Today, Mike Mattison dives deep into what it means to find fulfillment in what you create, as well as navigating the professional side of your work. He discusses balancing audience expectations with your own creative vision, and so much else. He has played with the Derek Trucks band and a part of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, along with his solo work. He is the author of the new book: Poetic Song Verse: Blues-Based Popular Music and Poetry, with co-author Ernest Suarez.
Today I reflect on how success in what we create and share can be dependent on the decisions we make. That it is our choice for where we put our attention, the creative risks we take, and how hard we work to create more and ensure that work connects with others. Of course, so much else goes into success, but today I reflect on what I heard when I recently spoke with author Jasmin Darznik on the previous episode of The Creative Shift.
When I asked author Jasmin Darznik if she had a sense of permission to create when growing up, she replied: "Not at all. It's not even that I didn't feel permission, I felt prohibition.” In today’s interview, we dive deep into her journey, emigrating from Iran, how she gave herself permission to pursue writing, and how she found a supportive community along the way. It’s an incredible story, filled with details about how she launches her books and connects with readers today.
As you consider what it is to create and share your work, I encourage you to focus on the individuals who support what you do. The names, the faces, and connect with them in a manner that develops meaningful experiences, not just social media stats. In today's episode I share some stories that illustrate this concept.
Last year Janae Marks had her first novel published to an incredible reception: 900+ reviews on Amazon, starred reviews, and selected as a must-read book by many organizations. In our interview, Janae shares the road to that book, which included writing three books that didn't get published, and how she queried 70+ agents before getting her book deal. She shares so many inspiring lessons.
I recently spoke with New York Times bestselling author Jessica Lahey, who shared what is essentially a masterclass on the topic of launching a book. In this episode, I reflect on some key areas that Jess shared in my most recent podcast with her. Themes I discuss on today's episode: why books that continue to sell are books that the author continues to talk about; how generosity factors into developing your platform; why give away content; and how to think about building a team around a book launch.
In today’s episode, New York Times bestselling author Jessica Lahey takes us behind the scenes to how she promotes a book. She gets into the details about the hundreds of letters she sends out; the importance of gift-giving and thank you notes; why she hired a publicist; the surprising answer she gave to a “massive philanthropist” when he asked how he can support her work; and so much more! What permeates through every aspect of her methodology is generosity and the personal touch.
Would you take this risk? Let’s say you write you very first novel and get a book deal with a major publisher — it’s your dream come true. Then, you come up with an idea to self-publish a free prequel short story to that book, six months before the novel is released. Your publisher is nervous about the idea and pushes back. Would you proceed with publishing that prequel story? In today's episode I share reflections on creativity and risk that are inspired by my conversation with Livia Blackburne.