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The Problem With Quitting Your Job
(This is an excerpt from my upcoming book: The Creative's Curse.) Most people, at some point, will try and convince you to take what you’ve learned and soar. They’ll say you should shove away from that awful job and TAKE OFF LITTLE BIRD! Today's …
What are You Chasing?
His vice wasn't a drink Not a powder nor pill His drug was the web That's where he got his fill He copied the "greats" Who said "always stay busy!" He kept writing and working So much so you'd get dizzy. Headline hacks made him …
Can Anyone Be Creative?
Yes. Okay, that was easy. Can I take the rest of the post off? No? Fine. Look, here's the deal, Creativity is nothing more or less than coming up with a new solution to an existing problem. Sometimes that problem is getting your drink out of a cup …
2 Tips for Your Creative “Coming Out”
Whenever you start to step into a creative career, you're going to get a lot of funny looks...
How to Be A Shapeshifter
Can we all agree the Internet is getting too complicated? I'm sure it's not really intentional. It's just that when someone is trying to complete with approximately 100 bajillion other articles on the Internet, writing a headline about 67 BRAND …
The Endless Cycle of Creative Procrastination
Phase 1: You come up with a new idea. You love ideas! They are sexy and pure. Out of the corner of your eye, it winks at you. You melt. Abandoning all else, you take the jump and fall hard. Phase 2: You pour your heart and soul into the idea. This …
My Dirty Little Secret
The other day I got asked one of my favorite questions: "Todd, you're writing online a lot about being successful and how to create better stuff. Don't you have any actual creative projects to work on like a novel?" Here's the short answer: Yes, I …
22 Resources to Help You Smack Writer’s Block in the Face
So here’s the deal. You’re a writer, right? And none of this “I’m an aspiring writer” or “I want to be a writer” nonsense. If you write, you’re a writer. In any case, if you’re a writer, you’re going to need some tools. I don’t pretend to be famous, …
How to Tell Your Dad You Are An Artist
He'll react badly. I'm just telling you this up front because you need to be ready for it. It's not his fault, really. He wants what's good for you. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment - he helped bring you to this planet, kept you alive for …
What Happens When Our Heroes Have Flaws?
When I worked at a summer camp, we often had themed dress days. For Christmas Days, you’d wear all your Christmas accessories. For Disney Day, you’d dress as a prince or princess or something. For Donald Trump day you’d all wear ridiculous …
5 Books to Increase Your Chances at Success
First of all, I'd like to point out as the world stands now, your best chance at being successful revolves around creating more than you consume. Make stuff. Find solutions. Come up with ideas. The most successful people are generally do-ers first, …
Guess I Don’t Have What it Takes to be a Hustler Because…
I am tired of running the rat race. I am tired of self-improvement. I am tired of podcasts, self-help, growth, personal development, online courses, and business 101. I am tired of chasing dollars. I am tired of writing. I am tired of coming up …
Booked for Life
The everlasting in-between: Masks of white. Clothes of green Your Tears of joy, a wailing scream Another picture missing me High chairs, diapers, dirt and mud Knee crawls, First falls, bruises, blood Smiling, sobbing, half past three Another …
A Creative Can’t Live with this…
The pounding heart. The jangling nerves. The beads of sweat. You're afraid. You know you are afraid because you've been staring at your screen for ten minutes, wondering whether or not you should post what you've written. You know you …
How Long is the Ideal Blog Post?
Long enough to get the point across. . . . . . Alright, fine, I'll expand. First off, I'd like to ask why people think there is an "ideal amount of words" to write anything. Are you kidding me? There are only a couple of …
The Muppets and Creative Validation
Today's guest post is from Declan Wilson - an aspiring creative with a full-time job on the side. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his one wife, two cats, and one baby. You can find his writings over at millennialtype.com or his podcast at …
5 Tips to Becoming King of the Castle
I burst out of college, like most people do, full of dreams. Here was the plan - I'd take a job just to fill the time while I built my million dollar business. Then I'd cash out, buy a second house on the lake, and wile the days away (probably …
On Staring Down the Face of Obscurity
I get it, you know. I get how it feels to want to be somebody. Not just somebody your mom and dad knows. Not just somebody who has a few likes on their Facebook page. Not just somebody who wishes they were somebody. And honestly, I …
Are You Buying Into this Lie?
All this "The rich just get richer" nonsense has got to go. If you've ever believed you don't have a chance because of who you are, who your parents work, where you were born, or who you were related to, you have been fed a lie. Life is not …
Could One Post Really Change Your Life?
Here's what I hate about the Internet. All over the place, our successful Internet role models are spouting things like "ONE SHARE COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!" The problem is, people (like me) hear "One post can change your life" and think it means …