Writing is often thought of as a solitary activity; something that happens in isolation. But that's not always the case. Sometimes creativity happens best when you collaborate.

This week on The Portfolio Life I have the privilege of interviewing Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth. Frank and Mary are both successful writers who have each written dozens of books. I've admired them both for a long time.

When people used to ask me how I became a full-time writer, I struggled to give an intelligent answer. How do you chase a dream? It’s complicated.

When it’s your turn, the most important thing you can do is realize it’s your turn. Marketers have led us to believe we need to wait to be picked or wait to be approved of and that’s simply not true.

The best way to get someone’s attention is through generosity. If you have a message to share with the world and no one’s listening, the best thing you could do is give some of it away for free but that is not without challenges.

Everybody is a writer. To be a good writer you have to add value for your audience. In this episode of the Portfolio Life, Ann Handley and I talk about adding value as a writer, dealing with common writer struggles, and the importance of deadlines.

Building a comfortable working environment is important to the creative process but waiting for perfection is procrastination.

This week’s episode of The Portfolio Life was inspired by my messy office. Are artists inherently messy people? Can clutter and creativity co-exist? Or is our mess keeping us from creating our best work?

We all have our passion and wish we could do them full-time. Luckily, that reality is closer than we could ever dream.

It happens to all of us: we want to grow and succeed, but on our own, we are often left frustrated and disappointed. Being involved in a mastermind group may be the perfect solution.

When encouraging people to grow, I have often suggested finding a mentor. Turns out that wasn't the best advice to be doling out.

Part of being a creative person is dealing with all of the opportunities that come your way. Some invitations seem good while others are great. The challenge comes in learning to differentiate between the two.

In this day of smart phones and social media, we are constantly being bombarded with distractions. The amount of things begging for our attention is endless. So how do you focus enough to do work that matters?