Are you finding writing slow and tedious? Is your content marketing and blog writing as creative as possible? Are you discovering your unique genius as you go?
What can we learn from really creative people like Tim Burton and Seth Godin? First of all, we know they are really creative because they produce a lot of unique products – films, books, and blog posts that grab our attention.
Both these two professionals are examples of people who’ve found their genius. But we wouldn’t know that if they didn’t “ship.” If they didn’t complete projects and get them out the door.
And that’s the difference between wanna be’s, also-rans, and those who get noticed. In order to be successful, you have to get it out the door. Publish. Produce. And publicize.
My husband, affectionately known as Attila the Honey, decided to write a book about 18 months ago. I watched him do his first novel…then a second. And I just finished editing the third book. His book blog is here.
They’re not long, they’re not Pulitzer Prize material, they’re not particularly well-written. But they are good stories, and so far, readers tell us they enjoy reading them. They are page turners, entertaining, and unique.
I observe that he doesn’t get hung up on the usual things that make writers slow about completing work. He doesn’t agonize over grammar, structure, or spelling. He just churns out the story.
What can we learn from this for content marketing and blog writing? Maybe writing on the Web should be more like books and theater… It’s the story, the message… and the sincerity of delivering your message, that counts more than all the rest.
I still think a well-phrased sentence matters, but maybe not as much as we think. Tim Burton uses unique images and surprising characters.
Seth Godin has an ability to simplify and highlight what really matters. We know both of these artists for different things, but for sure, neither have ever been called boring.
Here’s what Godin says about Burton in his post Unrealized Projects:
One key element of a successful artist: ship. Get it out the door. Make things happen.
The other: fail. Fail often. Dream big and don’t make it. Not every time, anyway.
Tim got his ideas out the door, to the people who decided what to do with them. And more often than not, they shot down his ideas. That’s okay. He shipped.
Next!
What do you think about this? Are you getting projects out the door? Is it okay to fail or not be as successful as you’d like?
Recent Comments