Explore every episode of the podcast Side Hustler's Perspective with Coach Scotty Russell
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| 257: How to Grow Your Creative Biz (Fall 2023 Student Spotlight) | 27 Dec 2023 | 00:51:06 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/257 — Welcome to Round 9 of the Student Spotlight Special—a podcast series that highlights my 12-week coaching program students. This round features The Dream Team, AKA my Fall 2023 class of Mary Moegenburg, Marc Steir, and Joonie Kay. In a nutshell, consider this a Creative Business 101 Mastermind designed to help you take the next giant step of professionalism with your creative pursuits. Establishing a growth mindset is the primary focus as each student builds an indestructible foundation centered around habits, systems, routines, and self-promotion. In this episode, each student also shares the insane hurdles they've overcome in past years to tap into the incredible results they're experiencing today. Want to join the 12-week program and be on the next student spotlight episode in Spring 2023? Join the waitlist today at sidehustlerscoaching.com and let’s connect! — RESOURCES | |||
| 256: Pt. 2 - A Season of Betting On Yourself (Spring 2023 Student Spotlight) | 14 Jun 2023 | 01:04:10 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/256 — We’re picking back up where we left off with Part 2 of the Side Hustler’s Student Spotlight Special featuring my current Spring 2022 students. I suggest hitting pause and going back to Pt 1 - Ep. 255 to learn more about what this series and the 12-week coaching program is all about… Along with enjoying the overall flow of the full convo. Part 1 featured: 1. Sylvah – @sylvahart 2. Tommy Morrell – @hightidelowcountry 3. Morgan Zion – @morganzion_ Part 2 today will feature: 4. Hoang Truong – @hoangtruong 5. Caleb Crisp – @crisp_artanddesign 6. Jonathan Palmisano – @jpalmisanoart 7. Britt Hoffman – @britthoffman128 If you want to be a part of a future 12-Week Spring or Fall Program, I highly recommend joining one of the Quarterly 3-Week Boot Camps first to get a more accessible taste of what to expect. Join the waitlist for first dibs at an upcoming session at http://bootcampsidehustle.com/ — RESOURCES
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| 12 Steps for Starting & Scaling Your Creative Side Hustle (Pt. 1) | 09 Feb 2022 | 00:27:07 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/248 Support for this episode comes from BuzzSumo. --- I get hit up a lot with questions of, “How do I get started with my creative side hustle?” There’s no one-size-fits-all instruction manual— it requires a lot of patience, experimentation, failure, and figuring it out along the way. Hence the inspiration behind this 2 Part Series of How to Start & Scale Your Creative Side Hustle. Many of these tips are interchangeable and overlap within different seasons of your creative hustle—it’s not necessarily a linear progression of each 12 steps in a row. This is simply a framework to guide someone on a path that:
Overall, take what applies to you as everyone’s path is unique. ---- RESOURCES & REFERENCES
---- FREE TOOLKIT TO SIDE HUSTLE FREEDOM FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON JOIN THE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING APP CONNECT WITH ME CREDITS
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| 3 Crucial Lessons for Your Creative Pursuits During & Post Quarantine | 20 May 2020 | 00:21:19 | |
3 Crucial Lessons for Your Creative Pursuits During & Post-Quarantine Life has been a rollercoaster since shit started hitting the fan in early March. If you’re like I am, your entire routine was tossed to the curb, flattened by an 18-wheeler big rig truck, and then washed into the sewers with rats and poop. You’ve had to learn how to respond, adapt, and evolve when this adversity caught you with a Mike Tyson uppercut to the chin. There are 3 crucial lessons I’ve learned during quarantine that I know you’ll be able to relate to. *The goal is to: *
No. 3 has been my biggest weakness that I’m working on the most moving forward. Free Toolkit to Side Hustle Freedom6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here. Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blueprint that’ll help you gain clarity, confidence, and a mental edge to unlock your biggest side hustling breakthrough. Purchase here. Get a Permanent Podcast ShoutoutBecome a future Listener of the Week by Subscribing and leaving a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes here. Best Deals on the Best Design Resources*Retro Supply *(affiliate) - Use SCOTTY20 to get 20% OFF high-quality AI, PS, Procreate & Affinity resources. Shop here. *Design Cuts *(affiliate) - Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack here. Join the Private Facebook Community for CreatorsJoin a like-minded FREE global community of kickass creators and take your side hustle to the next level. Your tribe is waiting. Connect With MeCredits
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| Lincoln Design Co. Shares Their Identity Process + Logo MAYhem Special | 13 May 2020 | 01:04:23 | |
Lincoln Design Co. Shares Their Identity Process + Logo MAYhem Special In the world of design, April Showers don’t bring May Flowers...they bring a heavy-hitting logo-centric May episode. My Lincoln Design familia is back for Round 3 for a special Logo MAY-hem Edition (Round 1: EP 41, Round 2: EP 155). Lincoln Design Co., an industry-leading juggernaut, crushes the dopest identity systems, branding, packaging, merch, and more. They slay design dragons for the biggest brands in the world like Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, Harley, Nike, WWE, Google, and more. Today, we’re peering into the brains of the Lincoln team and break down their logo identity as seen in their hella popular: Logo Mayhem Book. NOTE: Get 10% OFF everything in their shop, especially this Logo Mayhem Book, with promo code Perspective10. In this episode, we also talk about:
If you’re a fan of their work or just a logo lovin’ junkie in general, then you’re going to love this one. Connect with Lincoln Design Co.Free Toolkit to Side Hustle Freedom6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here. Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blueprint that’ll help you gain clarity, confidence, and a mental edge to unlock your biggest side hustling breakthrough. Purchase here. Get a Permanent Podcast ShoutoutBecome a future Listener of the Week by Subscribing and leaving a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes here. Best Deals on the Best Design ResourcesRetro Supply (affiliate) - Use SCOTTY20 to get 20% OFF high-quality AI, PS, Procreate & Affinity resources. Shop here. Design Cuts (affiliate) - Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack here. Join the Private Facebook Community for CreatorsJoin a like-minded FREE global community of kickass creators and take your side hustle to the next level. Your tribe is waiting. Connect With MeCredits
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| James Lewis on Creating Engaging Content That People Share Like Crazy | 06 May 2020 | 00:54:08 | |
James Lewis on Creating Engaging Content That People Share Like Crazy There are 3 important lessons I’ve learned along my creative grind:
If you can embrace these truths, then you have a wildly successful creative career ahead of you. Today’s guest, James Lewis, is a prime example of someone who’s embraced these 3 lessons and is tapping into new breakthroughs year after year. As I record this, he’s amassed an Instagram following of just shy of a million followers and a massive following of 2 million on TikTok.. Safe to say, James knows what he’s doing when it comes to creating engaging content that gets shared like wildfire. Take notes as we’re about to dive deep on:
6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here. Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blueprint that’ll help you gain clarity, confidence, and a mental edge to unlock your biggest side hustling breakthrough. Purchase here. Get a Permanent Podcast ShoutoutBecome a future Listener of the Week by Subscribing and leaving a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes here. Best Deals on the Best Design ResourcesRetro Supply (affiliate) - Use SCOTTY20 to get 20% OFF high-quality AI, PS, Procreate & Affinity resources. Shop here. Design Cuts (affiliate) - Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack here. Join the Private Facebook Community for CreatorsJoin a like-minded FREE global community of kickass creators and take your side hustle to the next level. Your tribe is waiting. Connect With MeCredits
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| Josh Sullivan on How to Build a Successful Creative Business | 29 Apr 2020 | 00:54:49 | |
Josh Sullivan on How to Build a Successful Creative Business Whose path are you following right now:
No doubt, success leaves clues...but I’d advise you to steer away from building your creative empire based on the coattails of someone else’s achievements. You can take inspiration and learn from others all day, but inject your secret sauce and make it unmistakably your own. That’s why I respect today’s guest so much—he’s a rising juggernaut you should take notice of in the creative realms. I’m talking about my brother, Josh Sullivan, slaying design dragons out of Springfield, Missouri (Not Illinois)... He operates under the identities of:
Not only is Josh a G with his design/illustration skills, but he’s a straight-up nerd with the business side of things too (you know, the things most of us struggle with). Take notes as we’re about to dive deep on:
If you’re ready to take the next steps in growing your creative business, this episode was made for you. Connect with JoshFree Toolkit to Side Hustle Freedom6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here. Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blueprint that’ll help you gain clarity, confidence, and a mental edge to unlock your biggest side hustling breakthrough. Purchase here. Get a Permanent Podcast ShoutoutBecome a future Listener of the Week by Subscribing and leaving a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes here. Best Deals on the Best Design ResourcesRetro Supply (affiliate) - Use SCOTTY20 to get 20% OFF high-quality AI, PS, Procreate & Affinity resources. Shop here. Design Cuts (affiliate) - Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack here. Join the Private Facebook Community for CreatorsJoin a like-minded FREE global community of kickass creators and take your side hustle to the next level. Your tribe is waiting. Connect With MeCredits
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| Melinda Livsey on How to Attract and Serve Your Ideal Client and/or Tribe | 22 Apr 2020 | 00:49:58 | |
Melinda Livsey on How to Attract and Serve Your Ideal Client and/or Tribe It’s extremely hard to gain traction and see progress if you’re not sure:
Regardless if you’re a side hustling artist, designer, or freelancer, these should be top of mind if you want to win in the short-term and thrive in the long-term. These are all pieces of a puzzle in the greater jigsaw of Brand Strategy. Luckily, today’s guest is a wizard in this world. I’m talking about Melinda Livsey, founder and creative director of Marks & Makers, and a valuable asset to Chris Do and The Futur and their ongoing series, The Process. She went from designing identity systems to getting paid by her ideal clients to help them accomplish their big target goals and shape their bigger picture. Today, Melinda’s here to simplify this complex Brand Strategy monster and parallel it to attracting and helping our ideal clients and/or tribe. Get ready to take notes and we dive deep into:
This episode is going to give you some solid, actionable steps to take your ambitious side hustling pursuits to the next level. Connect with MelindaFree Toolkit to Side Hustle Freedom6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here. Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blueprint that’ll help you gain clarity, confidence, and a mental edge to unlock your biggest side hustling breakthrough. Purchase here. Get a Permanent Podcast ShoutoutBecome a future Listener of the Week by Subscribing and leaving a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes here. Best Deals on the Best Design ResourcesRetro Supply (affiliate) - Use SCOTTY20 to get 20% OFF high-quality AI, PS, Procreate & Affinity resources. Shop here. Design Cuts (affiliate) - Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack here. Join the Private Facebook Community for CreatorsJoin a like-minded FREE global community of kickass creators and take your side hustle to the next level. Your tribe is waiting. Connect With MeCredits
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| Meg Lewis on How to Thrive by Being Yourself in Your Creative Work | 08 Apr 2020 | 00:57:29 | |
Meg Lewis on How to Thrive by Being Yourself in Your Creative Work Meg Lewis is a rad freelance brand designer, motivating mentor, creative cheerleader, and wicked dancer who injects fun into whatever she touches out of Minneapolis, MN. I respect and admire the impact she’s making on the world through her books, videos, workshops, and talks titled Full Time You...and a new workshop called Find Your Personal Style. Today, Meg and I peel back the layers on the topics of your journey of self-discovery, using fear as fuel, finding your superpowers, and more! Stick around to the end to find out how you can win a Digital Version of the Full Time You Self-Discovery Workbook and Video Series! View the full show notes: https://www.perspective-collective.com/166 CONNECT WITH MEG FULL TIME YOU WEBSITE LISTEN TO MEG’S PODCASTS | Dribbble Overtime | Sit There & Do Nothing - - - - Design Cuts ► Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack: www.perspectivebundle.com - - - | |||
| In-Q on Inquiring Within - Working on Yourself Means Working on Your Art | 01 Apr 2020 | 01:02:06 | |
In-Q on Inquiring Within - Working on Yourself Means Working on Your Art Have you ever been so passionate about something that no type of struggle, rock bottom, or gutter can keep you from pursuing it? That’s how it played out for today’s special guest, Adam Schmalholz aka In-Q, a national award-winning poet, spoken word juggernaut, storytelling savant, and multi-platinum songwriter for artists like Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Mike Posner, and Foster the People. I’ve witnessed the profound impact his stories, poems, and even witty humor can make on us hungry humans who desire to create change...especially on someone like you. I wanna see your notes on this one as In-Q goes deep on: celebrating your vulnerability, operating from excitement versus fear, and creating for glory over impact. - BUY HIS BOOK Amazon ► https://amzn.to/2WctJe3 - - - - Get around like-minded creatives all over the world sharing their work, resources, tips while providing feedback and encouragement to take your side hustle to the next level: http://bit.ly/P-CFacebook - Design Cuts ► Get your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack: www.perspectivebundle.com - - | |||
| Pt. 2 Getting Creatively Unstuck - Side Hustler’s Coaching Student Special | 25 Mar 2020 | 01:02:38 | |
Pt. 2 Getting Creatively Unstuck - Side Hustler’s Coaching Student Special Picking up where we left off last week, we close out this Side Hustler’s Program Student Spotlight Special with part 2 of the coaching call. For those who missed last week’s episode, I suggest listening to that first because I break down what the 3-Month Side Hustler’s Coaching Program is all about. Just know it isn’t a cakewalk, as these hand-selected students have made significant investments in their time, energy, and finances to tap into the next level of their creative career potential. The results they're getting speak for themselves! There’s a ton of actionable steps and takeaways baked in throughout our chat, so I hope you’re taking notes! Shownotes
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| Pt. 1 Getting Creatively Unstuck - Side Hustler’s Coaching Student Special | 18 Mar 2020 | 01:05:51 | |
Side Hustler's Group 2.0 on Niching Down for a Season and Creating an Instagram Hashtag Strategy I have another Side Hustler’s Program Student Spotlight Special in store for you today that’s coming atcha in 2 parts. First off, what is the Side Hustler’s Coaching Program? This is a 3-month Group Coaching Mastermind between a select handful of applications all across the world. This is a premium program that requires a significant investment of your time, energy, and yes, money...but you get back what you put in and more! The 2 main goals of the program are:
That’s what this two-part series is all about. There’s no fancy mics or planned agendas. It’s just 12 hungry creatives (minus Paul Douglas, Russell Wyatt, and Nathaniel Ong who couldn’t make the call) making time to meet outside of jobs and families to grow and work together toward unlocking their creative breakthrough. More specifically, we are going to go deep and cover pressing topics like:
If you’re feeling stuck and isolated trying to figure out your own next steps to take, I know you’re going to find a ton of valuable takeaways tucked in this one. If you feel like this is something you want you to be a part of, sign up for the coaching A-List Waitlist at SideHustlersCoaching.com to be notified of the Fall 2020 third installment. Shownotes
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| Mike Jones on Building a Thriving Community & Conference Experience | 11 Mar 2020 | 00:55:34 | |
Mike Jones on Serving The Bigger Picture and Cultivating Community Are you tired of hearing me say that relationships are everything? Even if you are, I’m going to continue to beat this drum, especially in terms of getting out of your bubble and doing everything in your ability to attend a conference. I started doing some research on this thing called Creative South. I was a year into Perspective-Collective, and my audience was growing quickly...but I still felt stuck, and this conference felt like something that could give me a new spark (not to mention it’d get me out of Iowa). I came home from Creative South on fire and started my blog. It helped me find my voice and build some tiny amount of authority in the form of encouraging creatives. Little did I know, this spark would lead me to speaking on the Creative South big stage the next year. One of them more specifically was Mike Jones, who just so happens to be today’s guest. This man gave me the opportunity of a lifetime out of nowhere. I don’t know where I would be had he not given me the call to speak well before I was ready. Mike is the definition of a side hustler. He not only runs Creative South (a highly renowned creative conference in the States) but also runs his own design studio called Serve Studio. If that isn't enough, he still has a day job, four kiddos, and an incredible wife named Karen. Take some notes as Mike and I are about to dive deep into:
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| Tips for Profitability & Becoming Your Own Boss with Atomic Child Design | 02 Feb 2022 | 00:46:38 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/247 Support for this episode comes from BuzzSumo. --- Becoming Your Own BossThe majority of people listening to the podcast aim to become their own boss one day. To do so takes years of failing, experimenting, developing systems, and finding what works. It’s not supposed to be easy—but the struggle is hella rewarding when things begin to click. Today’s guest—Jimmy Bryant of Atomic Child Design—is a nature-inspired artist/brand slanging millions in merch across the land. To say Jimmy’s story of “Washing dishes for $10/hour to becoming his own boss and making a killing off selling his work” is inspiring doesn’t do it justice. I think you’ll find it fascinating as well. In today’s episode we talk shop on:
The Goal: To empower you with motivation and actionable steps for becoming your own boss one day. --- RESOURCES & REFERENCES CONNECT WITH JIMMY ---- FREE TOOLKIT TO SIDE HUSTLE FREEDOM FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON JOIN THE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING APP CONNECT WITH ME CREDITS
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| The Key to Standing Out - 3 Ingredients that Make Up Your Secret Sauce | 04 Mar 2020 | 00:21:50 | |
The Secret Sauce Blender | Making the Perfect Personal Pan Pizza Imagine you’re baking a pizza...of course, what a Scotty thing to say, right? Except in this scenario, the same crust, cheese, and toppings are provided to you and everyone else. What’s going to make your pizza truly stand out from the noise is the sauce you make for the pizza. What’s the secret to making the secret sauce that’ll keep people craving for yours while others seem to get lost in the shuffle? It's a personalized dash, smidgen, and a pinch of ingredients that makes you, YOUnique. You combine all these ingredients up in a blender...or maybe a food processor...and voilà! Here's your secret sauce that'll make your pizza shine. Anyone can try to mimic the pizza you bake, but no one can rip your secret sauce! In our creative world, we pretty much all have access to similar tools, mediums, and distribution channels to get our work out there. However, the way we rise above the noise is how we show up and pour ourselves into our work. This isn't a new concept as people have been talking about this for a long time now. Someone like Lisa Congdon calls this your Artistic Voice, thought others may call it something else. Finding your secret sauce is my cheesy spin on what I call your Sweet Spot in your creative grind. Today, I want to do a little overview of the three main ingredients that I feel make up your truly YOUnique secret sauce (I'm sure this will evolve over time). There are action steps baked within each segment with an intended goal. They'll help you understand how your own ingredients will make your secret sauce, and how you can leverage them within your personal brand and the work you show. Breaking Down the Ingredients for Your Secret SauceWhen I jump on coaching calls, I guide each student through the process of finding their secret sauce. Knowing your secret sauce brings clarity, confidence, conviction, and purpose when pursuing your creative grind. It's easier said than done, but that's the beauty of the messy, ever-evolving creative process: you have to dig deep to know which ingredients you even have in your personal pantry. Now that we've added a little context to it, let's start breaking down the 3 main types of ingredients you're baking with. 1. Experiences & StoriesI mention this often, but I've learned from first-hand experience that your story is your most powerful asset. I shared my backstory with Diane Gibbs back in 2015 when I was just getting started with my blog that no one read. She ran with it and not only provided me with my first podcast interview on her Design Recharge Show, but she also landed me my first speaking gig at AIGA Mobile Flourish Conference in Alabama. It totally caught me off guard and jump-started my early side hustle days. For the longest time, I felt I didn't have anything to share or that anyone would care. But when I shared my story of being bullied, dealing with depression, anxiety, comparison, imposter syndrome, etc., it let other people know they weren't alone. It became a permission slip for them to share their stories. It connected us because they saw something similar in themselves even if the plot and details weren't the same. The shit you've been through is real. You went through it for a reason, and the adversity you overcame could be a powerful example to someone else so they triumph through the same shit storm. No one can replicate your story. In my opinion, it's THE KEY INGREDIENT in your secret sauce. Action Step The better you can tell it, the better it can connect with someone. You may not think people will care, but trust me, someone out there needs to hear it. 2. Skills & StrengthsThere are certain things you're naturally good at that seem to be difficult for others (how many times have you heard, "I couldn't even draw a stick figure"?). There are skills you've obtained by spending hours on end studying, researching, and practicing (10,000 hours by Malcom Glidewell anyone?). There are things you had to learn, due to the circumstances you grew up, in order to thrive or (let alone) survive. All of these skills and strengths become art-illery in your arsenal to equip you for your creative grind. When you combine these skills with your story and the following ingredients, you're baking up a killer pizza that's sure to satisfy a gaggle of hungry creatives. Action Step Now start seeing if there is any potential overlap with your skills that could develop something unique and different when put together. (e.g., Lindsey Stirling playing the violin while dancing) 3. Core Identity: Interests/Passions, Beliefs, ValuesThere's a lot of unique ingredients within this that can make this exercise complex and a bit confusing (but fun as well when you find your mojo). Work with too many ingredients, and they begin fighting each other when you bake and serve your personal pan pizza to the world. However, when you're able to narrow down these ingredients to a select handful of "buckets," it'll make the sauce you bring to the table (social media, website, keynotes, etc.) more digestible, palatable, and easier for one to sink their teeth into. I originally heard of this concept from Jenna Kutcher. She talks about defining your buckets of interests (up to 5) that you can navigate through as well as overlap. A lot of my creative friends do this: more specifically Liz Gray, Dina Rodriguez, and Zulfa of The Cosmic Feminist. By defining your buckets, you're essentially narrowing your focus (niching down) into what you want to be known for. You're sending a beacon to potential fans and clients that this is either for you or not. As Seth Godin says in This is Marketing, you and your work aren't for everyone—and that's a good thing! I like to imagine this: we're products on an end cap in a highly trafficked store. Our job is to design and define our label to the world, which sets expectations (we don't want to make people guess if our product is for them or not). We can narrow down our buckets of interests into the following categories. We'd ideally pick 1 to 5 to add to our secret sauce. Interests Interests could be some type of person, place, or thing (a noun for you smart folks out there) that piques your curiosity, fascinates you, you want to learn more about, etc. (e.g., folklore, history of alchemy, astrology, adult coloring books, sudoku, etc.) Your current or future interests could convert into a passion that plays a key role in your secret sauce. Passions What lights you up to the point where you lost track of time doing it? Beliefs It's something that you accept to be true and that influences your values and your morals. (e.g., religion, pro/anti-vaccines, pro/anti-abortion, etc.) Values Many brands, businesses, and people have their core values that set the tone for how they show up and treat other people (inclusivity, hard work, equality, honesty, etc.). Action Step My Personal Core Ingredient Example Interests: Pizza and Outer Space (honorable mentions would be black ink tattoos, sports, fitness, cats, coffee, horror movies, and Game of Thrones) Passions: Coaching (empowering/educating creatives) and Drawing Values: Inclusivity and Positivity If you were to read my Instagram bio or scroll through my feed, my Core Identity buckets would be pretty evident. If you visited Liz Gray's, Dina Rodriguez, or Zulfa's accounts, you'd easily be able to decipher the label they share with the world and what to expect when following them. A Taste Test: Putting it All TogetherFirst off, creating an award-winning secret sauce is impossible to master overnight (just look at Colonel Sanders of KFC and how long it took for his finger-lickin' chicken to pop off). Finding your secret sauce takes time (I'm over 5.5 years into my side hustle, and I feel I'm just now finding my secret formula...for this season). Perfecting your secret sauce is an endless process. You're constantly growing and evolving with new life experiences that'll shape your Core Identity ingredient. It's hard to thrive in your creative grind when you're trying to replicate someone else's secret sauce. Have some fun with the process and follow the action steps today to start developing your own award-winning secret sauce. Keep baking up pizzas to share with the world and tweak your ingredients over time. The more you're vibing to the personal pan pizza you're baking up, the right people will too. Shownotes
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| Hellcats on Growing an Audience, Brand Cohesiveness, & Selling Merch | 26 Feb 2020 | 01:08:38 | |
Hellcats on Building Your Brand and Growing Your Audience Before Slanging Merch It seems everyone and their grandma wants to start a clothing line or slang merch these days (I say this because I’m guilty of both). I get it, you want to see your work tangibly exist and find its way into the little nooks and crannies of this planet. It’s dope to manifest your idea in your noggin’ to something you can physically touch. However, when you’re just starting off, you gotta keep your expectations in check, as finding success in these realms takes far more work and time than you realize. Everyone wants the end results, but they don’t have the patience nor grit to put in the grind over time to tap into that success. If you’re a long-time listener, you know I’ll never sugar coat shit here. I don’t believe in fluff or telling you what I think you want to hear. You can’t just show up and put something into this world and expect people to buy it. Trust me, I’ve been there and have learned plenty of hard lessons. I spent 4 years building a clothing brand outside of college with my homie Dustin McLaughin aka DMAC aka Dusty Dink grassroots-style. We didn’t gain serious traction until year three. Sadly, long-term success wasn’t in the cards for us, but I learned a lot—it’s what spawned Perspective-Collective.. Then two years into Perspective-Collective, I started slanging products on my own. I thought, because I had an Instagram audience of over 10k, that slanging 300 5x7” Change Your Perspective custom-lettered letterpress prints for less than $10 would be a breeze. I tied a meaningful story to it and built a whole launch around it including a dope, inspirational video DMac created for me...I’m still sitting on just under 100 of those left, and the majority of them I’ve gifted away to people. Selling your shit is hard work. It’s not impossible, but I feel there are solid guidelines and phases to work through in order to get to a point where people care enough to buy. Today’s guests have been in this creation game slanging their own knick-knacks and dope little trinkets for a hot minute now. They know how much time goes into gaining traction and the effort behind the scenes of running a business when everyone else just sees the fun of designing and prototyping through social media. I’m talking about my family over at Hellcats: a goods, accessories, and apparel brand ran by power duo Britt Reagan and hubby Clark Orr. All of their products are designed and packaged in-house in their Winter Park, FL. studio. In fact, they MAKE many of their products in their studio by their own damn hands and then sell wholesale to their hungry clients or online and at events to drooling creatives like you and me. If you struggle with building a cohesive brand or want to get started in the merch game, take notes as Hellcats goes deep into:
This episode isn’t going to tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear to tap into that long-term success. Nothing happens overnight so use this as fuel for your longevity. Shownotes
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| Matt Dawson on Making Time to Grind & Building the Crop Community | 19 Feb 2020 | 00:58:34 | |
Matt Dawson on Making Priorities and Building Communities I’m going to say something that may strike a nerve. It may even put a bad taste in your mouth when you think of me… However, I say this because I truly do give a shit about you and your future goals. I say this because it used to be me, and I realize how I was really just in my own way. If there’s something you want to do or accomplish, saying you don’t have the time to pursue it is just a big ole excuse to make yourself feel better about not following through and taking action. When, in reality, it’s not that you don’t have the time—it’s that you haven’t made it a priority. Making something a priority means sacrificing elsewhere. You have to take a long, hard look at areas you're over-consuming, wasting time, or working on that doesn’t serve the bigger picture. In order to get the results you want with your ambitious side hustle pursuits, you have to be willing to make the time and put in that time to grind over time. I’ll say that again, you have to make the time and put in the time to grind over time. Results don’t happen overnight, and no one is going to carve out the time to execute for you. It’s on you. No excuses! Someone who finds the time to grind outside a crazy schedule and has been doing this for years now is my one of my best buds in the design game, Matt Dawson aka @staygrayponyboy on Instagram. Matt is one of the best when it comes to designing logos and badge concepts. He has a way of adding a unique and clever twist to his work that stands out from the competition. It’s not something you going to find from a $20 logo template set from Creative Market, that’s for sure. When he’s not flexing his design skills, he's building a community for creatives all over the world, so we can find like-minded people who nerd out over the same creative shit as we do. He does this through Crop Conference, which is a thriving creative-based conference that has found a new home in Austin, TX. He brings in some of the biggest names in the industry to melt the faces of hungry creatives like you and me while connecting us with a new tribe of people that'll become like family. Buckle in, as we are about to keep it real right from the jump and chat about:
If you’re struggling with patience or suck butt with time management, this one is definitely going to speak to you and how to make significant habitual changes to grow. Shownotes
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| Are You Ignoring These 4 Signs & Missing Your Side Hustle Breakthrough? | 12 Feb 2020 | 00:25:00 | |
Why You're Missing Your Breakthrough I don't care about your religious or spiritual beliefs (but I respect and welcome them all). I want to know if you're the type of person who believes in signs? (No, I'm not referring to M. Night Shyamalan's highly underappreciated 2002 science fiction film Signs.) When I'm talking about signs, I'm talking about the signposts of life—your gut/intuition/heart attempting to serve as your internal compass. I used to think this was all a bunch of woo-woo malarky for people who've done a little bit too much LSD and think they interact with angels (yet I'm the same dude who's believed in ghosts and aliens my entire life.) Things have changed, and I shifted my perspective on the matter. Now I live for this shit, and the more I've tapped into my self-awareness, the more I'm able to notice these signs and open myself up for the opportunities flowing my way. There are signs and omens all around us, and it's our job to notice them. You could be ignoring the exact thing you didn't know you needed to elevate your side hustle to new heights you never could've imagined (if you haven't yet, please read the book The Alchemist, as it will shift your limiting beliefs as it did for me). The following are the 4 signs you could be ignoring that are holding you back from getting the breakthroughs you're wanting with your ambitious side hustle pursuits. For each sign, I'm doing two things:
When life hands you lemons, are you the type of person to whine and bitch about it? Or...are you the type of person to make a Vodka Lemonade (with a double shot of Tito's, of course)? It's too easy to play the victim when adversity strikes and vent to the closest person to us (or a Facebook status) about how "this happened TO me." Taking this stance immediately positions you as a victim, and you place that negative energy on someone else. What if...instead of something happening TO you, it was really happening FOR you? For me, it's been in the form of toxic relationships ending badly, yet it led to me learning how to make myself happy, which then led me to my wonderful wife, Emily (aka my Baby Mama, aka My Boo Thang, aka Ems Slice for Life). How about when I was unexpectedly let go from my "safe job" late last year? Honestly, I played the victim for the first two hours as we just closed on a new home a week before and announced kiddo #2 was on the way. However, I was able to snap out of it and get to work. As I connect the dots, I was able to see that the Universe was really shoving me into taking a leap of faith before I was ready, which was pursuing full-time coaching and freelance in 2020...I hadn't been busting my ass with my side hustle for over 5.5 years for nothing, right?! So, ya, getting canned right before the holidays didn't happen TO me, that shit happened FOR me, and took his new challenge head-on and plan on sharing everything I learn along the way with you like always! QUICK MOMENT OF REFLECTIONWhat's a curveball life has recently thrown at you? What's the potential blessing in disguise or learning opportunity tucked away in it that can help you grow? 2. FearThe Lizard Brain is the oldest part of your brain, and it was responsible for the aggression and fear triggers back in our Cave Man days when it was fight or flight to survive. Our brains continue to try and keep us safe by disguising potentially life-changing ideas and opportunities as risks and placing them behind a wall of fear. When we operate from fear, our minds only know how much we could lose by taking that risk. It can’t measure how much we can gain by breaking through the wall to get the gold on the other side. It’s a paradigm shift when you learn that fear is your intuition guiding you to unlock the next version of yourself—it’s an indicator of something you’re excited about. My biggest fears have always led to my biggest breakthroughs: sharing my work, blogging, public speaking, podcasting, and pursuing coaching in 2019. I've learned to use fear as my cue that whatever excites me yet scares me is something I need to be pursuing. It's because I've gotten uncomfortable and pursued my fears that I'm able to pursue this current gigantic fear of doing Perspective-Collective full-time...trust me when I say I wake up fucking terrified each day yet I'm more excited than I've ever been for anything when I find my groove in my studio. QUICK MOMENT OF REFLECTIONWhat's something that excites you yet the fear of failure, judgment, or even success is restraining you from taking the first step to pursuing it? How can you get out of your own way to unlock that next version of yourself you're supposed to become? 3. Repeating Patterns & Good FortunesWe take for granted the minuscule good things that happen to us each day. We, probably too wrapped up in that adversity I talked about a little bit ago, brush them off and keep pushing on with our day. What if those little fortuitous events that happened were really cues for you to connect the dots and take action? What if people here and there tell you that they liked your little doodles on napkins and coasters you'd do in coffee shops and restaurants? This is a cue that you could have a future as an artist (this was me growing up, but I was convinced I wasn't a good artist, so I didn't share my work till my early 20's). What if people sporadically tell you that you have a good way with words or storytelling? This could be your cue that you could be an author, copywriter, podcaster, blogger, etc. What if people randomly told you how you have a really good eye for detail? This could be your cue that you were meant to thrive as a designer, photographer, motion graphic artist, videographer, etc. For me, it was little things like early validation on my Instagram drawings that gave me confidence as an artist. From there, it was little comments from people like:
