Todd Brison & The Creative's Curse - Learning Always 003

Learning Always Network

Today's guest on Learning Always is a creative with a curse. Todd Brison may tens of thousands of readers over at Medium, but that doesn't mean he's about to slack on his learning journey. His book, The Creative's Curse, talks about a subtle problem that can eat away at you. That is, unless you learn to live with that curse and let it inspire you. I had a great time chatting with Todd and he shares many great takeaways on how you can be more creative, be more productive, and embrace learning to suit your own personality. On Today's Show: - How to develop a creative process that works for you. - Why you don't need to know absolutely everything before you start. - The power of consistency. - The importance of being inspired by others, but then finding your own take on things. Timestamps: 02:20 - "Something good is going to happen." - Todd's mantra that kept him going. 03:20 - Todd feels like he's working a second full-time job. But by doing what he's best at, it doesn't feel draining. 03:50 - "What charges your battery?" 05:45 - On the Creative's Curse. 07:10 - Why you have to be self-aware in order to make the most of your time and productivity. 08:50 - Why productivity and procrastination can get confused. 12:00 - Don't forget about your other commitments in order to live a full life. 13:00 - Listen to all the advice and do nothing, or take on a couple of advice nuggets and action them with intent? 15:20 - Todd explains why consistency and momentum are so important. 17:50 - On fear getting in the way of the learning process. What will you do to get out of your comfort zone every day? 19:00 - Todd says why he's scared to slow down. 20:00 - How short-form writing became a form of learning about others and turned into a book. 21:30 - Listening to other people asking questions is a great tool against writer's block. 22:40 - Why repurposing isn't cheating. It's spreading your message as far as possible. 25:30 - Does it really matter where you are consistent? 26:00 - Building real relationships far outweighs getting a huge number of random followers. 27:50 - Todd explains why he thinks everything you publish is about personality. 30:40 - Why Todd is the "Pom-Pom King". 32:00 - The annoying inner voice screaming that everything needs to be perfect. 33:30 - You're not Stephen King. And that's just fine. 35:40 - Even live conversations don't have to be a first rough draft. 37:35 - Todd's analogy of the painter who creates a masterpiece from a mess. 39:10 - Todd owns a dog. Or does the dog own Todd? 41:40 - The balance between a long-term plan and winging it at every new opportunity. 43:40 - Leaning to the short-term on a day-to-day basis, but maintaining an overarching framework to stay grounded. 45:00 - I don't want to lose ideas; I want to have them ready when the right time comes. 46:20 - "Ideation and execution are often separate." Full shownotes are available at http://learningalways.co.uk/la003-todd-brison