A “productized service” is a bit of a buzzword these days, in large part due to a viral YouTube video about a graphic designer with a business called DesignJoy. But are they legit?

“You’re a minnow. They want you to be a minnow, so the sharks can feel good. The sharks pay for everything.”

“In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death, and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist.”

A special day is as fragile as an egg.

I see people often ask ChatGPT questions like “do you think this marketing idea is cool for Gen-Z?” Or they’ll ask “does this company have a big budget?”

As a freelancer, I often run into people who tell me they’re thinking about making a change in their career. When I check back in to see if these folks have quit their jobs, they haven’t.

This pipeline of brand to agency to production company to freelancer carries a set of issues. Namely, if someone changes their mind, who pays for it?

I struggle telling people what I want to accomplish, asking for favors, and talking about unfinished projects.

All the great artistic performances and athletic feats are carried out by people who are relaxed. They don’t seem to care what you think. They’re loose and present, ready to deliver results. 

If you made $1,000, and then someone called you out of the blue and asked for $62, without any urgent need or reason, would you give it to them? 

There’s a bellcurve of efficiency in creative projects. Working too slow creates waste. Working too fast creates waste, as well.

Where does your job fall on this graph? Do you find yourself wanting to trend toward a different corner? Why is that? 

This sentence has lost all meaning. It’s so commonly used, so now, it’s more of an expression than a measurement of time.

When you run your own business, it’s difficult to decipher which tasks you should be doing, and which tasks you should be outsourcing.

In college, I wrote all my papers on a rudimentary software called TextEdit. It’s not for writing papers.

Are any of these elements at play in the creative work you choose to share? Do you primarily create things that you believe your audience will find enjoyable?

When you show openness, and put something on the table, people are more likely to respond in-kind.

I ran ten miles this morning. I didn’t want to do it.

It’s interesting to consider underlying incentives. Everyone says they’ll work quickly while prioritizing good work. Eventually, they lean toward one or the other. 

If you want to write…