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CSAT Podcast: 005- Is Creativity Undervalued?

Is Creativity Undervalued? In many cases it is by the general public as well as clients/employers. Most of this has to do with not being educated about what Creative professionals do. Its very hard to value something you don’t understand. And in an age where people feel that tools and technology are more responsible for the results than the human beings behind the gadget, it is an uphill battle. But Creatives also have a responsibility to educated people appropriately.

On the other side of this, sometimes as creators we prioritize creativity and the expense of consistency or context. Sometimes a designer or photographer will worry more about getting something cool for the book, than what the client actually really needs from them. This can be a problem. I feel there is a way to balance your needs as a Creative, with doing what is best for the relationship and the project. I explore these ideas in today’s episode of the Create Something Awesome Today Podcast!

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If you are looking to get new clients, then you need to really think about your search and discovery strategy. While a lot of this comes down to having a Website there are some other options available to you as well.

How many of you have portfolio on Behance? Does anyone have a blog? You really should be using these things to your advantage. Every platform is an opportunity to network with potential clients.

Also don’t underestimate getting out from behind the computer and putting yourself out there.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:20 — 19.2MB)

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CSAT Pocast 002: Finding a Mentor

Finding a mentor can be extremely important. Having someone to help you set goals and to represent what is possible can give you motivation and direction in your life and career. Mentoring is something that is unfortunately very rare within Creative Services, even within companies. Often a Creative will find themselves without someone in the company that represents their next step or their end game, particularly In-house Creatives who may not have an Art Director or Senior person supervising them, but instead some general mid-level manager.

But don’t despair, there is hope! Technology has made mentoring a scalable and virtual experience. By shadowing successful mentors online you have choice instead of just being limited to the best person you have physical access to. You can learn from the most successful people in your industry, or someone with a similar background or lifestyle. While this means you may not have direct access to them, it is no less valuable to be able to consume their content and adopt their mentality and approach to your own process.

Whether you want to be an entrepreneur, a photographer, filmmaker, writer or graphic designer; there are mentors putting out content that will be helpful to you and sharing their life journey. Many of them do interact with their followers through social media, such as Twitter and YouTube specifically.

Also, many Creatives fail to realize they have the opportunity to be a mentor to someone else. Whatever you feel you are lacking in experience, there is likely someone out there who can benefit from the knowledge you do have, so I would encourage you to share as much as possible and to pass on the value of what you have learned.

Who knows if that one piece of advice or content might change someone’s entire life?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:40 — 25.0MB)

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Episode 001: Create Something Awesome Today!

Welcome the first every episode of the Create Something Awesome Today Podcast! Yes I know that title is a mouthful!

But I didn’t want to cheat you by not giving you that message as often and as clearly as possible. Creating Something Awesome Today, each and every single day can change your life sooner rather than later. Here is short list of the benefits of Creating Something of Value that you’re proud of each day:

Benefits of Creating Awesome Each Day

• You can easily measure the value of your time via a meaningful result each day.
• It makes breaking down large goals easier and can even help you achieve them more quickly.
• If you are creating products this could mean that you are building up your inventory and revenue.
• If you are creating content this can dramatically help you grow and audience or build a reputation.
• When taking on large scale creative projects they can become less daunting.
• It can encourage you in terms of feeling like the day wasn’t a total waste if you created something you care about.
• When creating awesome experiences and relationships, this can have a deep and lasting impact on your life.
• In terms of your skills, creating something each day could help you get faster at producing meaningful results.

Part of how I Create Awesome each and every day currently is through the content I put out on YouTube and also via social media platforms.

This allows me to Create Value for other people but also a meaningful result I care about, builds my reputation and body of work and allows me to become faster and more savvy across multiple skills such as SEO, Video Editing, Social Media and Content Marketing. Obviously there is also the benefit of passive income from the advertising associated with the content.

Creating Something Awesome can ultimately mean what you want it to mean. It could be creating great content, it could be creating great experiences for everyone you encounter or it could even be creating new relationships. The important thing here is to spend every day creating the value that you want to bring to the world and being satisfied with something you’ve done at the end of each day. This will help you stay encouraged and also allow you to quantify your progress, something that can really help your self esteem and sense of worth. It also will potentially build positive habits that will make you more productive and accountable.