Making it
Making it
Hey friends, happy Sunday!
I've always been fascinated with the idea of 'making it'. Ever since starting out as a freelancer I've had different versions of 'making it' along the way.
- Initially just wanting to earn enough to get by
- Then wanting to build an agency.
- To now defining 'making it' as building a business that allows me to follow my curiosity, learn and make things.
But every time I've hit the point of 'making it' the bar has moved higher.
The drive to constantly improve is vital to making real progress. It's needed to create something out of nothing and carve out your own path.
But it also creates a situation where you're always wanting more.
I often need to remind myself that ambition and happiness are not at odds.
You can be completely happy where you are, but still want more.
Finding balance can be difficult. Especially when you're young and looking to get your first big win on the board. But balancing ambition and happiness is essential to living better as an entrepreneur and creator.
What does 'making it' mean to you? [reply to this email with your definition of 'making it']
This Weeks Finds
I.
How to do what you love and make good money
(Article)
This post from Derek Sivers poses an interesting counterpoint to the typical advice of "follow you passion" or to "do what you love". He says that instead of trying to make a living from your art it's often better to keep your art and earnings separate.
Business for the sake of making money and art for the sake of making things.
I'm still unsure exactly where I stand on this, I agree to an extent and think a lot of people would be happier working a high paying 9 - 5, pursuing their art as a passion.
But the ambitious entrepreneur in me says why can't you have both? There are plenty of people who have turned their art into a high paying business.
I'm interested where you stand on this? [just reply to this email with your thoughts]
II.
Being your own Boss
(Tweet)
This is a huge struggle all entrepreneurs and creators run into and often becomes the root cause of burnout.
Deciding to be happy with how much you get done is deceivingly difficult.
III.
How to Start a Blog That Changes Your Life
(Article)
Nat Eliason has one of my favourite personal blogs. In this post he talks about how he's built a blog that has changed his life and how you can too.
But I think the lessons apply much broader than just building a blog. He highlights the importance of building an asset under your own name, sharing your ideas and playing the long game.
For years very few people were paying attention but once people started to take note, his blog has helped to build a successful agency business, an iphone app and sell multiple digital products on a range of topics.
My favourite thing about creators like Nat is that they don't confine themselves to only talking about 1 - 2 topics for growth. They instead focus on making what they want to make and trust that people with similar interests will find them through SEO, Twitter, Youtube etc.
IV.
a Portrait of My Dog on Her Birthday (Video)
This 4-minute video of a dog on her birthday is perfect for some wholesome Sunday viewing. The simplicity, sound, and color grading make for an incredibly aesthetic video.
This Weeks Idea
As the Roman poet Publius Terentius wrote: “Nothing has yet been said that’s not been said before.”
End Note
If you’re enjoying the Sunday Filter then I’d really appreciate if you could share it with a few friends. You can send them over here to sign up.
Have a great week!
- Stephen
P.S don't do drugs... do crypto?
P.P.S new youtube videos are now coming every Tuesday :)