This podcast episode digs into why I feel you should join or create a mastermind group, and my tips on how to get the most value out of it.

I review different types of mastermind groups, how they can help you find more success as a creative professional, and best practices for collaborating with others. 

I also dig into the specifics of how I run my own mastermind group, which is now open for enrollment. They begin on January 1, 2018. I have three, one for each topic:

1. Craft Your Creative Roadmap
2. Build Your Creative Power Habits
3. Find Your First 10 Super Fans

Register here: http://wegrowmedia.com/mm/ 

If you wondered about the reality of what it takes to find true success with your craft, I beg of you to listen to my interview with children's book author Stacy McAnulty.

She published 6 books this year, and 6 books in 2016. The road to that success? Dramatically longer and more involved that even I had ever considered.

Her journey (and our interview) began with her saying “I gave myself permission" to write. This was more than 15 years ago, when she wrote her first book one handed, without punctuation or capitalization, because she wrote while her first child while she wrote.

Our interview ends with these words:

“I am still rejected all the time. It never stops being a part of the job. Rejections expand. Now I get rejected from conferences, schools, bookstore visits. There is a lot more rejection that Woo-hoo! moments. But you have to ask, and you have to try.”

The story in between that start and that ending is just astounding. Listen to it here.

You can find Stacy at http://www.stacymcanulty.com.

Today I interview guitarist, producer, and founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman. You likely haven't heard of him, but he looms large in my life. This is why:

• He is a guitarist who has recorded GORGEOUS music. I've spent hundreds of hours listening to his albums. 
• He founded a music label, Windham Hill Records, that released hundreds of albums of beautiful music, often instrumentals.
• He pretty much discovered George Winston, the A-MAZ-ING pianist. And Michael Hedges. And so many others. I mean, without Will, the world would truly have missed out on some of the most beautiful music ever recorded.

That is the "what" of Will Ackerman. But the "How" is what fascinates me. How on earth did he do this? In my hourlong interview with Will, I was kind of blown away by his message. When I asked him how he went from being a guitarist to earning tens of millions of dollars a year through his record label, he said:

"If you begin something that is inspired entirely by heart. And you are not chasing something that is indicated in the current market to be viable. And because of the love of it, You are willing to do something whether it has economic potential or not. That it is something you love. And in so doing, you end up being a unique thing, that happens to hit the world between the eyes."

Can you imagine this? Not following trends, not constatnly checking social media, not worrying about gaining followers, but instead: following your heart. Focusing on your craft. Becoming MORE LIKE YOURSELF, and less like others.

You can find Will at http://williamackerman.com

In today's conversation, I speak with artist Marc Johns about how he manages distraction, and how he has forged a career as an artist that supports his entire family. 

We went deep into the reality of how he developed his career, made the transition to becoming an artist, and how he manages and markets his work on a day-to-day basis.

You can find Marc at:

http://www.marcjohns.com

https://www.instagram.com/marcjohnsart/

In this week's episode, I explore the essential elements for making a creative shift in your life. What is a creative shift? It is doubling down on not just dreaming about your creative work, but actually doing it.

In the podcast, I mention my next mastermind session, which you can learn more about at: http://wegrowmedia.com/cs

Today I am speaking with actor Jason Liles. 

If you are thinking, "Dan, I'm a writer, what do I care about this actor friend of yours?" I encourage you to listen to what Jason shares. This is not only a wonderful story of success, but he shares specific tactics that I think every writer and creative professional NEEDS to use if they hope to find success. Here are some highlights:

