Gifted Underachievers

If you sell your creative work or provide creative-adjacent services online, you’ve already made decisions about your market—ranging from the language and images you use for your website to the currency you accept payment in.

As a Canadian, Pat’s begun to realize that the country many of her clients and students are based in (the USA) has become politically and economically unstable. This instability has affected every aspect of the book trade, including the ability of individual authors to keep writing when they have to work more to due to the increased cost of living, the burden of creating new work in a regime that’s hostile to the arts, the increasingly risk-averse climate in traditional publishing, and the effect of rising fuel prices on book distribution.

She hoped this was a phase that might end with the current president’s term. But realistically, it could last for a decade or more as the country to the south rebuilds and regroups. And that’s only if the systemic changes happening now are reversed.

There’s not much we can do about economic instability in another country, but we can diversify our offerings into more stable markets. In this segment, we discuss why and how to do this.

Questions for Listeners:

* Do you have a particular geographic market for most of your work?

* If yes, where is it?

* If you were to diversify, what would you do first?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations

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In this disturbing short segment, the Gifted Underachievers discuss the basement of their Clubhouse, now free of any captured creative folk. Who should we nab next?

NOTE: No captives have been held in the GU Clubhouse. We’re just being silly.

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration

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If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe any time.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

What meaning do you get from your life as a creative?

· Who are you now?

· What have you done?

· Are you heading where you want to go?

The Gifted Underachievers discuss a challenging thought experiment to help you gain perspective on these questions.

From there, you can tweak, choose, manage, and direct your current and future creative projects for maximum meaning and value to your body of work.

Questions for Listeners:

* Where would your personal retrospective be held?

* Who would come to it?

* What would it show?

* What clues to meaning are in your work?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination!

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

A Creative Retrospective, Unfortunately Featuring Me (by Genna McWhinnie):

Art & Fear: Source of the quote from McWhinnie’s video (above), “The clues are in the work.”

A Creative Retrospective:

Your Life’s Work: The Artist’s Retrospective: https://artbizsuccess.com/virtual-retrospective/

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Pat’s aggressively white office has way too much paper and other artifacts of her creative work. James does the exact same thing. In fact, he will find himself surrounded by piles of paper, old mail, out-of-date eyeglasses, folders for long dead projects, and more in his office when he decides time for a purge.

We all do this.

It’s too easy to set something aside thinking we’ll come back to it only to let it become one more atom of a massive pile of crap we don’t need or use.

And too often, these items become hard to let go of.

Do we allow stuff to hold us prisoner?

What should we keep? What should we let go of?

Question for Listeners:

* Are you a hoarder or wise keeper of your legacy?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

The Gifted Underachievers are really proud of their listeners and feel that it’s time they share the spotlight with them.

If you’d like to get some more attention for your work, specific project, or anything you do as a creative, send us an email at [email protected]. We’ll be in touch.

Question for Listeners:

* Why not be a GU listener profile?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Dobes (Pat Dobie) is one of the most organized gifted underachievers in history. She has a huge whiteboard and a well-stocked supply of dry erase markers.

What does she use them for?

Well, Pat holds CEO meetings for her creative-adjacent work at least twice a year.

The purpose?

To recenter, prioritize, and find new capacity in her creative adjacent work.

How does she do that?

She is great at data capture. In particular, tracking time spent and money earned on her projects to identify which ones do well, and which ones need to be reconsidered.

And in the end?

Pat sets herself up for greater success for the next six months by prioritizing high-value work and projects over those with a lower return.

Questions for Listeners:

* How do you track the costs and benefits of your work?

* What do you do with that data?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a member, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

The Gifted Underachievers discuss the pros and cons of referring or outsourcing some of their creative-adjacent work to other professionals, especially aspects of the work that are ancillary to our core professional services.

In other words, will you do better to stick to your core competency and pass clients to others to shepherd them through the stuff you don’t want to do? Or is it better to offer the ancillary services yourself?

James is thinking that he’d like to start handing off more of the post-writing work (pitching, proposals) to trusted colleagues. This sparks questions such as:

* How do you add people to your network of vetted suppliers or colleagues?

* What will their role be?

* How will the relationship work?

We also look at how you can see and evaluate a potential supplier or colleague’s work:

* How do you approach them with this type of referral?

* Do they have the skills and experience to handle it?

* Can you send clients to them with trust that the outcome will be positive?

The goal is to create or expand your network of people that are good to work with, know what they’re doing, and will do what they say they’re going to do.

Questions for Listeners:

* Do you refer clients to other service providers in your field?

* How does it usually go?

* Got any horror stories?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

The Art of Collaboration

https://pwcenter.org/article/the-art-of-collaboration-how-do-you-find-the-right-people/

How to Join Forces with a Creative Collaborator

https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-join-forces-with-a-creative-collaborator/

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No cost, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

“A day without cheese is a day without sunshine,” says Dobes.

James claims, “It’s the enzymes.”

Here in the Gifted Underachievers Clubhouse, we agree that the food group known as cheese goes in many things: tuna melts, fried egg sandwiches, salads... And if you’re a REAL cheesehound, you’ll like it hard, soft, or blue.

It’s not just the enzymes, it’s not just the feel-good fats—the bald fact is that cheese makes us happy. And a happy creative is a productive creative.

Questions for Listeners:

* Ever felt better after you eat cheese?

* Exactly.

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book!

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

The Truth about Cheese:

Can Cheese Make You Happy?

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Sure, big breaks are great, but careers and talent are built over time, one project after another.

In this segment, the Gifted Underachievers conclude that the proper mindset (or at least, a healthy and realistic mindset) is to consider your career as a steady push toward a tipping point. Plan your work and future by achieving a series of tipping point acts that lead to where you want to go.

Question for Listeners:

What does your tipping point look like? Have you passed it, or are you still heading toward it?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Our environments interact with us every minute of every day. Working in a cluttered, dusty, and disorganized space WILL reduce both your clarity and your creative output.

What’s one to do? How do you reorganize your space to optimize your hours at work? What visual and sensory elements will harness and support your energy?

The Gifted Underachievers discuss this with a view to Pat’s overhaul of her “cloffice” (closet-office—a common solution for work-at-home creatives in urban centers with high housing costs).

Listen in as we discuss “life architecture,” images, colours, and resources from creativity architect Donald Rattner and from our very own Gifted Achiever guest, writer and creative consultant Carrie McConkey.

Questions for Listeners:

* Describe your creative space in basic truths.

* How do you feel when you’re in it?

* Any plans to spruce it up and make it more functional?

* If yes, what will you do?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book

Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!

For Further Exploration:

Gifted Achiever Carrie McConkey (website):

Creativity architect Donald Rattner:

My Creative Space (website, book, other resources)

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com