I ignored these in the beginning, but now I can look back and see these signs have been trying to push me toward the direction I'm steering my ship today. You better believe I pay attention now to the repeating patterns that come up sporadically each day. QUICK MOMENT OF REFLECTIONWhat are some reoccurring events, patterns, comments, etc. that seem to circle back around in your life? Make a list of them and start to connect the dots. It could be leading you to the next step you're supposed to take with your creative side hustle. 4. SynchronicityHere's where the woo-woo malarky begins to set off people's "bullshit radar detectors." Big Daddy Google states, "Synchronicity is the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection." I was a skeptic who is now a huge believer, as I've seen how this has worked in my life, especially in 2019. I'm a believer that there is a much greater power out there pulling the strings, and I'm choosing to label this as The Universe. You can call it whatever you choose to believe in, no judgment here! I'm learning that the more I'm in alignment with the direction I'm supposed to be going, The Universe will continue to deliver me what seems to be insanely serendipitous and coincidental opportunities. When I chose to go all-in as the Side Hustle Coach in 2019, I had to make tough choices like stop freelancing, teaching workshops, and selling products in my online shop. It was extremely hard to do, as I didn't really know what I was doing in terms of launching a coaching program, along with copywriting and email marketing. However, I chose this path because it "felt right," and I fed off the repeating comments from peers that I'd be a great coach. As I stumbled early in my coaching pursuits, oddly enough, people and opportunities presented themselves and were exactly what I needed to be successful. Out of nowhere, I had a coach and a business consultant magically cross my path that was the perfect fit for what I was needing (I didn't even know what I needed, so it made it even extra crazy). Working with them completely transformed my business, and it's why I'm able to do this full-time today. While I was getting my program setup, I was missing the breadwinning part of my side-income, which was freelance. However, I trusted the process and randomly, opportunities showed up to become an affiliate for products and people I believed in that aligned with things I know would provide my audience absurd amounts of value. Throughout the process of gearing up to launch the first version of the program in September, it seemed someone or something always popped up out of nowhere that gave me the answer/solution I was seeking to step into this phase of my business. Things happen for a reason, and Synchronicity is REAL! When something unexplainable or fortuitous happens that doesn't quite make sense, just know there's a deeper meaning behind it that you should be using as a cue! NOTE: I'll also mention the fact that I would see the number 11:11 each day or 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, and 5:55 often the last year. That's a whole other woo-woo story but when I started to look up the meaning behind 11:11 late July 2019, that woo-woo mindset quickly shifted as things all started to make sense and breakthroughs happened left and right. If you see 11:11 often or any of the other numbers I mentioned, I highly recommend looking it up as you'll really start to see where you're ignoring signs and blessings for real. You can think I'm crazy, but if you're tired of not seeing results and playing the victim in your life, what could it hurt to open your mind up to something that science can't fully explain? QUICK MOMENT OF REFLECTIONWhat series of fortunate coincidences have happened to cross your paths? Have people come out of nowhere to offer you their assistance? Has an opportunity shown up at your doorstep (which could be disguised as adversity)? These are things to pay attention to. Take a moment and connect the dots as whatever is pulling the strings out there could be showing you a path you're missing. Stop Missing Your Breakthroughs & Notice the SignsI'm one of those type of people who feels everything happens for a reason and you attract or repel things into your life whether you're intentionally doing it or not. You follow me for a reason. You're listening to this episode for a reason...especially if it's your first time ever listening to me. This episode is a sign that YOU attracted this into your life Maybe you're creatively stuck and lacking a purpose with the work you share or desire to start sharing with the world? Maybe you crave to build something meaningful outside your 9-5, but lack the time and motivation to make the necessary moves to see results? Maybe you're going through some shit right now, but realize it could be the push you need to take the step to become the best future version of yourself? Whatever it is, DON'T IGNORE THE SIGNS. The more you ignore these 4 types of signs, The Universe (or whatever you believe in) will take the hint and stop sending them your way as you subconsciously declare you're comfortable going in the same direction. I kick out this podcast for a reason: to help creatives like you get unstuck and blaze your own path. As cheesy as it sounds, it took me a while to fully notice the signs that this was the route I was supposed to be taking. Coaching and kicking out empowering art and content for side hustlers like you is the type of shit that lights me up. My new Spider-Sense is always tingling as I try to catch a whiff of the next omens or signs directing me to the next steps to serve you better and get the next breakthrough. It's up to you to do the same as your breakthroughs are waiting on you to make them happen. You gotta keep your head on a swivel and keep taking action and the answers will reveal themselves over time like they have for me. Shownotes
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| Iron Bean Coffee Company on Creating Raging Fans Around Your Passion | 05 Feb 2020 | 01:01:38 | |
Iron Bean Coffee Company on Creating Raging Fans Around Your Passion I’m big on connecting the dots, so I can understand how my past experiences influence my current actions, beliefs, and mindsets. If you know me by now, you know how open I am about growing up severely tormented and bullied. In fact, I had bullies all the way throughout college. Being bullied made me crave acceptance, which I thought for a long time came in the form of popularity. I now understand the acceptance I craved comes in the form of community. Being bullied was a blessing in disguise because it’s the catalyst for my strong beliefs in inclusivity, connection, positivity, and empowerment. It’s why I created the FREE Perspective-Collective private Facebook Community where isolated creatives all over the world can tap into a like-minded tribe of people who think differently and want more out of life. It's why I coached football in the past, which evolved into coaching creatives today on how to build fulfilling and profitable side hustles. Community is everything to me. That's why I'm trying to build through my podcast and brand—a place where people feel welcomed and inspired. At the end of the day, it’s about the bigger picture. We’re just small cogs working in a scheme that’s so much bigger than ourselves. Today’s guest is two people who understand the importance of community because they’ve built a thriving, raving, and raging fan base around their biggest passion: coffee. I’m talking about Fred and Chanell Dedrick of Iron Bean Coffee Company in Ohio. They’re a premium small-batch, roast-to-order, veteran-owned coffee company. They import their high-quality coffee beans directly from Colombia, Brazil, Uganda, Honduras, Peru, Ethiopia, Indonesia, & other far-off lands. Then, they personally roast every one of their kick-ass coffees to be shipped directly to you. Not to mention they crush it in the merch department because “selling out” is pretty much the expectation whenever there is a new merch drop. The beauty of this all is that they do this as a freakin’ side hustle, which is why they’re on the show. If you’re a side hustling dream chaser, buckle in and take notes as Team Iron Bean and I chat about:
I’m honored to bring this change-of-pace interview because I know their story will significantly parallel your creative grind. Plus these are two entertaining hard-working hustlers who have an awesome story I am stoked to share. We also drop a promo code in the outro to for you to get some Iron Bean Coffee in your life. Stay tuned! Shownotes
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| Tom Ross on the Power of Niching Down & Why It Isn't a Life Sentence | 29 Jan 2020 | 01:12:05 | |
The Phases of Your Creative Side Hustle...in My Opinion I want to preface this preface of today’s interview: I’m speaking solely from experience here on my philosophy on the phases of your side hustle. I think, early on in your hustle—once you truly accept you’re a creative and you’re figuring out what direction to go—that experimentation and trying new things is important. I think of this as Phase 1, and I was totally there. In fact, I played in this Phase for like 4 years, until I reached what I feel is Phase 2. Phase 2: you start to figure out what is and what isn’t working. I call this the "sweet spot secret sauce" that overlaps your greatest passion/interests with your greatest strengths. You start to narrow down and go deeper down this rabbit hole and connecting with yourself and your potential audience/clients on a deeper level. You start to really understand yourself and what these hungry and connected humans want/need and how you could potentially provide that solution...that’s where Phase 3 starts to come in. Phase 3, to me, is when you add the next ingredient to the secret sauce of the Sweet Spot: the market. You’ve now combined something you’re passionate about with something you’re good at, so now you need to pinpoint where you’re able to provide a valuable solution to that perfect follower or client. To me, this is where the magic happens: your ambitious side hustle pursuits start to really gain traction and shape into the possibility of something more. I think Phase 4 is something I’m on the cusp of, but I don’t truly know what it looks like yet. However, I'm definitely thriving in my secret sauce sweet spot and finding new ingredients to add to the mix to help scale what I’m doing and go deeper. Narrowing Your Focus By Niching DownI guess this philosophy I’m speaking toward all started with experimenting, but now I've narrowed my focus. I not only listened to my gut, but I also soaked up outside perspectives and advice how I could steer my ship in a more strategic direction that still aligned with the Phase 2 of my greatest strengths and passions. I continued to narrow my focus by saying no to things that didn’t align with where I wanted to go. The narrowing of my focus is what we like to call niching down ("nitching" or "neeching," based on however you’d like to pronounce it). I was one who refused to niche, yet wondered why I always felt like I wasn’t making the progress I wanted...even though I had been doing Perspective-Collective for a few years. However, as I started to gain more clarity and confidence in the direction I wanted to go, the more powerful niching down became. During this season, I can safely say I’m a Side Hustle Coach who helps creatives build fulfilling and profitable side hustles outside their day job. This is my niche during this season, and I embrace it and realize this isn’t necessarily forever...and that’s the key to today’s episode. The Marketing Guru for CreativesToday’s guest is someone who truly showed me the power of why the riches are in the niches and to embrace the discomfort that came with it. I’m talking about my brother from another marketing mother, Tom Ross, CEO of Design Cuts, Face of the Honest Entrepreneur, Co-Host of The Honest Designers Podcast, and a new podcast he has in the works with Michael Janda. He has progressively niched down over the years and has built successful companies left and right, but now focuses his attention on helping creatives like you and I are with marketing to blow up our side hustle pursuits. TAKE NOTES ON THIS SHIT because Tom and I go deep on the topic of niching down and more specifically cover:
I’m hoping you find a golden nugget in here you can immediately apply to your creative grind ASAP, so you get one step further in whatever phase you’re currently in. Shownotes
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| Lincoln Design Co. on Hiring Yourself & Leveraging Your Side Hustle | 15 Jan 2020 | 01:11:29 | |
Lincoln Design Co. on Hiring Yourself & Leveraging Your Side Hustle Which type of person are you?
Because you’re listening to this podcast, it’s safe for me to assume you’re the second type of individual or are striving to become this person. I never was truly person #1, as I always craved to do something more outside of my previous day jobs...but I never took myself seriously until I was like 26 and a year into Perspective-Collective. However, designing, drawing, and just creating in general has been flowing through my veins my entire life. Person #2 is the type of person who can’t shut it off. You see good as well as bad design/art all around you 24/7. You’re the type of person who is drawing something in your mind as you try to sleep and then you can’t wait to wake up to bring it to life. You keep a notepad by your bed to collect those killer reoccurring thoughts, or you have a water proof note pad in your shower because those are where the best ideas come from. You’re the kind of person who doesn’t eat at a restaurant because the logo is horrible. You won’t watch a DVD strictly because the font choice is whack. You point out poor kerning to your significant other even though they could care less. Or you get out your phone to capture that dope neon sign, fading mural, or sick badge on a man hole cover. You live for this shit, and that’s how you know that you’re made to be a creative. Now it’s time to put in the work. Today’s episode features a squad of goons who can’t turn off the creative switch and were clearly cut from a different cloth. The work they do and the rapid pace they do it isn’t normal for creatives like you and me. I’m talking about my homies over at Lincoln Design Co out of the great Pacific Northwest. Their chief of command, Dan Janssen, has assembled a cast of 5 insanely talented creatives as they slay work for the brand giants of the world like: Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, DreamWorks, Nike, Nickelodeon, Google, Hot Wheels….you get the point...but they’re not too proud to crush it for a local mom and pop shop or for creatives like you and me who need that next level personalized touch. I linked up with Lincoln early on when they started making big waves in the creative community, and I’m honored to bring them back on for round 2 today to catch you up with the insane growth and power moves they’ve made since 2017. We have a unique one as we got a chance to record during their 2019 end of year retreat. Each member of the crew was in the middle of working, but we managed to get a little screen time for each of them! I want to see your notes on this one as Dan and company go deep on:
It’s easy to fall victim to comparison when you see dope work on the daily from these dudes, but use this episode as a heavy dose of creative fuel to be the best version of yourself in 2020 and take your work to the next level in this new decade. Shownotes
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| Dina Rodriguez on How to Build a Thriving Community Around Your Art | 08 Jan 2020 | 01:01:59 | |
Dina Rodriguez on How to Build a Thriving Community Around Your Art I don’t care what anyone says, but every one of us, whether we know it or not, is creating a personal brand. Every interaction we have, every post we publish, and every action we take begins to design what we show the world and the people we are trying to repel or attract to our tribe. When you’re self-aware of this, you can use it to your advantage and be more specific and strategic about creating and speaking to the things that you hold highest in your belief system and interests. In our creative community, one of the most self-aware people I know who shows up as their truest self online and in-person, is my new friend Dina Rodriguez who slays under the name Letter Shoppe. Dina creates art that supports mental health, body positivity, and cannabis culture. In the process, she's created an insanely supportive and engaged community. Yes, she’s a talented artist, but she’s an even wittier and savvier marketer who knows how to give her audience what they need while remaining true to her core identity and treating her work like play. She has a thriving merch business, a poppin’ Patreon tribe, and enough pep and energy to power up 5 power plants. Did I mention she’s the brains behind that rapidly growing @womenofillustration account spotlighting the insanely talented women in our creative community? Ya, you’re going to want to take notes on this one because Dina drops mad insight on:
Today’s episode is going to empower and challenge you to analyze how you’re showing up each day and the message you want to put into this world. As always, keep an open mind and act on anything that inspires you today. Let’s go. Please share this one with your friends and family if you found value in it. Are You Seeking Clarity & Community? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching ProgramIf you want that extra level of clarity, community, and accountability develop a process that helps you win with your work, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program A-List waitlist now for January's relaunch. Shownotes
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| Lisa Congdon on Standing Out, Imposter Syndrome, & Your Artistic Voice | 01 Jan 2020 | 01:02:06 | |
Lisa Congdon on Standing Out, Imposter Syndrome, & Your Artistic Voice As creatives, why do we make things so hard on ourselves? Why do we stand in our own way and block ourselves from chasing what we really want? It’s like we’ve been given the keys to the Ferrari, but we talk ourselves out of turning on the ignition and pressing the gas to go (I realize new Ferraris most likely have a push to start button, but let’s pretend anyway.) We are the Ferrari, and the key is something we all have deep inside of us. We already possess the tool within us, which we’ll talk about today, we need to thrive. Yet, we let inner and external forces influence us to play it safe and live a "comfortable life," even though there’s another muffled inner voice that yearns to do more. Let’s unmuffle and empower that voice...our artistic voice, that is. My new friend today is someone who was a late bloomer to the game but has used that as her advantage. I’m talking about the profound illustrator, author, and speaker, Lisa Congdon. She whips up whimsical and vibrant art for top tier brands like Crate and Barrel, Facebook, Sonos, Lululemon, and more from her stomping grounds of Portland, OR. Sure, she wins awards and crushes work for big-time names, but the two things I admire the most are:
Relax and take notes as Lisa is going to unload some serious knowledge on you like:
Today’s episode is a permission slip to stop playing it small with your creative pursuits and uncomfortably step into your next version of creative genius. Oh ya! Stick around in the outro to find out how you can win a copy of Lisa’s latest book: Finding Your Artistic Voice. P.S. It’s a good one. Please share this one with your friends and family if you found value in it. Are You Seeking Clarity & Community? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching ProgramIf you want that extra level of clarity, community, and accountability develop a process that helps you win with your work, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program A-List waitlist now for January's relaunch. Shownotes
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| 4 Significant Side Hustle Lessons My Son Taught Me + BIG Announcement | 25 Dec 2019 | 00:35:26 | |
A Christmas That Changed My Life I remember it like it was yesterday—two years ago to this date on Christmas Morning 2017. Emily and I had just gotten back from Christmas at my parents, and we were opening our stockings (and giving stockings to our cats Lucy and Flora, of course). She had been acting weird all morning and even left early to go to Walgreens for a “last-minute stocking stuffer.” After we finished exchanging our stockings, she awkwardly said, “We need to talk.” That’s never been a good conversation starter, so I had a million negative scenarios running through my head. That’s when she told me, “I’m pregnant, hope you’re not mad…” I was stunned, shocked, and awed. Of course, I wasn’t mad, I was thrilled! We both started crying. Little did the cats know that they weren’t going to be the only babies in the house anymore. Then it happened... After the shock wore off, I was immediately flooded with fear.