• How he got one of his biggest roles via cold calling: “I got Death Note by calling a [creature] shop that someone recommended. They said they were too busy, call back in a couple months. Then the next week, on a Saturday, they called and asked what my availability was for the next four months, and if I could come in Monday morning. They had no idea who I was the week before. I said I was definitely free, because I was working at Outback Steakhouse full time when this happened. I had no idea [that Death Note] was going on when I stopped by.”
• He dealt with anxiety and panic attacks in middle school, high school and college. He actually had to leave college because of the the anxiety. Seeing how his entire line of work is about performing in front of an audience, this was astounding to me.
• How a director of theater program at a big school told Jason flat out, “You are too tall for film. Forget about it.” How did he move ahead after such bad advice? He went to Broadway shows, waited outside the stage door and ask world famous actors such as Jame Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Jeff Daniels, and others: “Am I too tall for film?” Every one of them said, “Not at all. Just do it.” As it turns out, Jason’s height is a primary factor that is getting him so many of his roles.
• How he is able to spot and approach famous actors on the street and ask them for advice. An example, “Bryan Cranston talked for about 20 minutes giving me advice when I bumped into him in Central Park with his wife, because he knew I was a young actor.” He has done this with Michael Fassbender, Daniel Day Lewis, and others as well. To me, this was a reminder to use the opportunities that are all around you. Jason didn’t have any special access, and he didn’t let himself be constrained by perceived “rules” that you can’t approach people and ask them a question.
• His first job was as a stand-in. Later on this, same company got him his his spot in Men in Black III as well as his first commercial. I can imagine Jason saying “no” to a stand-in role because it is too small. But if he had, he never would have gotten Men in Black III, never would have established his relationships with people who were critical to future roles in his career.
• Why he says that more people need to get involved in the business side of their creative profession. How, in his field, you can be an amazing actor who never gets work, because you never learn about how to make the right connections. Or vice versa, you can be a mediocre actor who always gets work because you understand how the business operates.
• How he developed relationships in the film industry with this strategy: “I would do anything to get experience: student films, non-paying plays — anything.”
• The thing that made all the difference for him: “The biggest thing that I did was to get to know people in the creature shops. Sometimes, the creature shops would be responsible for identifying the actor to play specific roles. Getting to know them, I can bypass producers, casting directors, and others. I learned who all the shops are, and keep in touch with them.”

Thank you to Jason for taking the time to share your story and advice. You can find Jason in the following places:

Instagram

IMDB

Thanks!

-Dan

Today I want to recommend that you become completely obsessed with Dani Shapiro's work. Why? Because she talks about the emotional side of the creative process in a way that I think every writer and artist needs to hear. 

Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of the memoirs Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage, Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Dani was recently Oprah Winfrey’s guest on”Super Soul Sunday.” 

In the conversation, we dig into so much, including:

• It is difficult for many people to give themselves permission to be called a “writer.”
• How many writers can feel held captive by their own “inner censor,” which keeps shifting, morphing, and changing as your career progresses.
• How she engages with others in-person and online, even though she is an introvert.
• How she has been “practicing the word “no.” And not attaching the word “sorry” to it. I’m learning about what it means to set a boundary.”
• Why she encourages writers to find a “rhythm and ritual” to write, because without them, “The space [to write] will not magically appear. If I don’t make the space to get the writing done, then the rest of it doesn’t work at all.”
• Why an internet connection can be so corrosive to one’s writing: “The instrument on which we are composing can, with one click, take you completely elsewhere. Before you even know what you have done. That is what is so insidious about it. With the flick of your index finger, you can be somewhere else. Most writers I know struggle with it.”
• Why “Waiting for inspiration is a surefire way to ensure work does not get done. I think inspiration is a fallacy. The number of times I have sat down feeling completely uninspired and then had a good day’s work probably equal the number of time when I sat down thinking “I’ve got it!” then had to undo everything that I did in that state. We are very often not the best judges of when we will do good work. A rhythm establishes a way of taking that question off the table.”
• Why she concludes: “It is a great gift, and it carries with it real risks, to live a creative life.”

Author Jon Acuff says this: “One of the cheapest, fastest ways to change your life is to read a book.” I strongly encourage you to read Dani’s book, Still Writing. Listen to the podcast. If you are wondering, “Gee Dan, how can I break through what is holding me back with my creative work,” I think you and your work will be changed by what she shares.

