{"id":371,"date":"2021-10-18T21:04:20","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T01:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/?p=371"},"modified":"2021-10-18T21:04:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T01:04:21","slug":"the-practice-shipping-creative-work-seth-godin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/?p=371","title":{"rendered":"“The Practice: Shipping Creative Work” (Seth Godin)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Book Summary and Highlights. Great work for those looking to start something new…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Practice – Review (Seth Godin)<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Practice: Shipping Creative Work\u201d\n(Seth Godin)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review and highlights<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth Godin\u2019s\nmost recent book, \u201cThe Practice: Shipping Creative Work\u201d<\/em> captures a\ncentral theme in all his writings, podcasts, presentations, and blogs. The\nprofessional becomes a professional only when consistently putting themselves\non the line by creating consistent content and sharing it regularly with ship\ndates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a\nhelpful guide, reminder, and motivator to anyone looking to start a practice in\ncreating their own art. When re-reading my highlighted sections I was quite\ninspired to do \u201csomething\u201d. It is a call to action like many of his works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth breaks his\nwork into 219 specific thoughts, each its own point but all supporting\nthe overall credo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of my\nhighlights and thoughts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Shipping<\/em><\/strong>, because it doesn\u2019t count if you don\u2019t\nshare it. <\/em><\/li>
  • Creative<\/em><\/strong>, because you\u2019re not a cog in the system.\nYou\u2019re a creator, a problem solver, a generous leader who is <\/em>making things better by producing a new\nway forward.<\/em><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Seth is clearly\ncalling EVERYONE to action and making us accountable to the lives we have been\ngifted and the responsibility we have to make our work matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I think the\nfollowing is the most crucial reminder for anyone embarking on creative work: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • The\npractice is not the means to the output, the practice is the\noutput<\/strong>, because the practice is all we can control.<\/em><\/li>
    • The\npractice demands that we approach our process with commitment. It acknowledges\nthat creativity is not an event, it\u2019s simply what we do, whether or not\nwe\u2019re in the mood. <\/strong><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      We are all conditioned to only focus on\nthe outcome. That defines our success and the drives us to hide and supports\nour fear. This way of thinking is very freeing. Seth is reminding us of the\nfreedom we have to not worry about the outcome. Our commitment, consistency,\nand sharing are all drivers of our true impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • For\nthe work we\u2019d like to do, the reward comes from the fact that there is no\nguarantee, that the path isn\u2019t well lit, that we cannot possibly be sure it\u2019s\ngoing to work.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        This is Art<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • Not\npainting, but art: the act of doing something that might not work, simply\nbecause it\u2019s a generous thing to do.<\/strong> <\/em><\/li>
        • Artists\nmake change happen. You\u2019re an artist as soon as you announce you are. <\/em><\/li>
        • Art\nis what we call it whenwe\u2019re able to create something new that changes\nsomeone.<\/em><\/li>
        • If\nyou want to change your story, change your actions first. <\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Another key to understanding Seth\u2019s\nwork is to understand that we are all \u201cartists\u201d. He refines the definition by\nexplaining that art is about creating anything that can change someone. If we\nthink of our work, our passion, our voice as \u201cart\u201d we can be free to be more\ngenerous in being our natural selves. It is not something forced, it not\nsomething of perfection. It is something we create because our voice needs to\ncreate and share ourselves in some small way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Finding Your Passion<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          • Our\npassion is simply the work we\u2019ve trusted ourselves to do.<\/em><\/li>
          • The\nstrategy of \u201cseeking your calling\u201d gives you a marvelous place to hide.<\/em><\/li>
          • \u201cDo\nwhat you love\u201d is for amateurs. \u201cLove what you do\u201d is the mantra for\nprofessionals.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Passion is an excuse, something we do\nto delay doing the work or \u201cpractice\u201d. This is revealing of human nature. It is\nso easy to wait for your passion to find you. We are obligated to start the\nwork and passion will follow. This can be really counterintuitive and not\nsomething we were naturally made to practice in formal education settings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            • The\npractice has nothing at all to do with being sure the work is going to be\nsuccessful. That\u2019s a trap.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Start Where You Are<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              • The\nonly choice we have is to begin. And the only place to begin is where we are.\nSimply begin. But begin.<\/em><\/li>
