“The artist’s journey comes after the hero’s journey. Everything that has happened to us up to this point is rehearsal for us to act, now, as our true self and to find and speak in our true voice. The artist’s journey is the process of self-discovery that follows. It will last as long as we’re alive, and maybe longer.”
“I never got to tell Hans how much I liked his book, but the world would be better if millions of people read it.”
“To write every day, you need to break down every barrier you have. ‘That subject is too personal.’ ‘I don’t know how they’ll react if I write about them.’ ‘I’m not sure people will even care about what I have to say.’ The fastest way to not write is to hold topics off limits. It’s saying, ‘I want to pick a niche.’ Here’s the truth: You don’t pick a niche, it picks you.”
“People’s own theories about who they are influence how they behave. One’s self-image can therefore easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“True mastery of the time scarcity demon only really comes from a mindset shift. We have to address the feeling rather than figure out the logistics of it all. Addressing the logistics (the hows and whats) don’t really change the feeling. The feeling will always be there, until we deal with it.”
“I haven’t heard about anyone selling out in a long while. Sometime between 2008 and 2018, capitalizing on your success as an artist to build a skate brand went from being reprehensible to being the thing that everyone is doing.”
“Being alone a lot has been shown to increase everything from muscle tension to immune system issues — but it’s feeling alone, rather than actually being isolated, that can have big impacts on psychological and physical health.”
I’ve recommended the book Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday to people at least five times this week and countless times before that.
It’s a must-read for anybody who makes or markets creative work that’s packed with insights on why some books, movies, music, and products continue to get attention forever and others quickly fade away.
“Anything you make — a podcast, a book, a TV show, a business, really any endeavor that you undertake — is not just the thing it is, but it’s also an engine that powers, directly or indirectly, other things and other people. And that’s more true the more success you have.”