Samantha Hahn is a Brooklyn-based illustrator, creative director, and author. If you are someone who wants to pursue your creative vision, while also earning a living and raising a family, then you have to listen to what Samantha shares.

I was blown away by how she balanced so many practical aspects of developing her career and working within the marketplace, along with the ways that she stays inspired and nurtures her personal and creative needs.

When I researched her background in preparing for the interview, I realized why: growing up, her mother was a commercial artist, and her father worked in the music industry. It’s as if her childhood had been an apprenticeship at the crux of creativity and commerce. There is so much to learn from her experience!

As I went through the recording of our conversation, I kept coming back to these two quotes from Samantha — how they balance two critical sides of what it means to be a creative professional:

• “Nurturing the artist inside you is an essential part of the creative process.”
• “There is always this fear that you are standing on a precipice, and that any moment, you can completely fall off. I don’t want to be driven by fear, but to be a commercial artist, there does need to be that hustle attitude. If you don’t have a constant output of work, the industry is a moving freight train, and it is going to pass you by.”

Ooomph. Listening to Samantha is like taking a masterclass in developing your career and your artistic vision.

You can find Samantha in the following places:
samanthahahn.com
samanthahahncreative.com
Instagram
Pinterest
Her books:

• A Mother is a Story: A Celebration of Motherhood
• Stories for my Child: A Mother’s Memory Journal
• Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction’s Most Beloved Heroines

Note: this interview was recorded a little while back, so her kids are a bit older now, and she has been focusing more of her attention on her creative direction work in addition to illustration.

You can find Dan Blank at WeGrowMedia.com and @DanBlank on Twitter and Instagram. 

How do you forge your own path to success with your creative work? Today, I talk to Elise Blaha Cripe, who tells us how she turned a blog into platform, a podcast, and a series of products that has helped her thrive. But more than that, I was blown away by her reflection on what she has built, after 10+ years: "I have felt more and more fulfilled by the work that I am doing.”

Elise Blaha Cripe is a crafter and founder of the Get to Work Book, a daily planner and goal-setting journal. 

Among her many accomplishments:

• She has blogged for more than 12 years, with more than 3,000 posts.
• She has published more than 125 podcast episodes
• She has launched an unending list of craft projects
• She developed and successfully launched a new brand

In this time, she moved from being a person who shows you the behind-the-scenes of craft projects, to someone at the helm of a big standalone product line. It’s a powerful creative shift. 

You can find Elise at the following places:
GetToWorkBook.com
elisejoy.com
Blog
Podcast
Instagram
Twitter

You can find more from Dan Blank at: 

WeGrowMedia.com

Twitter: @DanBlank

Instagram: @DanBlank

There was a moment in illustrator and cartoonist Jake Parker’s career, where this is what he, his wife and five children faced:

“There was a summer there where we had no money. We went through savings. We had some food storage we saved for when times get hard, and we were like, “Let’s break out the mac and cheese and beans.”

“I was really depressed, I took serious stock of everything. I said, “This is never going to happen.”

In this moment, he did something that I found astounding. He didn’t hide away, he didn’t diminish. Instead he did this:

“I doubled down on sharing online and hitting my social media hard. I really figured out where jobs were coming from, and about three months after, everything started falling into place.”

I can’t even express to you how excited I am to share my interview with Jake Parker. If you make creative work of any sort, and wonder, “How can I take this full-time?” you will learn so much from what Jake shares.

Jake is the perfect example of why it matters to:

1. Truly devote yourself to improving your craft.
2. Develop colleagues with other creative professionals in your field.
3. Share your creative work publicly online, even before you think you are ready.

You can find Jake in the following places:
mrjakeparker.com
SVSlearn.com

You can find me, Dan Blank at http://wegrowmedia.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DanBlank 

If you are a writer hoping to craft a career as an author, you are going to LOVE today’s story. I recently chatted with novelist Tammy Greenwood, who shared with me the harrowing journey to getting her 12th novel published.

