Episode 188: Creating Work That is Different and Stands Out

Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Lisa’s back and sharing a little about South Africa’s power outages.
[2:10] Tom gives Lisa the mic and asks her opinion on how to find stand out art.
[3:00] Three areas to focus on for work that stands out.
[4:00] The difference between dabbling and mastering a style.
[5:20] Avoid diversions, AKA Shiny Object Syndrome.
[6:00] See what everyone is doing and pivot.
[7:00] Deciding to start a personal brand.
[8:00] Tom’s brand is built off of his own personal business beliefs.
[10:00] Tom shares an example of leaning into his authentic truth.
[11:00] Talking body insecurities is uncomfortable, but Tom’s doing it.
[12:00] Go where you feel a little uncomfortable.
[13:30] Our human experiences are linked to our art.
[14:30] Channel your raw life experiences in your art.
[15:00] Dig Deeper. Don’t be a surface level version of yourself.
[16:00] Embrace your weirdness.
[17:30] Tom shares how Ian has differentiated himself.
[18:30] The Oprah of Lettering.
[19:30] Only 1% stick with lettering.
[20:00] It takes a lot of failures to make a success.
[22:00] Tom sees Ian’s work as bursts of genius.
[23:00] Ian has a clear understanding of his style but struggles in other areas.
[24:30] The lettering toolbox is massive and Ian can’t pick just one.
[25:00] Audit yourself but don’t kill the parts you don’t follow in your business.
[26:40] Ian believes he needs to revisit his early freelance thought process.
[27:00] Ask yourself what you don’t love in order to find your strengths.
[28:00] Choose a color, type, subject and stick with it.
[29:00] Test drive niching for one month.
[30:00] Ian shares an analogy on committing to a style.
[31:00] Facing fear and dropping in for the first time in years.
[32:30] Ian wishes he had a recognizable style like Lisa’s space.
[33:00] Own that thing you struggle to change.
[34:00] Pop the hood and show your process.
[35:30] Allow yourself play time. They can yield bestsellers.
[36:30] Sometimes Ian takes on work or structure.
[37:10] Tom recommends Ian screenshot his all-time favorite pieces.
[38:00] Final thoughts.
[39:00] Look at these things to find your white space.
[40:00] Work cannot be a chore, it must be something you enjoy doing.
[41:00] List yourself.
[42:00] Skill stack and become very good at a combination of things.
[43:00] Can you get into the top 10% by knowing your strengths?
[44:00] Vegetable calligraphy would be an easy niche to own.
[45:00] Blending skills creates a recipe for success.
[46:30] David Bowie is not the best singer, songwriter or showman.
[47:00] Be your own David Bowie.
[48:00] That’s a wrap!

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