There are two types of people in this world: those who create and those who don’t.
The differential is that artists ship work, even when it’s not perfect, while typical people may shove it into a folder, never to be opened again.
Artists— whether you’re a rapper, business founder, or Twitter famous— create something out of nothing. Instead of following the rules, you draw your own boundaries.
Don’t be afraid of failing. We have a short time on this earth, so anything you create is worth sharing if you want to improve. Moreso, your permanently-posted journey proves authenticity.
There’s a saying in journalism that should be applied across all professional life: “Show, don’t tell.” I don’t care if you’ve been writing for 30 years, show what you can do. If you’re applying for a job, stand out from the rest. Send them a project pitch to improve the company, get an inside referral or feign a delivery driver and hand someone important your resume (with a snack). Just escape from under the pile of thousands of resumes.
Fitting in is overrated.
In much of life, schools train children to stay in within the bumpers of life with a “safe” job, but don’t actually share how much freedom a career holds. I know people creating livelihoods running packaging plants, crawling around scrapyards, and dunking on Twitter profiles.
Life is exactly what you make of it. Do hard things, think for yourself, and don’t be afraid of meaningful work.