She and I last spoke a couple years back, in an interview titled “The “Terrifying Crisis” of Finding the Second Act to Her Writing Career.” Since that time, Tammy released two new books. Today’s story takes us through the process of finding the third act to her writing career.

I encourage you to listen to our conversation here (on my blog or via iTunes), where she takes us step by step through this journey:

• How she wrote a new book that she loved, but which was very different from her previous work.
• How her publisher was not too enthused about it.
• How her agent was not too enthused about it.
• How she ventured out to find a new agent.
• Then to find a new publisher.
• Then to do another major revision of the work. She says: “Ultimately, I did 7 major revisions of this book overall. It was bonkers, I couldn’t believe it was finally done.”

You have to listen to the interview to see how all of this ends!

What I love about Tammy’s story is how it shows the reality of living the life of an author. She concludes:

“Risk is terrifying, but it is critical to finding success as an artist.”

Amongst all of this, we talk about how much she has been working full-time on top of the writing, teaching 7 courses. But she is in transition again, because being an author is a journey. She is scaling back her teaching, with this mission:

“I’m ready to be a writer first.”

You can find my first interview with Tammy from 2015 here: “The “Terrifying Crisis” of Finding the Second Act to Her Writing Career. An Interview with Novelist Tammy Greenwood.”

Tammy’s books on Amazon.
tgreenwood.com
Twitter: @tgwood505

You can find Dan Blank and other episodes at http://wegrowmedia.com 

How do you earn a full-time living as an artist, while raising three kids, and navigating through a failed business venture? Today we find out.

Jay Alders is a professional artist, whose paintings, design work, and photography embodies the surf culture. But that alone is not what inspired me to interview him for the podcast.

I grew up with Jay. After high school, I lost touch with him, and by the time he re-emerged in my life, he was working full-time as an artist from his home studio, and a collaborator with many of creative people. He and his wife Chelsea (equally as awesome as Jay), seemed to have this strange duality:

1. They lived deeply creative lives, with a focus on appreciation, giving back, getting involved, and finding balance.
2. They were each incredibly hard workers, earning a living through pure grit and taking risks needed to create sustainability around their work.

In the past few years, I watched -- astounded -- as Jay and Chelsea had three kids back to back to back. In the blink of an eye, they went to "that cool couple that I know" to a family of five. Then, I was dumbfounded when Jay opened up a huge physical location on the Jersey shore -- a gallery and event space. I just couldn't believe how bold the vision was.

But that venture didn't make it. About a year after opening, he shut it down.

My interview today delves into a range of topics that I think are critical to anyone who wants to make a living with their creative work, while also honoring their creative process and lifestyle with those they love.

* Lessons from a failed business that actually brought him closer to his art and his family.
* How he works from his home studio, while parenting three kids, and supporting his wife who has her own business as well.
* How he finds the time (and energy) to create.
* Why he feels marketing and business are a welcome part of creative work.
* His path to going full-time as an artist.
* The value of taking care of yourself, even when you are swamped, so that you can take care of those who rely on you, and you creative work.

You can find Jay at: http://JayAlders.com

KJ Dell'Antonia made a huge shift in her career, giving up her career as a lawyer and New York City prosecutor to becoming a full-time writer. She became a columnist and contributing editor for the New York Times‘ Well Family page, amongst many other writing credentials. In this interview, we dig into the specific ways that she made the transition while also raising her family. 

Colby Sharp is a teacher and advocate for the power of reading. In this interview, you will hear my incredulity Colby's amazing enthusiasm and his many collaborations. You can find Colby at @ColbySharp on Twitter and at https://sharpread.wordpress.com

Lori Richmond made a huge shift in her career -- leaving a corporate job in order to  pursue her dream of becoming a children's book author-illustrator. In this interview, we go through the specific steps she took to pursue her creative vision.

http://wegrowmedia.com