~ 5 ~ Teach to Make Change Apart from being incredibly rewarding, teaching is the best way to understand something properly (because it forces you to be able to explain it simply). Teaching also pushes your boundaries by creating spaces where people can challenge and inspire you. ~ 6 ~ Ship Something You Created Sometimes 80% good is good enough. Create something. Release it into the wild. See if it survives. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, you’ll feel vulnerable and exposed. Artists like their stuff to be perfect. But commercial artists can’t afford to waste time and effort working on that additional 20%. Especially if the market doesn’t respond well by the time you finally release it. “Real artists ship”. ~ 7 ~ Ask For Feedback Ignore the crowd. Listen to the people whose work you love, admire and respect. Take their feedback on board and try not to be too precious about taking their advice. It’s just their opinion. But artists are like athletes in many ways. We need great coaches around us to push us harder and make us that 1% better. ~ 8 ~ Have Fun Building businesses and changing the world is hard work, so if it’s not fun it’s probably not sustainable. This doesn’t mean everything needs to be fun, but I look up to artists like Tom Ford who say, “If it’s not fun I don’t want to do it”. People like Tom have found what works for them and an audience who like what they create, so they ruthlessly stick to it. Creating a cheaper perfume might make sense in the short term, but it also opens up a whole new market that someone like Tom wouldn’t find fun. And that will affect his other (art)work too. Not to mention the value of his brand. Be proud of all the things you DON’T do.