If you are a graphic designer, website builder, illustrator, copywriter, or any other kind of client-facing creative, then you have to watch this video.
I share a story about a huge problem I faced about 10 years ago, and the lesson still haunts me. You can avoid major delays if you watch this video to the end. Plus, you’ll also get paid faster, too!
CHAPTERS
00:00 Are you a creative freelancer? Avoid this pitfall at all costs! 01:07 Background 02:40 The Story 05:49 The First Lesson 08:08 The Second Lesson 09:39 The Recap 10:34 Sound Off With Your Nightmare Client Scenarios
One of the best parts of being a performer is having friends to visit all over the country. The only thing better is having a performer friend doing a show in your back yard so you can sleep in your own bed at night.
That’s exactly what happened when Michael Kent did a show at Brevard College which is just 30 minutes from where Jonathan calls home.
His show is a mixture of comedy & hard-hitting magic that doesn’t let up. Watch the video to see him in action. I
00:00 Teaser 00:07 Introduction 00:47 Before The Show 00:58 The Show Begins 02:33 Standing Ovation 02:41 Audience Feedback 03:07 Merch 03:22 My Live Impressions 04:32 Leaving The Venue 04:47 Final Thoughts
Then, there’s a flurry of activity for a couple hours. I’m talking with dozens & dozens of people from all walks of life dealing with all sorts of questions.
Then, at the end of the gig, it’s time to go right back into isolation for the trek home.
Such a bizarre whiplash of extremes. Solitary confinement juxtaposed with being shoved into an overcrowded bus.
I wanted to get that feeling across in video form, so I took the opportunity to make this video from a recent gig I did at Guilford College.
There’s not a lot of talking; it’s all about vibe.
Hope you enjoy!
Oh! I almost forgot. The music is from a Twitter friend of mine; check him out on Spotify: THISISGRAME
I wanna talk about a meme that one of my friends shared on Twitter, made me laugh and I had to make this article.
“gifted child”
Background
My background, I’ve traveled the world as a public speaker, as an entertainer, working with some of the world’s largest companies and corporations.
This photo back here is me on stage in one of the most beautiful performing venues on the planet, and I make these videos to share my journey along the way.
The Meme
Which brings me to this meme.
Back when I was a kid a long, long time ago, I was on an academically gifted course track.
I got taken out of class to go do special stuff, and when you’re a kid and people are so proud of you for being smart, you start getting reinforced for being smart and thinking “Oh wow. Look at how easy things were for me. Look at how quickly I did that. I’m so smart. I’m amazing.”
And you start seeing the world through that lens.
“I’m somebody who’s smart and things are easy for me.”
Then, if anything feels like it might be difficult, well then that would mean I’m not smart, so I’m not gonna do that thing.
And you start to avoid anything that feels like hard work, because also, well, if I try something that’s hard, I’m probably going to fail at it, and then that doesn’t look very smart, so that will threaten the way that I see myself and how I know to get positive reinforcement from people.
So I’m not even going to try anything that takes effort.
Well, I hate to tell you: all the best stuff in life takes effort.
What Happens
Very quickly you sandbag yourself into never developing skills that will help you accomplish everything that you’re looking for. To me, that’s one of the biggest traps of being a smart kid.
You identify as that smart kid until you run into that wall of going, “Oh wow, this life thing is not easy. Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought I was. I’m a fraud.”
But you still can’t let go of that “Well, everything’s easy for me” identity. Ironically, holding onto that is what keeps you trapped in the cycle of never trying anything that is difficult, which is why the payoff of I love memes is really funny to me, is how simple it is.
Genuinely Clever
But also on the flip side, memes are incredibly, incredibly, clever and they communicate a lot in a very short amount of time. So if you dive deep enough into it, memes are one of the smartest ways to spend your time.
So in some ways, I haven’t learned a thing.
I’m still that same kid who’s scared of looking silly in public, which is why I make these articles.
Invitation
But yeah, that was really all I wanted to share. This made me chuckle and I thought you might enjoy it as well. That’s it for this post.
“[think] Like A Mind Reader” is the book I wrote after 10+ years spent talking with people (lots of college students) after my 70 minute mind reading show.
Time after time I would hear some version of “Wow! I can’t even imagine doing what you do! You get to do what you love! I wish I could do that!”
So I’d take time after the show to share exactly how I’ve gone about making a great living & creating a life with amazing friends, a wonderful family, and I feel good about myself & how I spend my time.
Rare kind of wealth, right?
And a couple years later I start getting emails from people that went something like:
Hi, I don’t know if you remember me, but you took the time to talk with me after your show at my school. It made all the difference in the world & since then I’ve made a lot of changes and I couldn’t be happier. I just wanted to tell you and say thank you so much.
~hundreds of students
That’s when I realized I needed to start sharing even more of my strategies, systems, mental tactics, and everything else I could think of.
The Video Course
About 5 years ago I decided to create a video course that I intended to accompany the book.
I’d charge $97 for it to make sure they were willing & able to invest in themselves.
That worked great and I got great feedback from it.
Over the past 5 years I’ve shifted focus more on helping businesses & organizations change the trajectory of their efforts, so I’ve had to integrate these lessons a little more subtly than I do otherwise.
That means these videos have not been a focus for some time, and they’re just sitting around.
Consequently, I decided to share them here where you will hopefully dive in & explore them to discover their true potential.
