It’s OK if people don’t understand you or your ideas
A community newsletter for creatives that want to learn and earn.
For now, at least.
Most of us were weird in high school.
Hypersocial, sensitive, and misunderstood. Probably because we spent way too much time on Facebook and Myspace.
At the time, it wasn’t the coolest thing to do. We would scan every feed, “eavesdrop” on convos, and waste time trying to find the story behind every profile, like, and comment.
Today, that’s considered a skill. It’s called social listening and community management.
Sid knows this well because it was part of his first job out of college. It’s also a great reminder that we should dare to be different.
The trend often catches up.
Either because you create a new reality or someone else does it before you.
We’ve all been there before. A year after we dismiss a crazy idea that pops into our head, it shows up in our feed as an ad from another company.
Take the Olympics for example. I don’t think many soccer or volleyball players imagined a world where people played Foot Volley. Now it’s a professional sport. The same goes for race walking.
How do you prepare for a new reality to take shape?
You have to spot potential and generate traction. That’s when others start taking notice. A few ways to do it:
Put yourself out there. By sharing your crazy ideas before they’re fully baked, others will help you shape them. You can “test the market” by simply asking friends, family, and people in your network.
Find a common enemy. Anchor your perspective by figuring out what the opposite reality would look like. That also helps identify the problem. For example, if we want to build a social learning platform for families, what does success not look like? Everyone glued to their phones, having surface-level conversations and not being able to find ways to relate to each other.
Realize that you don’t need to be a “superstar” to be successful. Creating time, space, and financial stability allow you to play the long game. Music manager Ty Baisden goes deeper in his blueprint for building middle-class artists.
Let your thinking “stew” a little. By writing them down and inspiring your subconscious, you can build momentum and clarity down the road.
Wood For The Fire, W(F)TF
(our way of saying “food for thought”):
Figjam is a browser-based design tool and whiteboard. Try it for free here.
The 3 or 4 hours rule for getting creative work done based on Darwin and others
Some people are taking on two remote jobs at once–here’s how.
A Twitter thread by Alex Lieberman offers a 101 on Ethereum
How to make the most of your vacation time
Reddit is covertly rolling out a TikTok feed copycat
Quote of the Week:
In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. - Eric Hoffer
Featured Builder:
Sanjay Padhiar, a weight loss and wellness coach who also works as a consultant for SMBs. Look out for him on an upcoming podcast episode!
So… what’d you think?
Share your feedback here. We’d love to hear any ideas for improvement or general thoughts. What would you like to see covered next?
While you’re at it…