Getting Work To Work

It's the end of the year, and as we head into a new year with unforeseen possibilities, it's time to examine our creative processes. How do we produce our work? Is it serving us? Chances are there are portions of our approach, being, vision, and expression that can be challenged, shaped, and refined. The best way to do that is through the lens of memoirs by two drastically different yet similar artists. Combining lessons from the worlds of drama, improv, sketch comedy, and performance art, today's episode of Getting Work to Work features seven creative lessons to practice in the new year.

As creative entrepreneurs, starting new businesses and projects are integral to your work. But how do you develop something new when your past business ventures have failed? Alicja Colon is a serial creative entrepreneur stepping into her fifth business, and she is back on the show to share how she is approaching it differently this time. From understanding her strengths to being more analytical and intentional in journaling what she is doing, Alicja shares several tasks we could all improve within our own businesses. We also talk about her podcast, The Fifth Try, the need to balance short-term needs and long-term growth, how she is moving from a scarcity to an abundance mindset, and her rubric for what she says yes to do.

If you were to write your story, where would you start? As an avid reader of biographies and memoirs, there is nothing more frustrating than starting a book about a remarkable life at the boring beginning. There may be moments at the beginning of our lives that are memorable, but what if our stories didn't start until much later? With a cultural fascination bordering on obsession with the youth, it can be hard to stomach that some people don't really start living their story until the twilight of their lives. Whether you are in your twenties, eighties, or beyond, your story can start today.

How do you respond when a publisher or audience rejects your creative project? How do you build your creative resilience, especially when your work is personal? These questions provide the foundation for my conversation with author Kate Nason. Her memoir, Everything is Perfect, is now available in print, and she shares the creative journey from 49 rejections to self-publishing. We also discuss the differences between audio and printed books, the role of grieving in our creative processes, and why we are more than just rational minds. Regardless of your medium, Kate's wisdom can help you work through the struggles that every artist faces in their creative journey.

Over the past several monologues of Getting Work To Work, I've been sharing chapters from my forthcoming book. After each episode, I had a similar reaction: I need to get this book in front of people to get notes to improve it. But I kept dragging my feet. Why? Why is it easier to get feedback on a professional project than on a personal one? Do I lack the ability to separate myself from my work? Do I trust people to give me feedback that will allow the book to be the best it can be? In today's monologue, I'm tackling these questions and sharing five tips for letting people into your personal project without losing your mind.

There is no silver bullet solution for every problem your business faces, from lead generation to revenue growth, just the fundamentals, and hard work. This statement is the foundation of my conversation with Steve Kahan, author of the new book, High-Velocity Digital Marketing: Silicon Valley Secrets to Create Breakthrough Revenue in Record Time. Throughout our conversation, he shares how talking with customers leads to creating content they need across the entire spectrum of the buyer's journey. He also talks about what he learned about digital marketing in his 1.4 billion dollar exit and what people often get wrong. Most importantly, he makes marketing accessible and understandable, one story, one tip at a time.

Before I started on the journey that is writing a book, I came up with the idea of The Curiosity Toolkit. Originally, it was going to be an online course. As the desire came and went to produce online courses as part of my business plan—I love teaching, but not in that medium—I archived the toolkit. As the structure and content of my book began to take shape, I realized the toolkit would fit nicely into the overall story structure. The Curiosity Toolkit is broken down into 14 chapters and uses our body, mind, and spirit as implements for our curiosity. I'll read two chapters from this section in today's episode: the introduction and soul.

If there's one thing I love about today's guest, it's that she knows who she is and makes zero apologies for filling the room with her awesomeness. Phyllis Williams-Strawder is the Ghetto Country Brandmother® and is a Certified Brand Strategist, business coach, and writer. In this conversation, she shares her love for business and helping people to become who they want to be. She talks about branding—what it is and is not, respecting your business, and not being embarrassed with who you are. Throughout the conversation, she shares stories and lessons learned along her journey from BBQ to branding.

How do you write about community when you feel like you're living in hiding? When you don't want to commit to another group of people because past wounds are still oozing and ugly? You accept where you are at and let the words flow. Could healing come from this moment? In today's episode of Getting Work To Work, I'll share a chapter about avoiding community from my forthcoming book, A Curious Journey: Learning to Co-exist in Solitude, Relationships, and Community. I've had my fair share of struggles with different communities over the past twenty years, but I'm not ready to be a hermit just yet.

What do you do when you are endlessly curious about how people get the most out of their lives and maximize their professional efficacy? You find a way to deliver context-dependent content—what you need when you need it. Mark Herschberg is an author and creator of the Brain Bump app and is back on Getting Work To Work to share about the changing world of content. Yes, an endless supply of information is available to us 24x7, but what is shifting is how we consume and retain information. In this conversation, Mark shares the stories behind Brain Bump, how it works, and the iterative process he went through making the app. He also mixes in various shareable moments on topics such as our careers and niches, laziness as a design principle, brand awareness, and the creative process.