The other thought that crept into my mind: “Will I have to give up my side hustle of Perspective-Collective? Is my dream over now?” Fast forward two years and here we are with this Little Pizza Roll being promoted to Big Brother in May 2020. Clearly, the dream is still well alive and thriving more than ever, more on that in the big announcement portion at the end. Yes, having a kid has radically changed my life and my priorities. Every decision I make now affects a tiny human, so I had to become a better decision-maker. The birth of Little Scotty is not only the best thing that’s ever happened in my life, but it's also the best thing that’s happened for my side hustle business. I've had this idea for a while now and sat down with Emily around Thanksgiving to have her weigh in her opinion. Together, we compiled 4 Significant Lessons our Little Scotty has taught us over the past two years. Yes, this is what he has taught us, but I believe the lessons here will dramatically impact and inspire a change to how you show up for yourself and others through your side hustle. 1. Be Relentlessly FearlessMy son is barely scared of anything, not even the dark. If there's something he wants to do, like being a Dare-Devil and standing up on the narrow seat of his Paw Patrol Fire Truck, then he's going to do it (you should note that I place pillows and blankets all around him as a safety net mind you). He fails and falls countless times in his ventures to conquer something. He cries, lets us kiss it boo-boos and I give him the whole "Figure it out, you got this!" pep talk and smack him on his cute little bottom and send him off. Then he's right back at it recalculating his approach until he locks it down. It's so incredible to see that big shit grin he has on his face as to say "Look at me ma-ma and da-da. I did it!" Seeing him master a mini-mountain makes me think about you and me and our creative pursuits. We let negative emotions of fear, doubt, and comparison hold us back from conquering something that truly excites us like: sharing our work, making a YouTube Channel, starting a podcast, etc. Instead, imagine if we channeled our inner toddler who isn't affected by these restraining feelings and relentlessly chased the things we wanted? What kind of breakthroughs could you see yourself having? Little Scotty has reaffirmed an important lesson that failure is a key ingredient for triumph. 2. Enjoy the Little Things + Celebrate Smalls WinsStraight up, we're spoiled and take things for granted ALL THE TIME (this includes me). We expect convenience and things to go our way. We lose sight of how blessed we are and neglect when the smallest amount of good fortune crosses our path. My son doesn't operate this way and I hope this perspective he's given me is something I can instill back into him as he gets older. The smallest things in life, like giving him the choice between two flavors of puffs (Blueberry or Strawberry), makes him light up with an enthusiastic chuckle while clapping his hands. He also shows me how much joy can be sparked from the smallest wins (like tossing consecutive wooden blocks into a container at the end of the night while I scream "Kobe") to the biggest wins (like learning to crawl DOWN steps because crawling up was too easy). He challenges me to notice and appreciate every little bit of good that flows through my day because I'm so fortunate to live the life I'm living and do the work that I love doing. There's magic in the little moments and small wins that your side hustle pursuits produce. These need to be acknowledged because progress is progress. 3. Stay Curious & Stay LearningWhile he loves the toys we get him, our Stinky Boy is more captivated by how ordinary items around our house function. This kid will spend hours closing cupboard doors (ones we specifically don't lock), taking lids on and off mason jars, trying to flush the toilet poking my belly button to see what it does. He's so freaking curious and is obsessed with learning. I love watching his tongue hang out as I envision those little gears turning in his mind as he attempts to figure out the world each day. Now, think about how crucial education or the lack of has been to get you to where you are today? Over the past 5.5 years of building Perspective-Collective, I can proudly say that I've been self-taught in everything I took initiative to learn: social media, hand-lettering fundamentals, email marketing, copywriting, audio/podcasting, etc. I didn't have to learn these things, I chose to learn them as I saw the growth and opportunities they yielded. Knowledge is power and the more we strive to learn, the more value we can create for people which puts us in a position to thrive in what we do. If something piques your curiosity, invest in yourself by taking the time to learn it and see where it leads you. 4. Play Hard"This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play." - Alan Watts. When this Little Ham Sammich plays, he plays hard to the point where nothing around him exists as he's lost down the rabbit hole of his imagination (unless he's wrestling his da-da of course). This dude gets so lost in his play that he gets a wee bit frustrated when you snap him out of it to change him, make him dinner, or give him a bath—rightfully so! How often do you get lost in play—or is the work you force yourself to do even play at all? Watching my son play triggers this new filter that's been blooming in me. As I take the next steps in my business in 2020, anything that doesn't fit into the play category is something I should eliminate or delegate if I have the means. I'm so grateful to have tapped into sources of play like creating, podcasting, and coaching. I play hard and get lost in the sauce for hours and the best thing about it all is the relationships I get to build when I leverage these skills I've learned. Finding things that interest you is a good place to start if there's something you want to pursue but don't know the first steps to take. I think I'm finally starting to see what Alan Watts is referring to in his quote because when I play hard in my business, it never feels like I'm working at all. Honorable Mention: Farts are Funny / Don't Take Life Too SeriouslyHere's a quick one Emily and I both agreed on that may be the most important lesson yet. Little Dougie Fresh AKA Trey Money affirmed our beliefs that farts are funny because man, does he sure does laugh and looks our way when he breaks a little toot. At the end of the day, my wife and I are still little kids at heart and will forever laugh at a fart. His precious reactions to his little gusts of wind remind me to not take shit so seriously all the time. Literally, and figuratively and you shouldn't either! Big AnnouncementThe Biggest Blessing in DisguiseRemember when I said the announcement of Little Scotty's birth instilled fear in me that my days of hustling on the side were over? Boy was I wrong. Instead, it set me on a laser-focused trajectory to where a potentially devastating crisis has turned into a life-changing opportunity. This is the first time I'm able to publicly talk about this and it builds off of episode 149 that I recorded November 1st about Winning the War Inside Your Head. In this episode, I talked about how crazy life has been between finding out we were expecting late September, to launching the Coaching Program and doing my first Live Podcast in the same week, to then scrambling to find a new home to expand into before the holidays. It was a challenging, but exciting season we were entering into and while chaotic, things were moving oddly smooth for how fast things progressed...or so we thought. A few days later, November 4th to be exact (which is a week after we closed on our new home that doubled our mortgage), I was sitting in my day job cubicle when HR came to my desk and asked to speak to me. They strolled me down the hallway and sat me down with the President of our business. They informed me that Corporate was doing widespread budget cuts due to sales being down and wanted to get ahead of the 2020 forecast which wasn't promising. With that being said, they proceeded to eliminate our entire marketing department out of nowhere. No sign, no warning at all. It was a complete shock to myself, and even more so to my pregnant wife. So much for a safe job right? I spent the first two hours in panic mode because I was terrified I was about to lose the house we just closed on, hence why I couldn't talk about it until after we moved in on December 13th. Despite being overwhelmed with negative emotions and thoughts, after those first two hours of panic, I went to work. Massive Action + Fear & Scarcity MindsetThe more time I spent worrying and playing the victim, the quicker the window of opportunity would close. I needed to take massive action so I immediately started making calls to all my friends in the creative industry THAT I BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PAST 5.5 YEARS (relationships are everything). In my mind, I felt step 1 was to redo my resume and create a web UIUX based portfolio to land a good-paying "safe" job to get us a steady income to get by for at least a year or two to pay off our debt goals. After that, I'd ideally be able to take the risk and make the leap to full-time. My first call after being laid off was with Peter Deltondo of Unfold and wizard behind Creative South's web user experience. This dude didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear and it was a huge perspective shift. He made me realize how much my current decisions on how to move forward were based on fear and scarcity. My heart and gut weren't into web design and writing a resume for it sucked the joy from me. He made me realize what I was truly passionate about (and good at) was lettering, illustration, and branding—you know, THE WORK I'VE BEEN SHOWING OVER THE YEARS, not the UIUX related shit I did at the day job! He was the first to tell me "Maybe this is the sign you need to do your thing full-time. You haven't been building this for over five years for nothing!" Meh...scarcity mindset and the fear of failure were still top of mind so I immediately dismissed it. I thought to myself, "This would be awesome, but you don't understand the position I'm in and the risk that puts on my family?!" However, my convo with Peter helped me know the type of work I wanted to show in my new portfolio I was building from scratch. I also knew that my targets were set on applying at some type of agency for remote work that could help me brush shoulders with big names to boost my portfolio. So there I was, call after call with friends on getting advice/guidance/direction and it kept circling back to the eerily repetitive answer of "This is a sign, do your thing full-time." It wasn't until I spent countless sleepless nights and multiple panic attacks that I brought this internal turmoil to my wife. I explain that logic is telling me I need to apply for some type of agency job to get us a steady paycheck so we can cover our family expenses, maternity, and still hit our debt pay-off goal. However, my gut and heart just weren't in it when I attempted to write my resume. It just felt "off" and it was stressing me out. Going full-time was what I always wanted, but the main thing holding me back the fear of not only failing myself but failing her and our kiddos. Surprisingly, she legit recited the same unprompted answer as everyone else I had a call with which totally caught me off guard. She agreed with them and instilled the confidence and affirmation I needed that me being laid off was the best thing that's ever happened to me. She said, "If it doesn't work out, the worst thing that'll happen is that you have to get another job." Boom. Sold. Let's Go. A Sign & Shove From the UniverseMe getting laid off out of nowhere was the universe shoving me into action before I felt I was ready (opposed to my original plan of leaping on my own terms a year or two later). While it's terrifying to say, on January 10th, 2020 (aka when my severance package runs out), I'll officially be making the leap to full-time coaching and freelance. It's an emotional trip for me to see all these years of treating my side hustle like it was a full-time business finally come to fruition. I always said if I had an extra 40 hours back in my life, I'd be able to do so many more things and make an even bigger impact. It's funny because the Universe was listening and it always gives me the gift I needed but often disguised behind the mask of adversity. The best thing about this that makes me so fucking proud is that I've blazed my own path and did things my way. All these lessons my son taught me the past two years have played such a significant role in leading me to this opportunity. My hope is that these four little lessons of be relentlessly fearless, enjoy the little things, stay curious and stay learning, and play hard can play a significant role in helping you take the next step in your creative grind in 2020. Let's climb some new mountains together and celebrate the little milestone along the way. Eventually, we'll get to appreciate the view at the top and start the process all over again. | |||
| A 5-Step System for Crushing it with Clients with James Martin | 26 Jan 2022 | 00:54:36 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/246 Support for this episode comes from BuzzSumo. --- Flipping the Switch from Hobbyist to ProfessionalStruggling to get started or taking the next steps in your professional freelance pursuits? These tend to be the 4 biggest challenges holding back your sick gains:
In my opinion, these challenges are the behind-the-scenes work necessary to unlock your big breakthroughs and long-term success as a creative. Today’s guest—James Martin of @Made.By.James—is a brand-by-hand-building juggernaut reigning in the UK. He’s a wizard at showcasing his process within his content, which has helped him build client demand while educating his hungry, massive community (currently 220k+ on Instagram as of recording). He’s also the author of his upcoming book: Your Honest Guide to Creativity and Logo Design. In today’s episode we talk shop on:
The Goal: To provide you with the next steps of flipping the switch from hobbyist to professional and taking control of your business. --- RESOURCES & REFERENCES CONNECT WITH JAMES --- ---- FREE TOOLKIT TO SIDE HUSTLE FREEDOM FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON JOIN THE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING APP CONNECT WITH ME CREDITS
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| Jason Craig on Turning Your Work Into Play & Staying in Your Own Lane | 18 Dec 2019 | 01:00:16 | |
Stay In Your Own Lane & Create Your Own Wave It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what other people are doing or to give into the temptation to jump on the latest trend. One of the hardest things to do as a creative is to go with your gut and pursue work that’s true to you. I like to call this staying in your own lane instead of swerving into someone else’s and riding their wave. I feel this is self-mastery at it’s finest, and it’s not something you can attain overnight. It takes years and tons of hard-learned lessons to get to the point where you’re self-aware of the artistic voice blooming inside of you and pouring that onto your canvas. I’m five and a half years deep, and I’m just now feeling like I’m finding my artistic voice. I'm using this voice to construct the lane I want to navigate for the next 20 years. This show exists to challenge and empower you to find your own groove over time. Today’s episode, I’m bringing back my mentor and one of the people I look up to the most in this creative sport. The King of Crunk FridayI’m talking about Mr. Crunk Friday himself, Jason Craig, aka @jasonthe29th on IG. What I admire so much about this dude is that he stays in his lane and owns it. Matter of fact, he embraces and thrives within it, and it’s inspiring how he truly navigates his own creative realm. He’s a Southern gentleman with a Midwestern work ethic crushing the full-time art and design game in Augusta, GA. When he’s not winning awards, speaking on big stages, or being involved in the creative community, he’s helping guide people like I am through these rocky terrains to get to the green pastures on the other side through witty analogies and Level 62 wizard-like advice. Take notes, strap in and get familiar with this fine fellow as Jason and I peel back the layers on:
We overcome a lot of technical difficulties to drop this fire on you, and I have no doubt there’s a nugget tucked away that you can apply to your creative grind. Please share this one with your friends and family if you found value in it. Are You Seeking Clarity & Community? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching ProgramIf you want that extra level of clarity, community, and accountability develop a process that helps you win with your work, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program A-List waitlist now for January's relaunch. Shownotes
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| Chris Do on Making Money Doing What You Love & Not Selling Your Soul | 11 Dec 2019 | 01:07:47 | |
Steering Your Ship with Clarity & Confidence I’m hella proud to say that we’ve made it to Episode 150. There seems to be a massive shift every 50 episodes in the message and direction in which I’m steering this ship. The more I continue to niche down and follow the direction of my internal compass, the more clarity and confidence I continue to find The more clarity and confidence I find, the more I’m able to enjoy this wave that I’m making and riding. As we approach the end of what’s been the craziest year of my life and embrace what I’m sure will be an even crazier 2020, we’re entering into a new and exciting season of the podcast. The topics will get deeper. More resources will be created. The community will get tighter, and more targeted value will be served to your front door like a piping hot pizza from your favorite local joint. It’s up to you to consume and take massive action to get the results you want. Episode 150 with Chris Do of The FuturToday’s episode is a big one and will set the tone for the rest of your year, and potentially your life, if you want to get dramatic about it. We’re fortunate to have Chris Do on the show today. When I mentioned I was recording with him, my DMs on Instagram lit up like a Christmas Tree, so I know you’re just as hyped for this one as I am. Chris’s mission is to empower creatives to make money doing what we love without selling our souls through his educational platform called The Futur. You’ll find a goldmine of business, design, and inspirational resources to help you thrive on your creative grind (he’ll tell you more about this and where you can get more info on your own, after this episode of course). The content he and his team have dished out has amassed a global, loyal, and engaged tribe of over 600k on YouTube, 140k on The Futur’s IG, almost 200k on his personal IG, and 100k on Facebook. Do a few hand exercises to loosen up so you can rack up your notes because we diving deep on topics like:
This episode is so much bigger than design, branding, increasing your rates, etc. This one is the epitome of why it’s called the Perspective Podcast because Chris is going to:
Please share this one with your friends and family if you found value in it. Are You Seeking Clarity & Community? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching ProgramIf you want that extra level of clarity, community, and accountability develop a process that helps you win with your work, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program A-List waitlist now for January's relaunch. Shownotes
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| 3 Tactics for Winning the War in Your Head to Get Out of Your Own Way | 27 Nov 2019 | 00:22:55 | |
Winning the War in Your Head With tomorrow being Thanksgiving here in the States, I wanted to take a second to just say thank you for giving the show a chance and sticking with me as the show evolves. There’s a lot of creativity-based podcasts, resources, and content out there...I know my style and approach aren’t for everyone, and that’s totally okay! Just know it means the world to me that you vibe out and tune in to what I’m building out of my little home studio. I try to create fuel for you when, in reality, you are the fuel that drives me to keep showing up and pouring my soul into this—especially during the craziest season of my life, which I’ll touch on later in this minisode. So thank you, from the bottom of my pizza-loving heart. Thank you for giving me a chance and growing with me as I try to blaze my own little trail on this earth’s surface and tap into my unique purpose. With that being said, today's episode is a shorter one that I know will hit home if you deal with the same inner critic and negative self-talk like I do. In order to win the war that wages daily between your ears and design the life you want to live, my goal for this episode is to get you to:
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| Side Hustler's Coaching Program Hot Seat Student Spotlight Special | 20 Nov 2019 | 01:31:49 | |
Football Coach to Creative Coach This one is special today, and it's the longest episode I’ve ever published but for a good reason. If you’ve followed my story, you know I have a background in coaching football. I reluctantly started my coaching journey in college after playing two years and then blowing out my back twice at Wartburg College in Cedar Falls, IA. Even though I was bitter, I stayed on the team and became a student coach so I could be a part of something bigger than myself. Once I graduated, I volunteered for three years coaching Varsity Wide Receivers at my Alma Mater West High in Waterloo, IA. From there, I was a personal trainer for about two years at a local Snap Fitness. Behind the scenes, I was always doing some type of side hustle, like creating t-shirts, logos, and tattoo designs...but nothing ever seemed to stick. The coaching side wasn’t paying the bills, and the art side wasn’t gaining any traction and was more depressing than anything. It felt impossible to connect coaching with creativity, but that’s what I attempted to do with my Instagram in 2014 and then my blog in June 2015. All of it paved the path to becoming a Creative Coach early this year and starting up the Side Hustler’s Coaching Program this past September. The Power of Accountability & CommunityIn this program, I selected 10 creatives out of an application pool to go deep on a passion project for three months. They're going to create a body of work they can, not only be proud of, but can leverage moving forward. People on the outside of this Group Accountability Mastermind setting only see them evolving their craft and skills. This program is more than that—it’s a breeding ground for cultivating relationships, building confidence, overcoming comparison, mastering time management, developing strategies, routines, and more. There’s the War Room, which is our daily hub to keep each other accountable. Every first and third Thursday are group Accountability Calls. Every second and fourth Thursday we have Hot Seat Calls. This is where everyone gets a turn to share their biggest breakthrough or struggle for that week while the rest of the family listens and takes notes. Today’s episode is a recorded hot seat call. There’s no fancy mics and no planned agenda. Just 9 vulnerable and hungry creatives (minus the homie Andrew Pethoud on this one) making time to meet outside of jobs and families to grow and work together toward taking the next step on their creative grinds. If you’re feeling stuck and isolated trying to figure out your own next steps to take, I know you’re going to find a ton of valuable takeaways tucked in this one. If you feel like this is something you want you to be a part of, sign up for the coaching A-List Waitlist for updates as Round 2 of the Side Hustler’s Coaching Program starts Jan 13–April 5th. Shownotes
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| Tinlun Studio on Leveraging Failure & Passion Projects to Thrive & Survive | 13 Nov 2019 | 00:50:39 | |
Tinlun Studio on Leveraging Failure & Passion Projects to Thrive & Survive So many people love pizza but hate the crust. I’m here to tell ya you gotta learn to love the crust. The first few bites of a slice of pizza are when you’re high on life and things seem to be working in your favor. The crust is the low moments of adversity and failure. You can’t have pizza without the crust, and you can't appreciate the highs without the lows. The crusty times test our character and mold us into the next version of ourselves. It’s up to us on how we respond, so we can evolve into the version of who we want to be. Someone who’s dealt with waves of crust and always comes back bigger and better than ever is my homie Terence Tang of Tinlun Studio, aka The Tenacious Turnip aka Tinman the Terrific. Terence and I go back a for a few years now, and I’ve seen his lowest moments set him up for something great each time he responds with a positive attitude. He’s one of the best humans I know, and his story is sure to inspire you to love and use your crust as part of your story to inspire others as well. Terence is a full-time freelance lettering muralist making moves out of Houston, TX, and empowers humans to be a little bit nicer through his Human Kind initiative. He’s also a low key wizard in calligraphy and photography and has a sneaker collection that is certainly bigger than the Kardashian sisterhood’s shoe collection combined. In today’s episode, Terence and I go deep on:
If you feel lost, stuck, and caught up in your own crust, this episode will push you to take some serious action. Shownotes
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| Steve & Danielle Wolf with Tips on Design, Freelancing, & Productivity | 06 Nov 2019 | 00:58:00 | |
Steve & Danielle Wolf with Tips on Design, Freelancing, & Productivity Do you show up each day winging it and doing what feels good, or do you have a plan of attack and a system you thrive in? Sure, some people can just show up and figure it out, but what if there’s room to optimize your workflow while still acting in the muse? It tends to be a little bit easier for people who do their things full time, as there’s a little more margin and room for flexibility. If you’re like me and you hold down a day job, your time is already scarce...so winging it each day is most likely not going to yield the type of results you’re wanting. Having a plan, scheduling your success, and optimizing your productivity is key...plus you gotta leave a little margin in there for play to stay sane. My friend Steve Wolf and his wife Danielle are people who have a plan and have been consistently crushing it. They are the brains behind Steve Wolf Designs, a design and branding studio in Austin, Texas. They crush work for brands like Target, Lennox Air, Butler Bros, Adobe, TypeHike, and everything in between. While Steve thrives in the creativity department crushing design, logos, branding, custom type, etc., I feel every creative needs the Danielle counterpart—she is an organization guru who runs marketing, process development, and project management (basically all the stuff creatives like I do suck at). Productivity is her jam, and she’s also a coach who she helps busy women find their unique balance and create more joy in their life. Strap in and take some notes and we cover a ton of topics like:
If you’re a side hustler or freelancer who’s ready to step your game up, then this episode was crafted for you. Shownotes
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| Molly Jacques on Freelancing, Passive Income, & Marketing for Creatives | 30 Oct 2019 | 00:59:46 | |
Molly Jacques on Freelancing, Passive Income, & Marketing for Creatives Where are you right now? Not your physical location, but the current state of your side hustle during this season?...and by season, I don’t mean fall (if you’re in the U.S.). Just like books have chapters, our lives have seasons. I’m currently in a season where I’m making a huge transition in my business. I’m fully embracing myself as the side hustle guy and going all-in on the podcast, the coaching program, and assets/resources to help people like you take the next steps. It’s where I’m supposed to be right now and where my energy’s supposed to be focused. Unfortunately, there’s not much time to play and responding back to every person every minute every day falls down the list of priorities during this shift. I have to give myself permission to not do all the things all the time like I used to with freelance, selling merch, etc. It is what it is, but then again, it’s only for this season. Maybe the season you’re in is all about exploring and finding your style. Maybe you’re in a season where you have to pump the brakes to attend to life’s bigger demands. Whatever season you’re in, be in that season and show up as your true self. Be hella grateful that you even have the opportunity to exist and be able to do what you do. It’s a gift to breathe, think, and act—don’t take it for granted. Seasons change, and so will you. Make the most of the season you’re in. With that being said, someone who makes the most of each day in each season she's in is my new bestie Molly Jacques. I’ve been a fanboy of her gorgeous illustrative lettering work which has landed her clients like Target, Nike, The New York Times, and Disney (to name a few)....no big deal, right? I’ve also been an admirer/stalker on how she handles her business as a creative cheerleader and educator for our community (especially her email marketing expertise). She’s a beast at producing educational content, courses, and resources to help creatives scale our side hustles and make more money! HOT DAMN! Tune in and take notes as we hit a ton of topics like:
If you need a little spark to start taking yourself and your side hustle more seriously, this episode was made specifically for you. Shownotes
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| Side Hustle Special | Live From Creative Works with Rogie & LittlePatterns | 23 Oct 2019 | 01:03:41 | |
Side Hustle Special | Live From Creative Works with Rogie & LittlePatterns I have a special episode for you today for those of you who couldn’t attend Creative Works Conference in Memphis, TN. Maggie Enterrios of Littlepatterns and Rogie King of Super Team Deluxe and Dribbble joined me on the stage for an hour-long discussion that no doubt melted the faces of all 400 creatives in the audience. We specifically dropped a ton of valuable takeaways on:
If you’re side hustling outside your day job or pursuing a career in freelancing, you definitely need to listen to this one. Shownotes
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| 6 Ways to Carve Out Time to Grind & Execute Outside Your Day Job | 18 Sep 2019 | 00:27:16 | |
Side Hustler’s Series Part 4 of 4: 6 Ways to Carve Out Time to Grind & Execute Outside Your Day Job A PROVEN SYSTEM FOR KNOCKING SHIT OUT EACH DAY Hands down, the #1 thing creatives like you tell me you struggle with the most? Finding time to grind on your side hustle. I’m hella qualified to talk on this topic because I’ve gotten pretty damn good at:
In five years, I’ve been able to build Perspective-Collective, freelance, and handle a weekly podcast all outside of my full-time job. Not to mention, I’m a husband and father to the dopest little dude this side of the Mississippi. This shit isn’t easy, and I’m not trying to brag. I’m just trying to convince you that if I can do it, anyone can. If finding time to grind is one of your biggest pain points, I feel the following system can improve your productivity immediately. Note: I also have this available as a guide in the Side Hustler’s War Chest. In case you missed that, you can download it here. #1. Take One Bite at a Time It’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough when you see someone else crushing it. Often, our ambition is larger than our reality, and we feel we have to eat the full pizza in one bite. While it’s great you want to start a weekly podcast, vlog, and newsletter all at once, biting off more than you can chew can set yourself up for failure if you:
I started posting consistent drawings on Instagram in the spring of 2014. I then took on weekly blogging in June 2015, then added a newsletter in October 2015. I began the weekly podcast in August 2016. In between, I’d sprinkle in some freelancing, public speaking, teaching workshops, and selling products. There’s no way in hell I’d still be trucking along had I attempted to do all of this right from the jump. I suggest taking things slow and steady, as we’re looking to accomplish long-term consistency. Start with one bite at a time by setting ambitious (yet realistic) expectations and taking action. Once you lock down your process, take a bigger bite by slowly baking the next thing into your routine. #2. Plan Your Attack I’m discovering the most successful people I look up to don’t roll out of bed and shit productivity—they schedule their success. When I stopped winging it and planned my daily attack, it made decision-making so much easier. Here’s how I plan my attack: 1. MAKE A WEEKLY TASK LIST ON SUNDAY 2. PRIORITIZE THEM WITH MY CREATIVE GRIND (ABC) SYSTEM*
*Those in my coaching program get to be the first guinea pigs for a basic and more advanced version of my Creative Grind System. 3. PLAN YOUR FOLLOWING DAY’S TASKS Here’s a quick glimpse of how I list my next day’s attack:
Sometimes, you may only have a small window of time so knocking out the B1 task makes sense. Only knock out the C task if you get through all A and B tasks for that day. THE GOAL The goal is to knock out and cross off AT LEAST one A task a day. Crossing that A task off your list becomes a productivity habit-forming addiction! Depending on your schedule and goals, tweak this and find what works for you! #3. Eat the Worm I’m a night owl by default, but waking up early and eating the worm has been the catalyst for the growth of my side hustle. There are three reasons why mornings are my jam:
For me, productivity lies in doing the most important task first—the one that will scale my business. These big tasks typically require the most willpower. Oddly enough, the most important tasks that move my business forward and require the most willpower have nothing to do with drawing—they have everything to do with writing. Writing is the backbone to my side hustle. I write practically every day with the podcast, the coaching program, workshops, speeches, Instagram captions, product details, landing pages, email campaigns, etc. Working a day job and opening myself up to the world’s distractions takes a massive toll on my willpower. There’s no way I have the focus or desire to do my best writing after I clock out from work or after I put my son to bed. Getting up early and eating the worm sucked in the beginning and still sucks today. I had to adjust by using the hack of getting up 10-20 minutes earlier each week. This significantly helped me adjust instead of making the switch from 6:30 am to 4:30 am. This is an example of a bite-sized change mentioned in #1. Grinding before the world wakes up provides the best focus for me, and maybe it could for you. To get the results you’ve never had, you have do something you’ve never done. I’ve made hard changes in my routine to chase that productivity-high. It gets easier to adjust when you begin to see the progress. I realize there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this, as everyone’s schedules and responsibilities are different. Start by determining when you have the most willpower in the day. Then carve out time and act on your A1 task. #4. Play UNO Playing Uno ties into #2 and is my way of saying “focus on doing one thing each day that will help get you the best results.” Looking at that massive to-do list can be overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start, so you become paralyzed from taking action. This is why we take that weekly task list and prioritize it to create a plan of attack. Focusing on the one thing you planned the night before (the A1 task) makes the game winnable and easier to manage. Note: to reiterate #2, when you knocked out the A1 task for the day, you then shift your target to A2. It’s hard not to feel accomplished and experience progress when you knock the main thing off your list each day. You and momentum become best friends when you optimize your system for maximum badassery. #5. Eliminate Distractions It’s so easy for us to get distracted because we’ve become glued to our phones, computers, smartwatches, and TVs. We’re “too connected” and don’t want to miss out on anything and everything. I’ve had to discipline myself to eliminate distractions. When it’s grind time, I have to prepare my environment so I can get into the zone. KILL SOCIAL MEDIA NOTIFICATIONS For me, I kill all notifications on my phone except for texts and calls in case of an emergency. I personally have a strong belief that you do not need social media notifications on your phone. That shit will distract you from keeping the main thing the main thing. USE DND MODE I always have Do Not Disturb Mode set on my phone from 9 PM–6 AM, so nothing distracts me before bed until after I eat the worm and play Uno. I’ll even turn on DND Mode when I need to practice a speech, record the podcast, or get lost in a drawing. SET APP LIMITS & NOTIFICATIONS On iOS, you can set App Limits to put time constraint reminders on apps you tend to overuse. You can also enable notifications to let you know how much screen time you’ve been using to keep yourself in check. OPTIMIZE YOUR ENVIRONMENT For me, having a clean desk/office, closing the door, and having one screen on for willpower tasks like writing helps me find my zone. As much as I love my cats, having them crawl all over me and knocking shit over on my desk while I work is a no-go. Overall, protect and value the time you’ve carved out for yourself to grind—no one else will do that for you. #6. Say NO, so You Can Say YES Your secret weapon for creating more time is a muscle you don’t flex often enough. You gotta learn how to say NO, NOPE, and NAH, I’M GOOD. If you constantly use the excuse of “I never have time,” it’s times to switch your language to “I haven’t made it a priority.” I should know because this excuse was my default for everything. Any margin of time I had got filled up because I was a professional over-committer who didn’t understand the power of saying NO. Of course, you can’t make something a priority because you said YES to something else when you should’ve said NO! It’s really simple: saying YES fills your time and saying NO creates more time for what’s most important. THE HELL YES FILTER Create a filter for yourself—if an opportunity comes your way, and it’s not an instant HELL YES that aligns with your main vision, then it’s an immediate HELL NO. THE HELL NO LIST Another step to help you frame your Hell-Yes filter is by creating a list of No’s and Hell-No’s. That way, you have set guidelines to stick to when decent opportunities come knocking. This filter and list will clamp down on letting people and stupid, non-essential tasks steal your time. Take Yourself Seriously Everyone has what it takes to execute their side hustle outside their day job. The problem is that people struggle to grind on their side hustle because they lack a system and some discipline. Regardless if you’re a night owl or early bird, make notes of these ideas—I know they can help you see results ASAP. It all boils down to—how badly do you want it? Are you ready to take yourself and your work seriously? Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching Program Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you're listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| 5 Killer Tips for Managing & Maximizing Your Side Hustle Outside Your 9-5 | 11 Sep 2019 | 00:23:22 | |
Side Hustler's Series Part 3 of 4: 5 Killer Tips for Managing Your Side Hustle to Maximize Results Back in May, I had the chance to jump on an episode of The Happy Ever Crafter TV with the calligraphy queen, Becca Courtice. I came prepared with some notes to help her niche calligraphy and lettering audience to get the most out of their side hustles. What kind of a jerk would I be if I didn't go more in-depth and share it with you? Regardless if you do calligraphy, lettering, knitting, underwater basket weaving, etc., there is something in this episode that can help you take your side hustle to the next level. Today, I'm giving you 5 Killer Tips for Managing Your Side Hustle to Maximize Results. Prepare to take some notes! Hopefully, there's a missing piece here that gets you one step closer to putting your peculiar yet promising puzzle together. 1. Have a Plan & Show Up with Intention How comfortably can you answer the following questions with conviction?
Figuring out the answers requires a lot of time, soul searching, and uncomfortable dialogue in your head. Once you're able to tap into that vision, reverse engineer that dream so you can pinpoint the steps you need to take. From here, you're able to layout short-term and long-term S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals that align with the vision. A goal without a plan is just a wish, so knowing what you want and developing a gameplan are crucial. When you know what you want and have outlined your steps, there's less room for guessing on what you should be working on each day. Having a plan makes it much easier to attack the top task that moves you closer to your goal each day. Note: If you lack a plan or system for making time to work on your side hustle, you're going to love next week's part 3 episode. I'm giving you 6 Ways to Carve Out Time to Grind & Execute Outside Your Day Job. 2. Be Consistent My favorite quote about consistency comes from Sean McCabe (Seanwes). It's time for a hard dose of reality and some tough love. There's no way you should be complaining about the promise of your side hustle when you've only:
People won't notice shit until you consistently stay in front of them and make it crystal clear what you're doing. You have to remind people that you exist, and you do this with—you guessed it—a plan. One of the best ways to do this is to lock down a systemic routine of when you'll create and when you'll post. Frequency I recommend sharing AT LEAST once a week, as we tend to be creatures of weekly cycles (e.g. weekly episodes of our favorite TV shows or Monday Night Football). Daily output is going to get your faster results, of course. This isn't realistic for many people and can easily lead to burnout. Weekly is a manageable output that anyone can figure out. Start with something small and add more to your plate as you build it into your routine. Duration If this is something you're good at and it lights you up, I feel a minimum of six months of pursuing it with maximum effort is the least you can do. I'd highly recommend pushing it easily to 1-2 years if it's bringing you any of the 9 benefits I mentioned in last week's episode. It took me in the 1-2 year range to really start finding my footing. Currently, my fifth year is when I'm really finding my stride. It. Takes. Time. It's not always about reaching the most people in the beginning, but the right people slowly over the years. 3. Be Persistent I wanted this one to rhyme with Be Consistent because I like to have a good time and unwind with a rhyme outside design. News Flash: it's not easy pursuing something that's important to you—it's a straight-up rollercoaster ride, as you're being tested at every turn. You're going to experience plenty of shitty moments along your creative grind. There will be plenty of people that will attempt to rain on your parade. You gotta keep pushing to bathe in those sunny days when you've tapped into your creatively-fulfilled zone. I don't' have enough fingers or toes to count how many battles of self-doubt, depressed funks, haters, financial emergencies, etc. I've faced when pursuing my side hustle. I do know that every shit storm I've weathered has made me stronger. Every time you get knocked down, it's your responsibility to get back up and keep swinging. It's called responsibility because you have the ability to respond. Each time you get back up, you're adding a new bruise or scar that you can add to the "hard lessons learned jar" and use it as fuel. As cliche as it sounds...if it was easy, everyone would do it. It's not easy, but gritting it out because it's important to you will always be worth it. Don't find yourself on your death bed wondering, "What would life look like had I gotten back up to fight another day?" 4. Stop Trying to Be Pizza What fun would this be if I didn't include something pizza-related? My life motto has become, "You can't make everyone happy, you're not pizza." It's my filter that I run everything through when I show up each day. It's insanely hard to gain traction when you feel you have to reach every human in every pocket of the planet when you hit publish. The harder you try to reach the masses, the harder it is to land on that one soul who needs what you have to offer. Attempting to please everyone usually means you're riding the fence and playing it safe. You're scared to have a strong opinion, as it could drive someone away. James Victore on episode 117 would call this being "Oatmeal." Don't be Oatmeal. All it takes is one person at a time to attract that like-minded tribe of freaks who vibe to your flavor of weird. Instead of going for width, go for depth. Embrace who you are, share what's true to yourself, and keep the perfect person in mind when you hit publish (even if it's yourself). More importantly, disregard the thoughts and opinions of the haters. What you put into the world wasn't meant for them anyways. 5. Find Your Secret Sauce What's the secret sauce, and how do you make it? The starting base to your secret sauce: find the overlap of your greatest strength and greatest passion. This is called your sweet spot, and it's something I learned from Ken Coleman of The Entreleadership Podcast. You're going to have a hard time finding success with your side hustle if it's:
The quick way to go about this is to make two-circle Venn Diagram. Strengths On the left, list your strengths. These could be things you can naturally thrive in that others find difficult. It could be skills you've acquired for hours you've spent learning a trade or craft. Taking a StrengthsFinder2.0 test can help you peel back another layer and reveal some deeper answers. Passions On the right, list your passions—the things that light you up and leave you feeling fulfilled. These are the things you zone out and lose track of time doing. It could be the thing that keeps you up at night because your mind is bursting with ideas. At the same time, it could be the thing that gets you jazzed to get out of bed each day. Bonus Points: ask friends and family to list out what they feel your greatest strengths and passions are so you can locate patterns. Secret Ingredient #3 That third ingredient is your market. I'm talking about your target audience or perfect follower that your sweet spot provides value or a solution to. Now that's a whole other can of worms, but hopefully, it has you thinking of the value you bring to the table with your secret sauce. Note: I highly recommend Seth Godin's book This is Marketing to go deeper on this topic. Get his audiobook for FREE here. Putting it All Together Yes, everything starts with a plan. However, practicing self-discipline, having some grit, and understanding the value you provide is crucial for taking your side hustle to the next level. That's all a part of the process, but the energy and effort is worth it once you find your stride. Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching Program Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you're listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| The Pigeon Letters on Fear, Risk, and Finding Your Style | 19 Jan 2022 | 00:58:18 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective/245 Support for this episode comes from BuzzSumo. Supercharge your side hustle content strategy today with a FREE 30-Day Trial. --- Defiantly Go Against the GrainFear, self-doubt, anxiety, creative ruts, and frustration are all a part of pursuing your creativity on your own terms. It’s an undisclosed waiver you sign when you pour your time and energy into building toward the unknown. Just know you’re not alone with your struggles, and trusting the process is worth it! Today’s guest—Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters—is a self-taught artist, author, and educator impacting the masses with her crafty talents and brilliant business brain. She’s been featured by and worked with some of the biggest brands in the game: NBC, Martha Stewart, Skillshare, Google, Vogue, and more. What I respect the most is her focus on serving and empowering the creative community. In today’s episode we talk shop on:
The Goal: To let you know you’re not alone with your fears and struggles as you build your creative biz brick by brick. --- RESOURCES & REFERENCES CONNECT WITH PEGGY ---- FREE TOOLKIT TO SIDE HUSTLE FREEDOM FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON JOIN THE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING APP CONNECT WITH ME CREDITS
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| 9 Benefits of Side Hustling—Leverage Your Day Job to Fuel Your Dream Job | 04 Sep 2019 | 00:21:21 | |
Side Hustler's Series Part 2 of 4: 9 Benefits of Side Hustling The Dream You've Been Sold Most likely, you’re a listener/reader for two reasons:
If so, you've tuned into the right place. I focus on the side hustle part because hustlin' is a habit, and it's all I know. Not everyone is fortunate enough to do their own thing full-time right out of the gates. In fact, I'd say the majority of people don't go this route. You were sold the dream of the traditional route of getting student loans to fund college, so you can land a good job. You then get married, get a mortgage, have kids, and do the same routine day-in and day-out. The goal is to pay your dues at your day job to help someone else’s dream come true in hopes of retiring around sixty. Supposedly, that's when your life begins? If you're like me, you've realized this isn't your dream at all. Something deep inside you craves to go against the grain and blaze your own path. I've had this internal craving since college where I was creating tattoos, logos, etc. to pay for video games and 30 packs of Busch Light. This craving has only grown stronger as I've spent over five years building Perspective-Collective outside my day job. Trust me when I say I've invested thousands of hours and two power plants worth of energy into finding ways to transform my hobbies into a monetized side hustle/side business—all outside a day job. I’ve figured out what works through A TON of trial and error (extra emphasis on the error part). No doubt, it's been a lot of work to navigate this ship to where it's sailing today. Regardless of the storms and choppy waters I've dealt with along the way, every ounce of effort I've invested in my dream has been worth it. Pursue Your Gift & Make an Impact Before I begin, I feel it's important to note that there's nothing wrong with having a day job. You may have landed one that you love and have no desire to do your own thing full-time. That's totally cool! You also may be in a position where you'll be in your day job for a while due to personal situations like mine. That's cool too! This episode is solely fuel for satisfying that inner craving to do more with your gift. That's it! Without further ado, the following benefits are based on my experience, as well as anecdotal evidence from my juggernaut creative friends and podcast guests. #1. Find Your Purpose This is #1 for a reason because I know what it's like to feel like you have nothing to offer the world. If you go to bed each night without something to look forward to, something is wrong. It’s time to change that with a side hustle that feels like play. I'm jazzed to get up each day because of my side hustle of helping other creatives build their killer side hustles. I look forward to putting in the work and reapings these 9 benefits that come with it. Life is dull and unfulfilling when you lack a purpose—side hustles can change that. #2. Cultivate Killer Relationships You may have heard the phrases, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” or “Your network = your net worth.” I believe both of these are 100% true. I also believe in the quote from Jim Rhome, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Relationships are everything. Your side hustle can help connect you with like-minded people who have similar goals, work ethics, and values. Two things to keep top of mind:
You’ll be surprised by the genuine and abundant friendships you’ll build through your side hustle over time. #3. Attract a Tribe of Like-Minded Freaks "Embracing your weird" seems to be the storyline of 2019 and I'm all for it—the weirder the better. Starting a side hustle or a passion project allows you to go deep on things that interest YOU. It's a playground to experiment and embrace the YOU in YOU-nique. Chances are you're not alone—your weird quirks and qualms are most certainly shared by other weirdos. When you publicly share and own your YOU-niquness, you increase the odds of attracting a like-minded tribe of freaks who vibe to your unique flavor of weird. Then you circle back to Benefit #2 and cultivate killer relationships—it's a win-win. #4. Add New Skills to Your Arsenal This one is obvious but important to stress. My side hustle has allowed me to learn skills that I’ve been able to leverage for raises at work, charge more in freelance, and attract more opportunities. Pursuing Perspective-Collective has taught me how to:
I could keep going, but you get the picture. Whatever you want to learn, you can create a passion project around it. #5. Build Confidence & Overcome Fear I had little to no confidence in myself or my abilities for about the first 24-25 years of my life...until I started Perspective-Collective. I was able to find my groove when I shared my work consistently on Instagram. Facing the things I feared the most—like sharing my work, speaking in public, asking for what I wanted in life, or saying NO to people—has resulted in some incredible breakthroughs in my creative career. Leaning into this fear has helped me unlock confidence in my purpose, my creative abilities, and my mission. Side hustling builds confidence when you're persistently getting uncomfortable. Period. #6. Turn Your Work into Play Hobbies are fun and having fun = play. There are no set-in-stone requirements that you have to turn that hobby into a side hustle, especially if your play begins to feel like work. If your side hustle isn’t fun, it’s just another soul-sucking job. Keep your inner creative child alive and enjoy the messy process. However, when your work becomes play, your potential is unlimited. The passion and fun will fuel you during the low moments. #7. Make an Impact I used to chase the glory: more money, more followers, more engagement, etc. However, when I focused on serving people and the impact I had on them, I found a lot of these manifest as a byproduct. Creating for impact means contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater whole. Making an impact leaves a legacy far after I'm buried six feet deep. I’m hoping the podcast and the Side Hustler's Coaching Program are things my son can be proud of and people can find value in for years to come. #8. Generate Extra Income Who doesn’t love to make a little extra money on the side? For me, money isn't the focus anymore, it's become a byproduct of Benefit #7 and serving people like you. I've learned that money and opportunities will come your way when you're ready and prepared for them. Here are multiple ways you can make supplemental income with your side hustle: freelancing, slanging merch, creating digital products, consulting, coaching, teaching, influencer marketing, social media marketing, content creation, affiliates, etc. For me, I’ve done a little bit of everything. The extra income I've generated over the years has helped me pay off credit cards, put a down payment on my wife's whip, cover emergency medical expenses, take vacations, donate to charities like Inch x Inch, and even buy special gifts for the lovely lady in my life. Even if extra income isn’t your intent with your side hustle, just know there's a good chance you could probably monetize what you’re doing. #9. Win Your Freedom Again, maybe you’re not looking to take your side hustle full-time, and that’s totally okay. I know tons of powerhouse creatives who still hold down a day job like Brian Steely and Nick Slater. If you're like me, you eventually strive to do your thing full-time. I have a game plan to get there, but I'm still a few years away from taking that leap. However, I’ve seen how side hustles and passion projects has unlocked financial and time freedom for my friends like Pandr Design, Lauren Hom, Musketon, and Elizabeth Gray of The Grayter Good. When they started to take their side hustle more seriously, they were able to evolve them into lucrative creative careers. Why can’t this be you and me too? Share Your Gift with the World Maybe you're ready to transform your hobby to a side hustle. Maybe you're ready to take your side hustle to the next level? Whatever it is, I hope you see the crazy benefits a side hustle can yield when you tap into your gifts and share it with the world. So what if you have a day job? Don't let that hold you back from building a side hustle. Leverage your day job to fuel your dream job, and have some fun in the process! Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching Program Shownotes
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| Find Your Wolf Pack—Even the Lone Wolf Thrives & Survives in a Pack | 28 Aug 2019 | 00:33:03 | |
Side Hustler's Series Part 1 of 4: 3 Levels to Find Your Wolf Pack Humble Side Hustle Beginnings “Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” I've been side hustling for a hot minute now. One of my bigger side hustles was right out of college when a buddy and I started a clothing brand called Daydreamin' Clothing Incorporated. We quickly changed it to Company because we were far from a corporation, but it just sounded cool. Well, before lettering was a thing on Instagram, I was making hand-lettered logos and graphics for our brand back in 2010. We started off with our logo on a few shitty Gildan logo tees, then ordered some business cards through Vista Print and called ourselves a business. While our original launch was hot garbage, I'm proud of it because we were young dreamers taking big action. Those first few logo tees evolved into more complex designs as we filed an LLC. Two years into it, we were sponsoring rappers, skaters, motocross bikers, and local "influencers." Three years into it, we were hosting events at clubs, doing pop-ups shops, and getting in brick and mortar and online stores like Kazbah. We were making shit happen and figuring it out along the way. My partner was the point-of-contact string-puller, accountant, and fulfillment manager. I was obviously the artist, designer, and the marketing/promo lead. We balanced each other out well and brought in help for extra support. In our fourth year, we were getting serious and ready to elevate our product offerings. We lined up a huge investor and locked down a warehouse for creating custom threads and patterns for whatever we could scheme up. This was the turning point—it became a shit or get off the pot kind of thing. The Banana Split My partner was all-in and ready to quit his job to pursue this. I was in the middle of changing day jobs, had a new mortgage, and was sitting on a pile of private student loan debt. I wasn't as eager to take the risk and wanted to keep doing this as my secondary "full-time" side hustle. Things went sour when we discussed splitting shares of the company if we went with the investor. We didn't see eye-to-eye on percentages and my partner felt like he could make this dream happen on his own. We ended up making like a banana and split. That's when I started Perspective-Collective in 2014. I had made up my mind I was going solo, and I thought I didn't need anyone's help to get to where I wanted to be in life. I spent the first year obsessively learning hand-lettering and posting daily on Instagram. I slowly began developing my style, finding my voice, and growing an audience. I hit a wall the second year. I felt called to do more than just share pretty polished Instagram posts. However, I was trapped in my little Cedar Falls, Iowa, bubble and had no idea what the next step was. I felt so isolated and stuck, but the cure was doing something radical to rattle my comfort cage. Rattling the Comfort Cage After my successful proposal to my day job, I flew to Columbus, GA, for a life-changing experience in April 2015. This conference allowed me to attach myself to people doing things I didn't know were possible. It revealed the next steps and provided answers to questions I didn't even know I was seeking. Most importantly, it showed me the power of getting around like-minded people who knew more than I did. This is the power of community. I went home on fire and immediately joined the Seanwes community. They welcomed me with open arms at the conference and eliminated the feeling of isolation. It was a pricey investment, but definitely worth it in the grand scheme of things. Find Your Wolf Pack From there, I joined an accountability group for the next level of connection. Along the way, I would pick up mentors like Jason Craig and Brian Manley, who took me under their wing in regards to public speaking. Every year, my side hustle evolved as I added something new to the tool belt. Drawing turned into blogging. Blogging turned into speaking. Speaking turned into a podcast. Somewhere in between, I started teaching workshops and selling products. Doing all of this outside my day job has helped me build my own community. It's put me in a position where I can pursue coaching other creatives to build something of their own outside their day jobs. The point I want to make? None of this would have happened if I thought I had all the answers and had been too prideful to ask for help. I've had help at each step along the way. Yes, sometimes, you have to to be the lone wolf and make mistakes in order to learn and push forward. In my experience, seeking out a wolf pack and asking for help allows you to bypass obstacles and get on the fast track for growth much quicker than being a lone wolf. Wolves survive and thrive by being in packs. If you're tired of feeling stuck and isolated on an island, I have a few levels for finding your wolf pack. Level 1: Find Community Finding community was the spark I needed to get off my island. Going to a conference—where I didn't know a soul—and leaving with people I considered family changed the game. I can't stress enough how important it is to get around like-minded people who are doing or strive to do the same thing you're trying to accomplish. Finding a community doesn't have to revolve around money. If you can't afford a conference or an online "gated" community, don't sweat it. There are free communities on Facebook, Slack, Instagram DM Groups, Online Forums, etc. that you can start with. In fact, it's the main reason I created The Perspective-Collective FREE private group. I want hungry side hustlers like you to be able to access like-minded creatives across the world sharing feedback, resources, and encouragement. This could be a great wolf pack to start with and we'd love to have ya. Level 2: Join/Create an Accountability Group Once you join a community and start building a rapport with people, you'll notice there are certain individuals whom you most vibe with. These are perfect candidates to start an accountability group with. Think of this as your tightest homies in the wolf pack. You guys form your own mini wolf pack. When I was in the Seanwes group back in 2015-2016, I had a lot in common with people like Colin Tierney, Eric Friedensohn, and Terence Tang. We were all lettering artists who focused on kicking out content, producing products, and growing an audience. We formed a little accountability Slack group where we'd do weekly Google Hangouts. This consisted of sharing:
We slowly expanded our circle with more unique and like-minded people. Our group is still going and growing, and it's like a family reunion when we link up at conferences. Level 3A: Join a Mastermind If you've outgrown what your community and accountability group can offer, a Mastermind could be what you're looking for. It's typically an exclusive niche group of high-performers in the same focus as you. You'll usually need an invite or have to pay to become a member. For example, someone like Lewis Howes has a gated community called the Inner Circle. If you want more access to him, extra accountability, and greater exposure to people who are doing what you do but at a higher level, you could pay and apply to join his Mastermind. This isn't always the case though. If you and a few from your accountability group are all hyper-growing in the same direction, you could evolve and create a tight-knit Mastermind that's laser-focused on helping each other scale your businesses. However, sometimes you may want something more intimate, hands-on, and more direct to someone. You just may need a coach or a mentor, which is where I am today. Level 3B: Hire a Coach or Mentor Coaching is more of a short-term structured relationship while a mentor is a long-term relationship that could expand from coaching. Hand Holding & Holding Feet In 2019, getting a coach has single-handedly elevated my side hustle business to the next level. Back in episode 101 last year in October, I talked about how my gut was telling me to take my business and podcast in a different direction. I knew I was ready to niche down and make a bigger impact in a focused direction, but I wasn't sure which steps to take. In February this year, I was fortunate enough to link up with Tom Ross, CEO of Design Cuts. In May, I started meeting with Hand Lettering Educator and Coach, Mye De Leon. Both immediately started helping me shape the bigger picture and held my feet to the fire to take action. I was stumbling in the right direction on my own, but progress was slow. However, getting help from coaches helped me gain clarity and traction quickly on this new path. These two have already accomplished what I strive to do and have helped others achieve similar results. I desperately needed them to hold my hand and teach me the ropes. Tom helped me embrace my identity as the Side Hustle Guy and how to communicate it to others. He also helped me build the Side Hustler's War Chest and explode my email list in the first month. Mye De Leon has been teaching me email marketing, copywriting, and setting up this 3-month Side Hustler's Coaching Program. Both have played pivotal roles in helping me lay the new foundation of Perspective-Collective moving forward. Not going to lie, coaching and mentors are an investment. However, you're able to easily get your ROI plus more if you find the right fit and apply yourself. The Biggest Names You Look Up to Invested in Help The people you see making the biggest waves in the creative industry have all sought out help one way or another. The following friends of the podcast are making huge waves. However, investing in business coaches or creative mentors sparked their breakthroughs. Read through their testimonials to see how a coach helped guide them to success. Pandr Design Co. After the first few months of starting our business, we knew we didn't know how to run it, what to charge, or how to get clients. Investing in a coach was the best choice we made for our business. The first 6 months we had an hour-long call every week, and the last 6 months we had an hour-long call once a month. Working with our coach helped us set bigger goals, get consistent clients coming in, have a pricing structure, etc. It built the foundation for the 6-figure business we run today. Lisa Quine I was just starting to think about life as a full-time freelancer. I knew nothing about running a business, so I knew I would need to do something to educate myself. I hired a coach running a summer special for two 1-hour phone calls for $500. She helped me get my thoughts aligned, pushing out the negative ones, and making sure my thoughts were on things like my goal, salary, marketing, etc. After our coaching sessions, she’s also hired me for 3 mural projects and gives me great exposure across Cleveland. Mye De Leon My progress was slow. I wanted to move forward faster and leverage the knowledge of someone who’s been in the trenches and can teach me how I can reach my goals sooner. I found community first and then was recommended the right coach. We met twice a month and regularly chatted via Slack. Coaching helped me massively increase my email list, where I was able to pre-sell my course for $17k. I recommend getting a coach because it helps you achieve clarity and focus and gets you to where you want to go faster. Tom Ross I had grown a large audience on my old design blog, but it was very disengaged and felt hollow. I was relying on advertising income and felt like I hadn’t built something truly long-term and meaningful. Meeting with my mentor once a week led to the biggest win of gaining clarity. I dropped all the annoying ads. I focused on engagement over vanity metrics. Truth be told, success came further down the line, in the form of my current company Design Cuts and my personal brand. But none of this could have happened without getting that earlier foundational clarity. Accelerate Your Growth & Provide Clarity To summarize, being the lone wolf is hard. It's a lot easier to survive and thrive when a wolf pack of like-minded savage beasts has your back. It's doable, but side-hustling solo is hard. Attaching yourself to a community, accountability group, mastermind, coach and/or mentor will accelerate your growth and provide clarity. Don't be too proud to admit that you don't have it all figured out. The answer is always no if you don't ask for help! Having people help wall you through the forest is way quicker than blindly stumbling through it on your own. Get off your isolated island and find your wolf pack. Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching Program Shownotes
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| Josh Horton on Creative Works & the Power of Community | 21 Aug 2019 | 01:00:07 | |
Josh Horton on Creative Works & the Power of Community I want to start this one off with a quote from Jim Rhone: “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Trying to make it big by doing it on your own is hard. It’s easy to burn out and feel like you don’t have anyone in your corner during hard times. I tried doing it solo and shouldering the load by myself. It led to a lot of creative funks and wasted time. The people I did surround myself with couldn’t provide me any value or insight, so I continued to blindly try to find my path. I know I preach this often, but finding a creative community has been one of the biggest keys to my creative transformation. I wouldn’t have become the “side hustle pizza podcast guy” if I continued to pretend that I could figure it out on my own. Going to conferences is what opened my eyes to the power of relationships. They gave me a glimpse of my future potential and allowed me to attach myself to people who were doing what I strived to accomplish. Community is everything, and today’s guest is someone who’s building community and providing transformative experiences for creatives like you and me day-in and day-out. Today, I share the story of my buddy Josh Horton, and no, not the professional juggler. This Josh is the mastermind behind the conference, events, and workshops hosted by Creative Works, rooted in Memphis, TN. Josh and the Creative Works team bring in some of the biggest names in the world to help inspire, connect, and empower our creative community. He’s assembled an Avengers: End Game-like cast of juggernaut speakers and workshop leaders like Lisa Congdon, Lincoln Design Co., Adé Hogue, and Ty Mattson (to name a few). Plus, you know by now that your boy is doing a Live Podcast, and I’m bringing on the stage some past friends of the podcast. I’m talking about Maggie Enterrios of Little Patterns and Rogie King of Superteamdeluxe and Dribbble. It’s going to be an entertaining and value-packed session I can assure you that. This is close to selling out, so snag your conference ticket and workshop tickets over at Conference.CreativeWorks.co. Today however, Josh and I go deep on:
If you feel like you’re isolated on an island and are seeking a community to get involved in, this episode was made for you. Shownotes
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| Ruben Rojas on Murals, Creating for Impact, & Avoiding Mediocrity | 14 Aug 2019 | 00:57:09 | |
Ruben Rojas on Murals, Creating for Impact, & Avoiding Mediocrity Our lives are like a book. It’s a story comprised of chapters strung together which reach a conclusion. Thankfully, we’re the authors of our own story. We call the shots on how the next chapter will be written and how our story will end. When a chapter doesn’t fit the bigger picture that you see for yourself, you have the ability to recreate and reinvent yourself to change the plot of your story. Today’s guest was an all-star in the real estate and then the financial world. He’s experienced rock bottom and bankruptcy when the stock market crashed, which caused him to reinvent himself multiple times to get to where he is today. I’m talking about the newest homie in the Perspective Podcast family, Ruben Rojas. He's a lifestyle artist/muralist, activist, speaker, and creative jock (it’s always nice to find more of these rare hybrids) who's making plays in sunny California. Ruben’s mission is to create global change and to empower communities through the lens of love. He does this through his Non-Profit Beautify Earth which strives to be The Cure for Sad Walls. In today’s episode, Ruben dishes out wisdom nuggets on:
If you’re stuck in life and need some inspiration for writing your next chapter, then this episode with Ruben will no doubt empower you. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Celebrate W’s Like Champagne Papi (Climb Mountains & Pop Bottles Series Pt. 2/2) | 07 Aug 2019 | 00:19:43 | |
Celebrate All Life's W's, Whether Big or Small Imagine you just watched your favorite sports team win a championship or witnessed a Golden Buzzer performance of a lifetime on The Voice. Wouldn't it be weird as hell if they didn't celebrate that accomplishment? Now, think of this on a smaller scale—like getting a small $.50 raise or landing your first online sale. Isn't that something worth recognizing too? You'd think that having any type of win, whether small or big, would be cause for some type of celebration. However, when you're wired like I am, a lot of these small wins gets shoved to the side because there are bigger mountains to climb. If you listened to last week's part one of this two-part episode series, you know the blessing and the curse that comes with being a mountain climber. It's great to constantly chase becoming the best version of yourself, but at the same time, you can't lose sight of life in between the mountains. Part two of this Climbing Mountains & Popping Bottles series is all about celebrating W's (wins), no matter how big or small they are. The L's From Not Acknowledging W's I've mentioned this in the past, but back in April 2016, I had a life-changing speaking opportunity at Creative South Conference. It was the second talk I had ever given—opening for a Draplin keynote in front of a packed Springer Opera House of around 800 creative souls. This was by far the biggest thing I've ever done. I came prepared and absolutely crushed it, which resulted in an overwhelming standing ovation. I proceeded to go backstage, take a shot of Jameson to calm my nerves, then party the last night away. I'm bringing this up because this talk exploded my creative career —yet I can barely remember it. My biggest regret is failing to make time to be alone and reflect on it. Instead, I spent the next day hungover on my flight home working on an online presentation I was giving later that week. While my full talk is on my YouTube Channel, I've still never been able to fully recreate that moment to soak up and appreciate. Avoiding the L's This is the driving catalyst for why I'm writing this today. The message I'm trying to hammer in your head? You gotta pop bottles and acknowledge when good shit happens in your life. From my experience, when you constantly ignore when things go right in your life, you make it easier to get wrapped up in negativity when taking an L (loss). Not acknowledging wins:
2 Ways to Celebrate W's Action Step #1: Acknowledge Them (duh) Popping bottles is just a fancy metaphor for celebrating wins. Celebrating wins is just a more extravagant word for acknowledging the good things in your life. If you're not going to figuratively or literally pop bottles to celebrate, the least you could do is acknowledge those good things. From now on, it doesn't matter if I crush another speaking gig, celebrate a podcast download milestone, or pay off a small debt, all scenarios get acknowledged and/or celebrated by some form of:
Yes, all of these are minor things and most don't require any form of blowing cheddar. More importantly, they allow me to press pause, appreciate the moment, and celebrate with other people. Acknowledging W's helps you time stamp these milestones in your noggin, so you can easily go back and relive that moment. THE CHALLENGE: Recognize your top win of the day by using one of my tactics or coming up with your own. Bonus points for taking a screenshot and sharing with me on your Instagram Stories. Action Step #2. Hoard Your Victories Some brief context: around the end of 2017, I was starting to slip into a depressed funk. People were posting their Instagram Top 9's, and it felt like everyone:
The inner critic was beating me down and convincing me that I was a worthless turd. The thing that snapped me back to reality was a little something I started doing at the beginning of February that year called Hoarding My Victories. I had recently pulled myself out of another depressed funk, which you can hear all about back in episode 25: Dealing With Creative Funks & Feeling Invisible. I don't know what inspired me to do this, but I started a little running tasklist in my Wunderlist App called Good Things in 2017. I wrote any type of positive thing that happened to me in this list. Most of my accomplishments were small like speaking to my mom's small women's group on "How to be Resourceful & Exercise At Home When You're Over the Age of 50." Other things I listed were huge—like selling out 400 Deneen Pottery UFO Cat mugs in under 25 minutes. Looking back on this list of accomplishments snapped me out of my funk. Hoarding my victories showed me that I did a lot of cool shit that year I should be proud of. It also reminded me I'm running my own race at my own pace like as mentioned back in episode 132. I've since revisited and marked wins from 2016 to and kept this hoarding momentum going in 2018 and 2019. Be a Wannabe Champagne Papi At the same time, don't be afraid to be a wannabe Champagne Papi and pop a bottle or two in between climbing those mountains. Celebrate and hoard those W's. A win's a win and deserves to be acknowledged. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Smart Hustle & Chuck Norris (Climb Mountains & Pop Bottles Series Pt. 1/2) | 31 Jul 2019 | 00:21:31 | |
The Blessing & Curse of the Mountain Climbing "What's Next" Mentality Back in episode 56, my brother Tony Diaz of Industry Print Shop shared his inspiring story of how he went from being a punk rocker in a band on the Warped Tour to starting one of the most successful print shops in the U.S. He talked about his mentality of "climbing mountains." Whenever he accomplished his main mission, he immediately set his sights on an even bigger target. Ya, it was cool that he accomplished something like being on the Warped Tour, but what's next? You know the phrase, "There are two sides to every coin?" To me, to be able to climb mountains and relentlessly pursue the next big accomplishment is no doubt a blessing. At the same time, it's a curse. The Blessing The mountain-climbing business is a blessing as it enables you to:
