I started my podcast hoping guests would reveal some secret formula for creative success. Plot twist: there isn't one. But after 12 episodes, I've noticed some patterns. I thought it would be fun to consolidate and share some of them here. So here goes nothing!
1. Just go do the thing
Almost every single person I’ve spoken to has said some version of: you just have to start. It’s even become a running joke between myself and a few friends who tune-in because of how ubiquitous this is. If there were an Imperfect Creatives bingo card, this would be on there.
Toni said it best, “I didn’t have a clue, but I did it anyway.”
You’ll never run out of things you don’t know. Go do the thing.
2. Nobody cares, and that's good news
This is one of the first lessons you’ll learn hands-on when you actually go do the thing. I worried about how colleagues and friends would react when I started a podcast. Most didn’t even notice. The ones who did were supportive.
If people aren’t interested, they ignore it. If they are, they usually cheer you on. You’re not in the spotlight, and that’s great. Experiencing this indifference frees you to make work without the weight of imagined critics.
3. You'll never know what resonates most
Some episodes do "huge numbers" compared to others, and it's impossible to predict. Usually the episodes I'm least sure about get the most positive feedback. I've had this experience with everything I've published, be it photography, the podcast, or my writing.
The only metric you control is whether you're proud enough to hit publish.
4. It’s all been done, but not by you
"The creative world is huge and expansive and at the same time, small and personal, that there are things that will work for you that won't work for me, and that's okay, and there's room for that." — Michael Box
The creative field isn't zero-sum and your work doesn't have to be groundbreaking. It just has to be yours. My brain defaults to "it's already been done, so why bother." Michael's perspective is the perfect antidote.
5. Feedback beats guessing every time
Orel built his first successful product by sending early users DMs asking for feedback. His “killer feature” wasn’t what people wanted, so he pivoted. Catt Small validated her book through surveys before writing 200+ pages.
When you sign up for this newsletter you now get four options to easily signal what your situation is right now. The reason is the same.
It’s tempting to broadcast and hope. It’s smarter to talk to actual humans.
6. Consistency beats perfection
Igor said it best: "The biggest achievement would be having kept the consistency for two years. That in itself is the goal."
I nearly failed this myself, stopping for almost a year after a few early episodes because I “wasn’t sure about the direction” and I was struggling to post weekly. I thought consistency meant perfect consistency. It doesn’t. It means showing up “most days” and letting that progress pile up.
Lower the bar, show up. Imperfect is better than absent.
7. Rejection is the price of entry
Every creative pursuit is a numbers game. I reach out to dozens of potential guests to book a few. Orel sends hundreds of DMs. Evelyn made videos for years before seeing serious traction. It’s just part of the terrain. People unsubscribe, ignore, decline… and nothing catastrophic happens.
At first it feels personal, but the more you experience it, the easier it becomes. Learning to metabolise rejection is part of becoming sustainable as a creative.
8. Everything is an experiment
This mindset is the most effective way to remove the pressure to be perfect, so it’s no surprise a lot of my guests seem to think this way naturally.
When you're experimenting, you naturally take yourself less seriously. You're not creating your magnum opus. You're testing something out. This gives you permission to be imperfect, playful, and human rather than precious about your work. You can quit or adjust your plan at any time.
9. Make conscious decisions about your work
In the very first episode, Phil's takeaway was to make conscious decisions about what you’re doing. Dr. Rod Berger put it another way: "If you're not telling your story, who is?"
Things go better when you actively choose how your story unfolds rather than letting others define it for you. This applies to career moves, creative projects, and daily priorities. We all need to find our own balance between security, freedom, and fulfilment. There is no perfect choice for everyone. Just make sure the choice is deliberate and right for you.
10. Energy is your compass
Catt left management because she recognised the energy drain vs. energy gain ratio was wrong for her. Evelyn realised corporate work was draining her while YouTube energised her. Paulo realised he was “burning dark energy” chasing an identity that didn’t fit his true values.
Pay attention to what actually energises you in practice, not just what sounds good in theory. Work that consistently drains you is probably the wrong work, regardless of how prestigious or well-paying it is.
11. Your mental health isn’t optional
So many of my guests have touched on burnout as something they’ve gone through or come close to. You need systems to support your mental health. Especially if you’re juggling multiple responsibilities, like a full time job plus creative work, supporting your family, your partner, your friends, whatever.
This isn't weakness, it’s life, and taking care of your mental health is the foundation that makes everything else possible.
12. There will always be friction
Every creative project has boring, difficult parts. Podcast editing, guest outreach, scheduling, marketing. It's not all inspiration and flow states.
Accepting the friction reduces resistance. The magic isn't in eliminating friction; it's in doing meaningful work despite it. There will always be grunt work, but you’ll figure out what you can streamline as you go.
🎤 On the pod
This week I published my conversation with Catt Small. I'm constantly inspired by Catt because she does so many cool projects and absolutely nails them all. She's written a book, blogs, teaches courses, hosts conferences, speaks at events, and somehow makes it all look effortless while maintaining her day job as a staff designer.
We talked about her journey from management back to individual contributor, writing her book on staff design, plus my new favourite word “procrastiworking”.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
💎 Worth your time
Delightful Misdirection (Or How to Rethink Your Options) — I’m a big fan of
. A quote to entice you: “We often define a problem not by the system’s actual behavior, but by the lack of our favorite solution.”Addiction vs Happiness - A visual reference, from
.You can always make more money - A really helpful reframe from
that I’m trying to remind myself of.Building habits that bend without breaking - A great post by
about living sustainably through a “most days” philosophy.
Community spotlight: I'd love to feature your creative projects in this newsletter! Whether you've launched something new, shipped a side project, or made progress on a creative goal please send it my way. Hit reply and tell me what you're working on.
Nice collection of little lessons, I’d agree with all of them! And thanks for the mention 🥹