nick's tips for all creatives everywhere
differentiate meaningful opportunities with toil. there's a lot of things that look like opportunity that are worthless and vice versa. usually you can tell them apart by how manic the personal at the helm is. the more grounded the better the opportunity. what was beneficial can turn to toil, that's okay, it's time move on.
you cannot do everything. the thinner you spread yourself the more outpaced you will be by people who can dedicate more time into any specific area. it can seriously distract from working on your core competencies.
'the grind' should never be about promotion or generating clicks. it should always primarily be about honing your craft. if you have quality content people will come. you can craft the best tik-tok or reel, but if what your advertising isn't resonating, it won't matter.
promoting your work through friends will only go so far, your audience will be reliant on knowing you, or knowing someone who does.
know that you can always outdo yourself. strive to do so. complacency will be the death of you. each success needs a follow-up in time.
criticism is only your enemy if you make it. it is the difference between growing and stagnating.
your branding is going to be received whether or not it's deliberate, so you might as well make it deliberate. your audience is going to be built off of an expectation they have of you and your product, and you need to meet or outdo it to grow. the people with money don't want to gamble on someone who may deliver what they ask, or may not, you need to establish confidence in those willing to give you money or attention.
every creative has a different monster they have to house. it usually your strength's worst habits. your strive for excellence turning into perfectionism. your willingness to experiment a lack of focus. you will never slay it, it is integral to its corresponding strength, but you will need to contain it.
you will have to deal with people around you in traditional career paths hitting the milestones while you seemingly struggle. this is normal. you are choosing the road less traveled.
if you only enjoy the result and not the process, you're going to struggle to stick through the periods of creative growth and compromise quality with the desire to see something released.