We’ve all been there. Those times when everything should be working out but it’s just not. Greatness seems right around the corner, only to be delayed by yet another roadblock. What do you do?
But waiting is so boring. Most stories deal with the boring, waiting parts by skipping over them. Whether it’s a montage of several months passing in the movie, or a simple… Continue Reading... What If Your Story Feels On Hold?
Your life is a story unfolding, deal with it. Dismiss the idea all you want but it doesn’t change the reality of the fact. You are living a story.
Does that sound too far-fetched or abstract? It’s not.
Imagine your life right now as a movie or book, would you want to read it? Would you pay to read it?
If your life is not worthy of recording in the annals of history, who do you have to blame?
Does everything in your life have to be sweeping and epic? Of course not! But why wouldn’t… Continue Reading... Story, Your Life, and A New Step
Imagine a little girl making a painting or putting together a macaroni collage. As she happily toils away on the kitchen floor, her Mom comes up behind her and says, “Oh how nice, Dear. You’re doing so well!” How do you think that girl knows if her Mom is telling the truth?
The little girl probably doesn’t care if her Mommy is just being nice or encouraging, she accepts it at face value. When you get older however… Continue Reading... 4 Easy Ways To Know Your Art Is Good Enough
My guess is that your life is not what you want it to be. The good news is that there are probably only one or two things you need to change in order to have the best life ever.
The bad news: those things will be the hardest in the whole world to change. Which is why you haven’t changed them already.
I’m a big fan of stories to make a point… Billy once had a dream as well.
Too many artistic entrepreneurs try to get away with boring stories.
Of course 30 years ago that was how you found a mass audience, you appealed to the largest group possible. But those were also the days when there were only 4 channels on TV.
Today, you can’t be bland or general, everyone will tune you out if you try. That’s a shame really, because then no one will know you or what amazing beauty you can bring to their lives… Continue Reading... The One Secret of Successful Artistic Entrepreneurs
I’ve received some flack for being a salesman. They don’t mean it in a good way either. If you read anything I write, you would know that the typical “salesman” with his focus on the transaction and just “getting the sale” is the farthest thing from what I advocate.
That said, I think sales can be a wonderful thing, if you focus on being good.
It’s like the Wizard of OZ. Glenda was a good witch, but to most people… Continue Reading... How to Sell Art Your Way (Why Your Art Should Be Sold)
Imagine you’re on a lake, watching the ducks glide across the surface of the water. The picture looks serene and peaceful. What you don’t see is the torrent of movement underneath the tranquil body of each duck. The webbed feet are paddling like crazy, propelling the fowl forward. Maybe it seems all nice and pleasant, but really the ducks are scrambling away.
Isn’t your personal story the same as a duck? Hang with… Continue Reading... The Power of Swimming Ducks and Getting Attention
Have you ever been excited for a new movie to come out? Maybe it’s the sequel to a beloved series? Maybe it’s based on a great book you love and you can’t wait to see it on screen? Either way you feel that adrenaline rush of energy when you see the trailer. So you scour the web, ask your friends if they heard anything, generally try to find every scrap of information you can about the story, plot, characters.
Web 3.0 is the newest release coming out in the… Continue Reading... The Rise of Web 3.0
Authors, welcome to the game.
It’s hard, and brutal. If you’re not careful it will swallow you whole.
I’ve learned this the hard way. Being a “self-published author” looked kind of glamorous, especially if you read stories about the likes of Amanda Hocking, JA Konrath, or John Locke selling millions of books in just a few months. After five or ten of those articles, my head swam with large figures as I counted my make-believe money, and imagined the love and adoration of my dream fans.
So I sat down, wrote a book, learned how to format… Continue Reading... The Danger of Authors Pretending To Be Publishers
So, you’ve decided to run for office. You assemble your team, you define a campaign strategy (for incumbents, stay the course; for challengers, we need change!), and then you need volunteers.
Before you go any farther though, I want you to log on to the internet and play a free trial of World of Warcraft. I’m serious, or go read an epic fantasy story like Lord of the Rings. You won’t regret either, and they’ll help you win.
What… Continue Reading... 3 Easy(ish) Steps to Get Elected to Political Office... Everytime.
