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15000-Word Ultimate Guide that will help you ideate, brand yourself, and craft great products.
Ultimate Guide that helps you generate high-signal ideas and create work that is unique.
> Create for yourself
> Value is subjective
> Presence
> The balancing act
> Your unique signature
Read time: 6 min
Hey there, Arjun here.
Create an audience of one.
And that audience is you.
Chances are that if you can create a piece of work you like, others will too.
It’s a simple problem.
You create a piece of work.
You put out that piece of work.
People critique it.
Both good and bad.
So, how do you create your best work?
Focus on your creative workflow and creative process.
Your best work is born out of what is meaningful and exciting to you. It is what you turn toward, what you’re curious about, what you want to explore. — Jacqui Beck
When you create for yourself, the work gives you excitement.
And excitement is the best internal pedometer for knowing which piece of work to focus on.
Remember: Creativity for the sake of creativity will not work
(for the long term — which is what you should be focusing on).
3-4 years ago, I used to design mobile wallpapers and sell them using my own application.
Whenever I designed one, I would ask my other designer friends for feedback.
Until one of them asked me a question that changed how I create forever.
The conversation went like this:
(some backstory) I asked him which wallpaper designs of mine he liked and if he liked any if at all (he’s considered as one of the top wallpaper designers at the time)
Him: Looks good.. May I ask a question?
Him: Why are you asking me?
Me: Because you are good at making wallpaper designs
Him: But I make wallpapers I like. Others may not like them. If you like what you do, you don’t need to care about another opinion
”If you like what you do, you don’t need to care about another opinion”
Remember to write for yourself, not for a market and give yourself time to develop your own style, your own voice. It takes a lifetime. Enjoy it. — Michael Morpurgo
Quick note: If you want to brand yourself and craft great products, checkout my free ultimate guide ⎯ Digital Authority
Enjoy the journey while you’re at it.
If you are not enjoying the journey, what’s the point of the path of entrepreneurship?
To earn more money? Sure
But it won’t be sustainable.
Value is subjective.
There are 5 different types of value ↓
The problem?
Everyone values these different types of value differently.
Some want emotional value. Some economic, and others social.
But usually its a mix of all the different types of value (at varying percentages)
Since you can’t please everyone (value is subjective) — create for yourself instead.
Create for the pursuit of the goal. Not for what the goal has to offer.
The internet brought two extremes. Trust and distrust.
When you create for yourself, you connect people to you.
Why?
Because you’re sharing your story, whatever that drives you from the inside.
That connects people to you.
Yes. It also means you won’t have the whole world as your friend. But that’s good.
If you target everyone, you are not targeting anyone
Write for yourself. Then frame it for your audience so that it’s about them.
Srinivas Rao talks about presence in creation.
This is what he says:
If you’re thinking about how your audience will respond to what you’ve created, by definition you’re not present.
Presence is when your focus is fully on the creation of your work.
There is a balance between the pursuit of creation and the adherence to what the audience wants from you.
Go more towards the pursuit of creation, and you risk your audience not engaging with your content.
Go more towards the adherence to what your audience wants, and you risk yourself facing creative burnout sooner.
This continual self-exploration and adaptability fosters a dynamic equilibrium between the your vision and the audience's reception.
Which facilitates growth and evolution without compromising your essence.
Creativity, in its purest form, mirrors your experiences, emotions, and beliefs.
This authenticity lays the foundation of the value you create for your audience.
It’s the conduit for ‘becoming the purple cow’.
Note — “Be a purple cow” is a marketing concept by Seth Godin on how to stand out from the crowd.
Crafting a unique signature in one's work is a journey that spans beyond mere creation
As Michael Morpurgo notes, developing a personal style and voice is an ongoing odyssey, requiring exploration, experimentation, and evolution.
Creativity thrives when liberated from the confinement of external constraints.
Each creator's journey towards developing their unique signature is crafted through
Think of it as labyrinth — where the creator goes forward, not just to seek inspiration, but to become an embodiment of it.
Through this unending exploration, you encounter different perspectives, test the boundaries of your abilities, and delve deep into your vision.
This journey isn't just about discovering a unique style—it's a metamorphosis, a journey of self-realization.
It's about understanding the nuances of one's creativity, deciphering the codes of individual expression, and channeling the innermost passions into a tangible, personalized form.
It’s unscripted. And putting a script on it will restrict the growth.
Your personal style starts as a seed.
With the right nourishment, care, and exploration, it grows into a magnificent, unique specimen.
As the journey progresses, the branches of their creativity stretch, each branch bearing the fruit of a different experience or an evolved perspective.
And that’s it for this letter.
To create your best work, create for yourself.
And if you've got a moment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this edition of The DZ Letter.
Send me a quick message - I reply to every email!
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Want to read past letters? Click here
Have a wonderful rest of your day and see you in the next letter, my friends.
Cheers,
Arjun, DisplayZen
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