will find that success. However, I am also a realist. There are rarely shortcuts in our line of work and being a gifted creatively, in my experience, simply isn’t enough to guarantee your success. It takes a combination of factors including patience, perseverance and, most importantly, an undeniable work ethic to rise above the masses of talented creatives all hoping to get their ideas out into the world.

  1. There are lots of talented people

If I’ve learned anything after living in Nashville and New York City over the past almost twenty years, it’s that at a certain point, creative talent is the least common denominator. In fact, the pool of gifted creatives is deeper and wider than we can possibly imagine. This is a good thing. It gives us ample opportunities to learn from each other and improve but the flip side is that talent is only a starting point. It’s all of the other things you do that will eventually separate you from the pack.

  1. Talent is something that you’re given, it’s up to you to develop it

There’s a reason talent is also referred to as a “gift.” The spark that makes us creative and intuitively wired is something that we don’t choose, we just have it. But just because you’ve got a gift doesn’t mean that you don’t need to develop it or spend time understanding it. That’s the actual work. Then, what happens when you do this work is that you will develop the ability to turn something that was previously mysterious and unpredictable into something you can do consistently in order to make your living.

  1. You’re running a business

Being a talented creative without taking the time to understand the business world is the equivalent of a company that makes a great product that no one will ever hear about because they have no marketing department. In other words, your creative output is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to remember that like any business, you’ve got to know the landscape, who the major players are and set specific goals along the way in order to get to the next level. I’m not saying this is easy but I am saying it’s essential.

  1. Your work ethic is everything

The dangerous myth about the creative world is that it’s an exciting, inspiring place where people have brilliant ideas, create beautiful things, go to parties, and then one day they wake up and they’re well known. The gritty, unglamorous truth is that just like any business, there are mundane, yet necessary, things you have to do day in and day out in order to get your creative projects out into the world. Having a solid work ethic and a willingness to get up every day and work toward your creative goals will eventually get you there. It’s not always clear along the way how these little things help but believe me when I tell you that they absolutely do and, in the end, make all the difference. There is, of course, glamor and excitement in the creative world but there’s a lot of good, old-fashioned work for you to do as well.

Conclusion

Creative talent is a wonderful thing and should never be taken for granted. I’m here to remind you to enjoy your gift for the amazing thing that it is. However, I’m also suggesting that talent is only one part of a bigger set of conditions that need to be met in order for you to successfully get your ideas and creative projects out into the world and to make a living doing it.

 

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