              • Effective\ngoals aren\u2019t based on the end result: they are commitments to the process.<\/em><\/li>
              • Instead\nof planning, simply become.<\/em><\/li>
              • Trust\nearns you patience, because once you trust yourself, you can stick with a\npractice that most people can\u2019t handle.<\/em><\/li>
              • The\nworld conspires to hold us back, but it can\u2019t do that without our permission.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                The first take-away from this book is\n\u201cjust start\u201d. It reminds me of a book I read of the same title. Many\n\u201covernight\u201d successes are people who started small with experiments. They got\nfeedback from these small starts and adjusted their journey. Too much planning,\ntrying to minimize risk holds us back from doing anything. Seth suggests that\nby just committing to one small practice will ensure we eventually hit a\nconsistent stride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Hoarding Is Toxic<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                • Abundance\nmultiplies. Scarcity subtracts.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  The Best Reason to Say \u201cNo\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  • It\nmight be that the most generous thing to do is to disappoint someone in the short\nrun.<\/em><\/li>
                  • Generous\ndoesn\u2019t always mean saying yes to the urgent or failing to prioritize.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Practical Empathy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    • It\u2019s\nimpossible to be appropriately generous to everyone. Change someone. And, as\nHugh MacLeod said, \u201cIgnore everyone.\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      Shun the Nonbelievers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      • Choose\nto make work that matters a great deal to someone. <\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Selling Is Difficult<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        • But\nwhat if you recast your profession as a chance to actually solve someone\u2019s\nproblem?<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Where Is Your Hour?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          • The\ndifficult part is becoming the kind of person who goes to the gym every day.<\/em><\/li>
                          • You\nmanage to find an hour every day to bathe, to eat, to commute, to watch\nNetflix, to check your email, to hang out, to swipe at your phone, to read the\nnews, to clean the kitchen. <\/em><\/li>
                          • At\nleast once you\u2019ve said or done something insightful, generous, and original. <\/em><\/li>
                          • At\nleast once you\u2019ve solved a problem or given someone a hand by shining a light. <\/em><\/li>
                          • The\npractice simply asks you to do it more than once, to do it often enough that it\nbecomes your practice.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Setting a time is the key to starting a\npractice. Put it on your calendar and keep it sacred. If you miss once, don\u2019t\nmiss twice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Generous Doesn\u2019t Mean Free<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            • Too\noften, we come to believe that giving it away, removing money from the\ninteraction, is the most generous thing we can do. But that\u2019s not the case. <\/em><\/li>
                            • Money\nsupports our commitment to the practice.<\/em><\/li>
                            • Money\nis how our society signifies enrollment. <\/em><\/li>
                            • The\nperson who has paid for your scarce time and scarce output is more likely to\nvalue it, to share it, and to take it seriously.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              Choose Your Clients, Choose Your Future<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              • To\nplease the masses, you must pander to average.<\/em><\/li>
                              • Better\nclients demand better work. <\/em><\/li>
                              • Better\nclients want you to push the envelope, win awards, and challenge their\nexpectations. <\/em><\/li>
                              • Better\nclients pay on time. <\/em><\/li>
                              • Better\nclients talk about you and your work.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                I could not agree\nwith this more. No matter who your clients are, what your product is, or what\nyour market is, people are people. Choosing who you want to serve will help\ndrive your art. Great clients give you more than stable cash flow. They can\nchallenge you, teach you, and help make your work even more powerful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                Who Can You Reach?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                • First,\nfind ten. Ten people who care enough about your work to enroll in the journey\nand then to bring others along.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                                  You Can\u2019t Reach Everyone<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  More and More Specific, Please<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  What\u2019s It for?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Consistency Is the Way Forward<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  • Not\nsameness. Not repetition. Simply work that rhymes. <\/em><\/li>
                                  • That\nsounds like you. <\/em><\/li>
                                  • We\nmake a promise and we keep it.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                    Where Do We Put the Tired?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    • The\nonly difference between the tens of thousands of people who finish the marathon\nand those that don\u2019t is that the finishers figured out where to put their\ntired. And the same goes for our art.<\/em><\/li>
                                    • Forward\nmotion is the only sort of motion that we\u2019re interested in.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>
                                    • When\nwe stop worrying about whether we\u2019ve done it perfectly, we can focus on the\nprocess instead.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>
                                    • We\ndon\u2019t write because we feel like it. We feel like it because we write.<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      Write until You\u2019re No Longer Afraid to\nWrite<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      • Write\nabout your audience, your craft, your challenges. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\nabout the trade-offs, the industry, and your genre. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\nabout your dreams and your fears. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\nabout what\u2019s funny and what\u2019s not. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\nto clarify. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\nto challenge yourself. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Write\non a regular schedule. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Writing\nisn\u2019t the same as talking, because writing is organized and permanent. <\/em><\/li>
                                      • Writing\nputs you on the hook. Don\u2019t you want to be on the hook?<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                        This is a great place to start! Take\none bullet above each day and start writing daily, at a given time, and share\neverything. These are great prompts and will help keep you going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        Chop Wood and Carry Water<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        • Merely\ndo the work without commentary. Chop wood, carry water. Anchor up. \u201cYes, and.\u201d <\/em><\/li>
                                        • Ignore\nthe parts you can\u2019t control.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                          You Don\u2019t Need More Good Ideas, You\nNeed More Bad Ideas<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                          • First,\nfocus on making something worth sharing. How small can you make it and still do\nsomething you\u2019re proud of?<\/em><\/li>
                                          • People\nwho will draw up plans. People who will go first.<\/li>
                                          • We\npromise to ship, we don\u2019t promise the result.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>
                                          • What\nwill I tell my friends? Begin with genre. Understand it. Master it. Then change\nit.<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                            A Roundup of Tips and Tricks for\nCreators<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                            • Build\nstreaks.<\/em><\/li>
                                            • Do\nthe work every single day. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Blog\ndaily. Write daily. Ship daily. Show up daily. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Find\nyour streak and maintain it.<\/em><\/li>
                                            • Talk\nabout your streaks to keep honest. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Seek\nthe smallest viable audience. Make it for someone, not everyone.<\/em><\/li>
                                            • Avoid\nshortcuts. Seek the most direct path instead. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Find\nand embrace genre. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Seek\nout desirable difficulty. <\/em><\/li>
                                            • Don\u2019t\ntalk about your dreams with people who want to protect you from heartache.<\/em><\/li>
                                            • Make\nAssertions<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Attitude.\nThe best swimmers bring a different attitude to their training. They choose to\nfind delight in the parts that other swimmers avoid. This is their practice.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                • In\nthe powerful, horizontal organization, each of us decides what to learn next,\nwho to talk with next, and what to move up on the agenda.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                  • This\nnew freedom requires us to find a habit that will lead us to share our voices,\neven when it\u2019s inconvenient or frightening.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                                    Overall, this book is a calling for\neveryone and anyone. Setting the practice consistently without excuses and\nproviding a structure for success. Seth is an inspiration not because he writes\nabout his success or others. He is an inspiration because he looks at the world\nin a unique way and reminds us that we are all humans who have a responsibility\nto be generous with our true selves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                    Book Summary and Highlights. Great work for those looking to start something new… \u201cThe Practice: Shipping Creative Work\u201d (Seth Godin) Review and highlights Seth Godin\u2019s most recent book, \u201cThe Practice: Shipping Creative Work\u201d captures a central theme in all his writings, podcasts, presentations, and blogs. The professional becomes a professional only when consistently putting themselves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephentully.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}