1. You don't have to be a genius. You can move from mediocre to good in increments. The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others.
"All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death. Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked."
2. Think process, not product. By sharing your process, you make your customers personal friends. Documenting and recoding your process as you go along, you could become clearly and tangible about what you do and what progress you have made.
3. Share something small everyday. Seasons change, weeks are completely human-made, but the day has a rhythm. The sun goes up; the sun goes down. I can handle that. Don't worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what you do and the people you are trying to reach. Do not show your lunch or dog, show your work. If you are unsure what to share, let it sit for 24 hours. Do not think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.
4. Open up your cabinet of curiosity. When you find things you genuinely enjoy, don't let anyone else make you feel bad about it. Being open and honest about what you like is the best way to connect with people who like those things too.
5. Tell good stories. When shown an object, people’s assessment of it is deeply affected by what you tell them about it. “The cat sat on a mat” is not a story. “The cat sat on a dog’s mat” is a story. Have a contradiction in your story. Like achieving a dream despise family resistance.
"Tell the truth and tell it with dignity and self-respect when introducing yourself. Don't get cute. Don't brag. Just state the facts."
Have empathy for your audience. Anticipate blank stares. Be ready for more questions.
6. Teach what you know. Teaching doesn't mean instant competition. Just because you know the master’s technique doesn't mean you are going to be able to emulate it right away. When you teach someone how to do your work, you are generating more interest in your work.
7. Don't turn into human spam. When people realize they are being listened to, they tell you things. Interact with your fans on the level of a fan yourself. Stop worrying about how many people follow you online and start worrying about the quality of people who follow you.
"To be “interesting” is to be curious and attentive."
Many people waste time and energy trying to make connections instead of getting good at what they do. Don't ever ask people to follow you.
If you feel exhausted after hanging out with somebody, abandon him. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others.
8. Learn to take a punch. Fear is often just the imagination taking a wrong turn. Facing criticism for your work, you make even more work and put it out there. The more criticism you take, the more you know it won’t hurt you. To make something they hate even more. Having your work hated by certain people is a badge of honor.
You have to remember that your work is something you do, not who you are. Keep close to family, friends. You want feedback from people who care about you. Delete nasty comments. If someone took a dump in your living room, you won’t let it sit there. At some points, you might consider turning off comments function entirely.
9. Sell out. By turning viewership into patrons, simply ask them for donation. “Like this? Buy me a coffee.”
Use email. If you send somebody email. It sits in his inbox for a while and take time to delete it. Send valuable stuffs to users by email. Your research, study etc. So to enable them to download it and use it in real life. You just have to be as generous as you can, but selfish enough to get your work done.
10. Stick around
Let the end of last project lead you to the beginning of the next one. Take practical sabbaticals – daily, weekly, or monthly breaks where we walk away from our work completely. Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough. The thing is, you never start over. The lessons that you’ve learned from it will seep into what you do next.
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