The Practice: Ship creative work
A new book by Seth Godin <—–click to order (scroll to the bottom of this post for audio!)
… a New York Times bestseller
Creativity matters more than ever, and each of us is being called on to be a Creative. A professional, able to conjure original thought on command.
We tweet, we run meetings, we write. We invent and share ideas. Mostly, we’re in a race to find our voice, change the culture and make an impact that we can be proud of.
Along the way, we’ve also been brainwashed into believing that creativity is a gift, something mysterious that the muse hands to a few select people. We’re not to look at it too closely or it might disappear.
Nonsense.
Creative is a choice.
[Thanks to extraordinary Fernando Lazzari for creating the video]
“Seth’s book is a skeleton key specially molded to unlock the most creative version of you. Read it, and find yourself free to be who you know you really are.” —Brian Koppelman, co-producer and co-creator of Billions
An instant bestseller. You can order from Amazon or your favorite Indy by clicking here.
The book is based on the Creative’s Workshop, from Akimbo, which runs again in 2021.
We’ll be posting video blurbs here. If you’ve read the book and have something to say, please share! Click this link for the easy steps.
“The Practice explains that what looks like a barrier is often a catalyst in disguise. Magic may not come from what we can see on the stage but from behind it, where the wood chopping happens.”
—Peter Gabriel, Musician
The magic is that there is no magic.
Creativity is a skill, not a talent. It can be learned. If we trust our selves, we can do more than we ever imagined.
The book covers intentional action (a better way to discuss ‘design thinking’), writer’s block (there’s no such thing) and criticism (most of it comes from fear and should be regarded with kindness). It helps people understand genre (not at all like ‘generic’) and the trap of becoming a hack (we must not sacrifice our standards simply to be heard).
Our best work happens when we contribute something new, something generous, something that makes an improvement. And making a contribution isn’t possible until we ship the work.
This is a book about finding your voice. A chance, whatever it is you do for a living, to go beyond where you are and figure out how to do work that matters, work you’re proud of.
It turns out that we’ve misunderstood creativity for a very long time, and that it’s not reserved for a few, and it’s not something to wish for or to be afraid of. It’s ours, whenever we’re ready for it.
[Read Steven Pressfield’s review here.]
The arc of our conversation can revolve around a few ideas, and I can move us forward without you having read the book… basically, I’d like to simply talk and take the discussion where it goes, as opposed to the Larry King sort of prompting.
This book is a capstone of decades of helping people discover that they’re able to find their voice and share it. That we shouldn’t wait for permission, but should figure out the change we seek to make and find a way to show up with our best work.
It’s not about painting or poetry or singing, but it’s about all of those. Because it’s also about leadership, office work, meetings and all the work that leaders need to embrace as well.
If it doesn’t ship, it doesn’t count.
With surgical precision, The Practice attacks our predictable misconceptions about the creative process and replaces them with better ideas, one by one. This book will inspire you to make things, hone your craft, and nudge you to ship things you are proud of. Read it.” —Tobi Lutke, CEO, Shopify
Some of the surprising ideas in the book include:
- Skill is not the same as talent.
- A good process can lead to good outcomes, but it doesn’t guarantee them.
- Perfectionism has nothing to do with being perfect.
- Reassurance is futile.
- Hubris is the opposite of trust.
- Attitudes are skills.
- There’s no such thing as writer’s block.
- Professionals produce with intent.
- Passion is a choice.
- Creativity is an act of leadership.
- Leaders are imposters.
- All criticism is not the same.
- We become creative when we ship the work.
- Good taste is a skill.
Reader feedback:
This book is for you
– if you think you are a creative
– if you want to be creative and has been searching for some helpful tips
You will find it in The Practice.
You will find more than what you had intended to find.
Have it with you, read a few pages whenever you needed that extra boost to keep going. Do the work. It is even better if you read and do the practice in the workshop.
The process is more interesting than the destination.
The practice is the process to get you from here to there.
Xiuming Liang
“This is the book I need right now. It’s an extraordinary and electrifying call to action for writers, artists and creators in every walk of life. I re-read passages and felt as if my own secret creed was being explained back to me, in words I hadn’t yet found.”
—Rosanne Cash, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter\
And some of the things worth riffing on are:
- Creative is a choice.
- Avoid certainty.
- Pick yourself.
- Results are a by-product.
- Postpone gratification.
- Seek joy.
- Understand genre.
- Embrace generosity.
- Ship the work.
- Learn from what you ship.
- Avoid reassurance.
- Dance with fear.
- Be paranoid about mediocrity.
- Learn new skills.
- Create change.
- See the world as it is.
- Get better clients.
- Be the boss of the process.
- Trust your self.
- Repeat.
“The Practice is a user’s manual for finding your calling and an alchemist’s handbook for pursuing your dream.” —Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art
If you’re about to do something you’ve never done before—maybe it’s something that excites you or maybe it’s something that scares you—then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Practice.
It’s a book for people who seek to challenge the status quo. In it, Seth Godin reminds us that we’re all capable of being creative and making a difference in the world if we show up with the right attitude. That means giving yourself permission to make mistakes. Permission to try things that might not work. Permission to fail. Throughout the book, Godin challenges his readers to honor their potential. It’s more than an opportunity. It’s an obligation. He knows that most people hesitate, seek reassurance, and succumb to fear and self-doubt and so he offers a path forward for those who care enough to make a contribution.
Even when the outcome is uncertain. Especially when the outcome is uncertain. Godin asserts that the practice is a choice. It’s a commitment to show up consistently, a posture of generosity, and a set of skills you learn by doing the work over and over again. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it. Chances are, you already know these things. You just need a reminder, a field guide to reference from time to time, or a dose of accountability. The Practice offers all three.
Now, more than ever, the world needs you to lead without authority. The Practice teaches you how. Choose who you seek to serve, what change you seek to make, and what skills you need to learn, then begin where you are. You already have everything you need. You know what to do. Embrace your discomfort and simply start.
–Paula Braun
20. To Be of Service
Isn’t that what we’re here to do?
To do work we’re proud of.
To put ourselves on the hook.
To find the contribution we’re capable of.
The only way to be on this journey is to begin.
But there isn’t a guarantee. In fact, most of what we seek to do will not work. But our intent—the intent of being of service, of making things better, of building something that matters—is an essential part of the pattern.
Because most of us, most of the time, act without intent.
[and here’s a video from Carole]
Audiobook links:
Libro.fm (partners with indie bookstores to sell digital audiobooks):
Soundcloud preview clip
And one more thing… I asked the great Keller Williams for a musical blurb: