Category: sethwCategory: sethw

From Lauren Bliss over at Thought Enthusiast:

I recently took a month off from social media, and while I initially thought it would be detrimental to my work, like I needed to stay tapped into trends and what other brands are doing, it actually had the opposite effect. I felt like I had more creative ideas because my brain wasn’t bogged down by endless content (and constant bad news).

This is why some people say to take walks without listening to a podcast, or eat without watching YouTube videos – we need to give our brains time to process and sort things out! By doing so we might actually think of our next great idea!

Got this from musician Dom Aversano on a recent live stream (edited for clarity):

“I was thinking about recreating the recommendation aspect (on my website), which is what social media tends to excel at. I remember when websites used to have links to other sites… My issue with websites is they can feel lonely sometimes — not in terms of traffic, but more in the sense that they tend to be about individuals rather than groups. My sense is that social media is popular partly because it feels like a party.”

Most of our websites are mullet marketing – business up front, party in the back.

We invest all this time and energy in the social media space – interesting videos, fresh updates, lively banter, etc. That’s the “party in the back” part of the mullet. Fun, fresh, exciting (for the 10% of your audience that even get to see it).

Then, when anyone does end up on our website, they see your head shots from two summers ago, seven month old blog posts, and twenty links spread across the header and footer for someone to make sense of.

I’m not even saying you have to stop posting on social media. I’m just saying put some of that same material on your own damn website. Stop the mullet marketing.

And to Dom’s point – yes, talk about other people! Link to other projects! I linked to Dom’s website at the top of this post – go check out his work! We’re in this together, learning as we go, and there’s no reason we should be doing this alone.

I wrote this back around the time my dad, a life long musician, passed away a few years ago.

The biggest lie is we have to make our entire living on the sale of our art, or else we’re just no-talent wannabes.

So many artists fall for this, feeling like 100 views isn’t enough, and they stop because “no one cares.”

I wake up thinking about the artists, poets, writers, and musicians we’ve lost because they couldn’t keep up with the “hitting it big” rat race of social media.

Somehow, 10,000 views aren’t enough because you really need 100,000. Having 12 people at a show on a Tuesday night is a waste of time. No one buys your art because you’re not making enough Reels.

It’s lies, it’s all bullshit.

Recently, a friend walked me around her apartment, showing me art left to her by a dear friend who had passed away. Just time together, picking up pieces, pointing out tiny details, and sharing the stories of each item.

I didn’t ask how many followers they had, or if they were a full-time artist. In the end, literally – when we pass away – no one will give a damn.

I’m no sales expert, but I’ve watched enough YouTube videos to know about “scripts.” Literally planned out lines of dialogue to making the sale in person or on the phone. Teams will even review calls from during the week, just to make adjustments and get better.

With most things, there are extremes.

Had a health scare in the family this week, and drove 3+ hours to visit my aunt in the hospital. Thankfully she’s okay, and I’m surrounded by family and lovely friends who sent me lots of cat photos, but whew… what a time to reflect. Makes me realize more and more it’s all about the connections and stories we get to make with people in our lives!

◾ CO-WORK ESCAPE POD
Change your Welcome email, file that tax extension, edit a voiceover, retouch some photos, practice the piano – let’s do this work together!
Tuesday, April 21 from 12-2:00 PM EST
REGISTER HERE: https://luma.com/w767uysy

◾ ESCAPE POD #115 – THE PARTY TEST
 ​Picture yourself at a dinner party, and someone asks what you do. What if you talked about the thing that gets you out of bed every morning, instead of your day job?
CAN WE DO THAT? I think we can. ​And what happens when we start doing that more??!
Thursday, April 23 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST:
REGISTER HERE: https://luma.com/f5p4u3u0?coupon=PARTY

◾ BREAK UP 💔 WITH SOCIAL MEDIA #02
Like the break up party we had on Valentines Day, but making this a regular Saturday feature to focus on BREAKING UP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
Saturday, April 25 at 12PM EST
REGISTER HERE: https://luma.com/4eqvlsck?coupon=23RET6