Getting Work To Work

As creative entrepreneurs, there are two popular ways to define the work we do: passion projects and paid projects. After my conversation with Gabe Ratliff in Episode 326 of the show, I've been thinking about a third type of creative project: the impact project. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm going to dive into each of these types of projects and why you need all three in your business.

When you get an idea, what do you immediately think about it? Better yet, what do you do with it? These are two questions that got me thinking as I read Own Your Weird by Jason Zook. This book is a collection of stories, experiences, and ideas—from selling his last name to charging for everything he makes in the future—that all speak to the reality that we can do so much more, if we just trusted ourselves a little bit more. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm going to explore four areas of my life that could use more weirdness: decisions, dreams, detoxing from social media, and direction.

What makes your heart sing? How do you want to live? Who do you want to serve? These are three important questions that fuel Gabe Ratliff's life and work as a podcaster, filmmaker, and coach for creative entrepreneurs. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, Gabe dives deep into his journey growing up as a creative weirdo to launching his podcast and platform, The Artful Entrepreneur. We also talk about his insatiable curiosity, creativity as an act of sharing, growing community, and the power of sharing our stories.

You've probably heard it said that mastery takes around 10,000 hours to achieve, as written about extensively by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers. Imagine you want to become a master filmmaker and you spend eight hours a day practicing your craft. In 1,250 days or roughly 3.5 years, you should arrive. But the reality is that many of us, myself included, don't spend that amount of time each day on the things we want to master. Instead, we watch a few YouTube videos, poke around in our software, buy a bunch of positively reviewed gear, and naively proclaim like Neo in The Matrix, "I know kung fu." But for every subject we claim to know, there will always come a time when someone says, "Show me."

Are you failing at greater things? A fascinating question inspired from a quote in my journal one year ago. I think a lot about failure, mainly as something to avoid at all cost. But what's interesting is that failure is a lot like salt in cooking: without it, food is bland and boring, and too much will kill your heart over time. Is there a better way to approach failure that allows me to chase after greater things? I think so.

Is your life your story? I start this episode reflecting upon a quote from Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon that stopped me in my tracks. I never believed that I had an interesting story. I often don't share it as a result. But the truth is that it's up to me to make one. To make my life, my story. And you have the same responsibility.

All the note for this episode said was this: "Fun in the process." Where did this come from? What inspired that thought? I have a swirl of words, ideas, and voices whirling through my mind and I'm trying to backtrack and find my way to the point. I'm not sure what the spark of inspiration was, but I think I understand the point I want to make: As I go from none to done, have some fun and enjoy the process.

I read a lot of books that emphasize the importance of having core values or guiding principles for your business. Whenever I read about this topic, I always say to myself, "Well, that would be nice to have, but that's just not how my business works." The other day I was talking to a friend about getting a project released and I said, "Done is better than none." In that moment, a core value began to take shape in my mind. Could it be that this has been a guiding principle I've been ignoring? Could this be why I get frustrated when there is an overall lack of progress or deadlines missed?

For anyone on a growth trajectory, there will inevitably be moments where you are not qualified for the work that is before you. But those who persevere, surround themselves with people who have been there before, and even have a little fun in the process, succeed. In today's interview episode of Getting Work To Work, I talk with author and entrepreneur Rachel Stewart about her book, Unqualified Success. We touch on the role our mindset plays in our success, how fear and failure are an important part of the process, and how the bulk of the work we must do around success is within ourselves.

If you were to make an autobiographical film about your life, would it be entertaining or dreadfully boring? Would it be full of lessons to learn or a hedonistic journey into pleasure and pain? Are you living life? Are you doing interesting things? Are you sharing them with the world? These questions, inspired by Robert McKee and James Clear, got me thinking about the life I'm living, what I'm creating, and the image I'm presenting to the world.