Not gonna lie, I naturally gravitate towards people who operate in this fashion and love to observe them. I've learned that these mountain climbers never settle—they're hungry, focused, inspired, and always pursuing the next peak to tame. They see the world through a different lens. Their pupils are glued straight ahead and upward. There's no time to break their gaze by looking down or behind them. Like a kid driven to dig out the prize buried in the bottom of a 90's cereal box, nothing will distract them from getting that prize. Does this sound like you or anyone you know? How to Know if You're a Mountain Climber Checklist You're a mountain climber if you:
Doesn't this sound like a fucking glorious modern-day creative Chuck Norris lifestyle? How could this mindset be any other than a blessing? If you haven't guessed it by now, I'm a mountain climber. Trust me when I say this roundhouse kick approach to your creative grind comes with a cost. The Curse Seduced by "Success" & Blinded by Comparison I transformed into a mountain climber when I got a little taste of what I thought was "success" back around 2013/2014. I became tunnel-visioned and borderline-obsessed with my side hustle when:
While cool shit was happening in my life, the comparison trap made it impossible to appreciate any progress I made during my climb. I was convinced that I had gotten such a late start to the game compared to my creative peers and idols. This eliminated my need to live in the moment and soak up wins, whether big or small. What was the point when someone else had more followers, bigger clients, or bigger keynotes on bigger stages? I couldn't appreciate what I had or was doing because I needed more—I was too focused on "what's next." I thought being obsessive about climbing bigger and better mountains was the key to surpassing all these people. The "Hustle Culture" Syndrome Another downside to this "what's next" mentality is becoming jaded by the "Hustle Culture." You begin to believe that you have burn the candle at both ends to advance. To ascend and dominate the next mountain, you sign your permission slip to lose sleep by working early and grinding hard late into the night. You tell yourself it's okay to eat shitty for convenience, skip the gym, and blow off people (even loved ones) because you begin to think these things are distractions. Next thing you know: you're burnt out, feeling like shit, have zero energy, and have no support. Working Smarter + Self-Awareness = Smart Hustle By all means, work your ass off. Don't let anyone tell you can't climb a mountain, as I'm all about going against the grain and making shit happen for yourself. However, I've learned this lesson the hard way. I've gone through burnout, ruined relationships, and hating the way I felt when looking in the mirror. Five years into my side hustle, I'm still a constant work-in-progress. My failures have taught me that there can be a beautiful balance of working hard and not working at all. "Cool" vs. "Not Cool" To find this beautiful balance, I think it's important to establish "cool" vs. "not cool" scenarios. Hitting a big milestone is "cool", but's it's more "cool" to have people in your corner to celebrate with (more on that in part two of this series). I understand that, once in a while, you may have to do an all-nighter to hit a deadline...but accepting this as the norm is "not cool." What's "cool" is getting sleep, taking care of your mental, physical, and even spiritual being to have the energy to work smarter, not harder. What's "not cool" is digging yourself an early grave because you work non-stop with no light at the end of the tunnel. What's "cool" is learning how to take breaks, delegating the non-essential, disconnecting, and having hobbies that let you recharge and refuel your inspiration tank. If you're a mountain climber like me, these "cool" areas tend to be our biggest struggles. This is why I've been implementing a week off from the podcast every seven weeks, so I can inject reoccurring lights at the end of the tunnel. I'm still early into this, but it's already helped immensely. I'm not feeling as overwhelmed, and I give myself a well-deserved day off. Be Cooler Than Chuck Norris Yes, Chuck Norris is cool. He has his own genre of jokes, and even though the dude is almost 80, he can still kick almost anyone's ass. However, what's cooler than being a modern-day creative Chuck Norris is kicking ass on your creative grind while still being able to see the bigger picture: the importance of health and relationships. What I'm really trying to say is, when you're climbing mountains, don't forget to look down and live in the in-between moments. Don't let life pass you by because you're too focused on "what's next." You can have your cake and eat it too with some "Smart Hustle." Stick with me as Part 2 is all about popping bottles and learning how to celebrate all W's, big and small. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Lauren Dickens on Blazing Your Own Successful Path & Fighting Burnout | 24 Jul 2019 | 00:58:38 | |
Lauren Dickens on Blazing Your Own Successful Path & Fighting Burnout Two things we all deal with as we relentlessly pursue "success" in our creative grinds? The comparison trap and burnout. Often, one fuels the other and vice versa. You compare your work and consistency to those who seem to be doing more, and it's all-too-easy to burn yourself out. Or you get burnt out because you're not living the curated life people seem to be living on your phone. Those are just a few examples, but I'm sure you could think of 50 more scenarios off the top of your dome in less than a minute. That's because we all struggle with these dilemmas. I personally feel it's because many of us, including myself, haven't defined success for ourselves. We're wrapped up in what success is for others. Today's guest, ever since she was a curious young girl trying to figure out her place in the world, has been blazing her own path and defining what success means for her. I'm talking about my talented friend Lauren Dickens. She is the All-Star of Type, the MVP of Branding, and the reigning Player of the Year when it comes to Illustrations. She slays work from her home court of Austin, Texas, for some of the biggest brands in the world like Facebook, Target, and SXSW (to name a few). Today "El Dick" and I go deep on:
Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Pretty Useful Co on Taking Action & Protecting Your Time | 17 Jul 2019 | 00:54:27 | |
Pretty Useful Co. on Taking Action & Protecting Your Time I've learned that people trying to work a side hustle struggle with two things: getting started and valuing their time. Getting started can be paralyzing. If you don't have a plan, strategy, or ability to show up regardless of what people will think, it’s practically impossible to take action. When you don't value your time, it's hard to know when to say no, when to charge more, or when to create boundaries. I personally believe you won't succeed in transforming your hobbies into a monetized side hustle or business without cultivating these two skills. Cultivating those two skills will no doubt help you fail faster, overcome adversity, and maximize your progress. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Allie and Clare of Pretty Useful Co. crush these two areas in their personal lives and side hustles. They make clever goods for fun people that are...pretty useful (like their notorious pin keeper). They've turned a passion project into a monetized side-business, and I feel their experience and knowledge will definitely help you figure out your next step in your creative grind—whether you pursue merch or not. Today, Pretty Useful Co. and I talk about:
Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Grits on Side Hustling, Finding Your Niche, & Staying in Your Lane | 10 Jul 2019 | 00:52:21 | |
Grits on Side Hustling, Finding Your Niche, & Staying in Your Lane Have you ever had someone in passing conversation ask you, "Are ya workin' hard or hardly workin'?" I used to get this from some of the older folks who would come through my cash register when I worked for a Midwest Grocery Chain called Hy-Vee. Of course, my answer was always, "Hardly workin'." When I think about this phrase now, I feel most people I come across are hardly workin'. They're the same ones complaining that nothing good is poppin' off in their lives when, in reality, they're coasting and seeking shortcuts. At the end of the day, hard work pays off—and there aren't too many people working harder than today's guests. I'm talking about Reuben and Toya Levi who tag team Grits. It's more than just dope merch flexin' Reuben's design and handy craft: it's a Southern Lifestyle Black Americana brand out of Houston, Texas, that has gained national attention with no signs of slowing down. Grits started off as a passion project but has transformed into something bigger that educates, inspires, and, of course, decks us out in some of the the finest threads in the game. Today, Reuben and Toya share:
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| Marathon Mindset | Run Your Own Damn Race at Your Own Damn Pace | 26 Jun 2019 | 00:16:52 | |
Run Your Own Race & Avoid the Comparison Trap “Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” – Jon Acuff from his book Start. I often allowed comparison to paralyze me from becoming the person I’m supposed to become. Much of that comparison stems from the social world of the internet. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I feel fortunate enough to know how life worked before it, as well as experience the rise of it. In high school, I was on the early days of MySpace and felt the dopamine rush that notifications give you. When I graduated in 2006, I joined the new wave of Facebook. You actually needed a college email to get access, long before your parents and grandparents were on that shit. In 2013, I joined Instagram. In 2o14, I shifted to using it as a business portfolio. That’s when my life as a creative drastically changed, as I started to take my craft and message more seriously. The Beautiful Toxicity of Social Media Social media is a huge blessing in my life. It gives me confidence in myself and my work after spending the majority of life with none. It has helped me find my creative community. This community lets me cultivate incredible relationships with like-minded nerds and freaks that geek out over the weird shit I do. It’s given me a platform to spread good vibes, cast a spotlight on others, and speak up for things I believe in. At the same time, though, social media has become a trap—not to mention a time suck when we don’t intentionally use it as a tool. Social media truly is a beautiful thing. At the same time, it can be toxic as fuck. It trains us to compare our lives and our work to our peers or to the legends we idolize. We operate from a mindset of lack and have become the it’s never enough culture. We constantly seek what someone else has and easily lose sight of what’s important—what we already have. Who cares if we have 500 followers when Sally Jane has 5,000? Sally Jane feels shitty because Billy Bob has 50k. Billy Bob is bumming hard because Gertrude Baggins has 500k. We’re forever running in a hamster wheel trying to play “catch up” when, in reality, we’re running our own race. Marathon > Sprint You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but the race we’re running isn’t a sprint—it’s a lifelong marathon. It’s not a microwavable 100-meter sprint, it’s a slow, day-by-day grind that requires lots of practice, patience, and persistence. You have your own starting point, no matter your age and experience. You run at your own pace. Sometimes times you need to push the pedal through the floor and bust your ass. Other times, you have to pump your breaks and deal with the ebb and flow of life. Your destination is different as your finish line is unique to you. There’s no GPS that’s going to give you step-by-step directions. Your race is your own, so run your own race. Stop Robbing Yourself Teddy Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the greatest thief of joy.” We are constantly sticking ourselves up with the gunpoint of comparison. Don’t let the cool shit others do rob you from making the cool shit you’re supposed to be creating. Don’t let the incredible things people within and outside your circle are doing rob you from becoming incredible too. Erase the comparison you’ll face in your dream that you chase. If that’s the case, you gotta embrace that you’re running your own race at your own pace to a different destination or place. P.S. I hate running. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| NFT Creative Side Hustles + Dronies Project with Peter Deltondo of Unfold | 12 Jan 2022 | 01:01:59 | |
To view the full episode show notes, visit: https://www.perspective-collective.com/side-hustlers-perspective/244 Support for this episode comes from BuzzSumo. Supercharge your side hustle content strategy today with a FREE 30-Day Trial. --- NFT Creative Side HustlesWhatever it is you want to pursue, a side hustle is a testing ground to make it happen. You never know when all your weird quirks, interests, passions, and strengths will overlap into something far bigger than you imagined. That seems to be the pattern with today’s guest—Peter Deltondo, Product Designer, Design Director, plus Partner with Unfold—a digital design agency crushing work for progressive industry-leading brands. Peter also happens to be a crypto nerd and NFT collector like I am too. It’s funny how these interests overlap with his work at Unfold and community-building through the Creative South Conference… To create a one-of-a-kind, super hyped, but zero-shill, upcoming NFT project called Dronies. In today’s episode we talk shop on:
The Goal: To show you how to take control of your future by combining passions and interests through the power of side hustles. ---- RESOURCES & REFERENCES
CONNECT WITH PETER ---- FREE TOOLKIT TO SIDE HUSTLE FREEDOM FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON JOIN THE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY FOR CREATORS LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING APP CONNECT WITH ME CREDITS
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| Brooke Robinson of Goodtype on Connecting with Yourself to Find Your Art | 19 Jun 2019 | 00:45:24 | |
Brooke Robinson of Goodtype on Connecting with Yourself to Find Your Art "Some things are better off not being spread too thin: you and peanut butter." I couldn't find the owner of this quote, but it definitely hit home as someone who loves peanut butter and piles too many things on my plate. We love to be busy—at least I do. Often, when we're busy, we focus on the wrong things and tend to fall short of the essentials like self-care. It's important to unplug and connect with ourselves. Doing so not only helps us become more self-aware and grow, but it spills over into our creative grind and business pursuits. Today's guest is someone who knows how to unplug and squeeze the most juice out of life. She's also a spark plug for thousands of people by providing them confidence, connection, and community. I'm talking about my good friend Brooke Robinson, the wizard pulling the strings behind the giant lettering Instagram account and global community Goodtype. Brooke has an inspiring story: she stayed at a day job too long and then made the leap to take Goodtype full-time. She does this all while still making time for murals, travel, relationships, and mental/physical fitness. In today's episode, Brook dishes out sage wisdom on:
She's also doing a killer fundraiser through Goodtype for the Flatwater Foundation to raise money for mental health support for individuals or families dealing with cancer. She goes more in-depth in the episode, but if you want to learn and support, the link is in the show notes. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you're listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| Musketon on Passion Projects, Pushing Your Limits, & Adobe Illustrator | 12 Jun 2019 | 00:55:44 | |
Musketon on Passion Projects, Pushing Your Limits, & Adobe Illustrator Often, as creatives, we take things too seriously and forget why we got started doing this in the first place. We get obsessed with social vanity metrics to fuel our worth. Our happiness is often gauged by analytics and performance. At the end of the day, we can’t lose sight of how much fun it is doing work that lights us up. We can still keep that artistic play and curiosity at the core, but implement some strategy behind it when hitting publish. As my friend Michael Fugoso AKA The Fugstrator says, “Think like an artist, but execute like a designer.” Today’s guest is someone who uses passion projects to push his limits and attract new work. He treats his work like play, which leads to working with massive brands like Nike, Hypebeast, Mazda, MTV, and Coca-Cola. I’m talking about Bert Dries, a guru when it comes to all things Vector and Adobe Illustrator. Today, Bert and I cover topics like:
He’s also an open book and loves to share what he knows, which is why I want to hype his Skillshare class he recently came out with—his process of how to Design with Textures in Illustrator. If you’re needing a little extra fire to push yourself and your work to the next level, then this ‘sode with Musketon was made for you. Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you're listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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| You Got This – You’re Not a Worthless Turd, You’re a Priceless Pizza Gem | 05 Jun 2019 | 00:15:55 | |
The Motto: You Got This If you happen to stick around to the end of each episode, you know I sign off with "Keep showing up, keep putting in the work, and keep creating—you got this." This phrase originated from having internal dialogues in my head—and I promise you I'm not crazy. It's no secret that I'm a big believer in affirmations and positive self-talk. The inner critic in me is alive and well, and I have to do my part each day to shout over its negative and draining influence. If you're like me, you struggle with the comparison trap. There's always someone who has what you desire: a better financial situation, more followers, killer clientele, better physical appearance, etc. Operating from this mindset of lack—instead of abundance—can really fuck you up. Comparison has robbed me of so much joy in my life and has severely damaged my confidence on multiple occasions. "You got this" is the motto. It's my battle cry to fight back and keep pushing forward along my creative path. It's the motto I need to get back up to the plate each day and keep swinging after striking out. Ritual Fuel Once I began tapping into my potential around the age of 24 through 26, "You got this" became my pre-game ritual before any feat that required a little bit of courage. It's become my fuel before or during events like:
In the beginning, it didn't have a profound impact on me. However, when I continued to drill it in my head, my brain believed it more and more. I'm to the point, where these words not only ground me, but they empower me and give me confidence that I'll figure it out just like I always do. You're Not a Worthless Turd I drop this at the end of each episode in hopes of empowering you and lighting you up with a dose of inspiration. It's hard to do this shit on our own; sometimes we need to know we have someone else in our corner rooting for us and coaching us to become our best selves. That's why I do the podcast, and that's the person I want to be—the one in your corner when the comparison trap is getting the best of you. I want to drill this in your head so you can use it as fuel to drown out the inner critic who's trying to convince you that you're a worthless turd. You're not a worthless turd. You're a priceless gem in the shape of a glorious slice of pizza, and you were meant to do incredible things. It's hard to discover your worth if you don't show up and dig deep to reveal your potential gifts. Keep digging deep, and don't be afraid to shower yourself with positive self-talk. Who cares if people think you're crazy? Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you're listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect. Shownotes
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