As a relationship builder, it’s a dream to try to have a conversation with someone you think is so huge you’ll never get to talk with them. Recently, a good friend challenged me to give it a go anyway. He told me to pick someone I think is so successful and famous, it’d be extremely hard to make a connection. Then go for it. I picked Seth Godin.
Listen to the podcast conversation with Seth here.
I didn’t know him personally at the time. But that would soon change. One conversation with him would change my brand, improve my perspective and much more.
How do you get someone you don’t know but value to notice you?
That’s a great question. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits all answer to it, but I do think that the power of intention can play a big role. You also have to be authentic and have had some experience with the person you are seeking the attention from, or at least experience with their work (make note musicians, this is for you).
It’s no secret I’m a fan of Seth Godin’s work. His book All Marketers Are Liars/Tell Stories is on my past book list. When I started the DIY Artist Route Podcast in 2015, he was on my bucket list to get as a guest. I honestly didn’t know if that would ever happen, but it has.
I talk a lot about being Uncommon. It’s a subject Seth covers in detail in his book Purple Cow. I urge you as a creator, builder, and member of humanity to be a positively uncommon person for the betterment of yourself and all of us.
The insights from Seth through his blog, books, and other media have been a wonderful guide for me in my development as a community builder. His participation in the DIY Artist Route Podcast adds to this development for all of us together.
Seth Godin shows us how we can be uncommon & a Purple Cow
There’s a fun story I’ll tell at some point as to how Seth and I connected. A part of it is this idea that all of us in the creative realm are looking for the Promise Land (i.e. that place where our dreams will come into fruition).
At the same time hoping to find a Moses in the wilderness to help take us there. That desert and Moses is a big part of our conversation in this podcast episode.
Do you feel like you’ve been wandering in an unknown land, trying to navigate the course towards success and growth as an artist or creative entrepreneur? I sure have. If you’ve left your job or what you were accustomed to doing, so you could build your own thing, you understand.
All the choices, options, and things you’re “supposed to do” to win in this game can easily consume your time each day. That’s why Seth Godin has been like a Moses for a lot of people, including me.
Though he’s known for being the best selling author and business writer, and his blog is something where you find incredible insight, I learned from our chat that Seth used to have his own record label. His affinity for art, music, and expression is fairly obvious, but these little pieces of newness make for an even more enriched storyline.
Stories are a big part of everything we do. I’m learning more and more about the power of them in how growth and enrichment work in the communities we build.
The power of stories is talked about in our conversation, and honestly something I’m becoming more open to sharing. We should tell the stories that take place in our lives, both our own histories and our present work.
It’s important for our communities to better connect with each other through storytelling.
Here are some more reasons that this 17 minutes of audio will be the best thing you listen to all day in the form of killer quotes. You have to listen to the podcast to get the fullness of it all. Here are some of the subjects covered:
On how to build a successful audience base
“You’re already in the Promised Land. That there is no place where everything lines up and you are Miles Davis. That’s never going to happen.
“What happens instead is you find 10 people, just 10 people, who care so much about what you do they tell someone else.
“You find 20 people, just 20 people, who would miss you if you were gone. Then you repeat it, and you repeat it and you repeat it. The next thing you go is three years later you’re an overnight sensation.
“That it’s believing that ‘the grass is always greener’ that you get in trouble. You’ve already got all the grass you’re going to get. What you need to do is farm it, not go hunting.”
Just the tip of the iceberg
I talk about gold nuggets at least twice in this podcast and for good reason. Listen to the podcast and listen again. Share it with at least 1 specific person you know who is creating something meaningful. Give them this bit of encouragement and insight.
The most important thing to get out of this conversation is that you (Yes YOU!!!) can connect with the people who are looking to sync up. Tell your stories, be uncommon and authentic, and participate in the lives of your tribe.
Make a ruckus.
That’s what we’re here to do. That’s what matters.
Are there questions you’re still sorting through from this conversation?
Did Seth Godin challenge your ideas of what you’ve been building or even how you see your own work?
It’s part of the joy of getting to engage with someone like Seth. The conversation creates new, challenging questions to forward.
The best conversations are ones that challenge us to think more and more deeply. I’m still thinking on these things. Let’s think on them together. Hit me up and we can talk about how these ideas fit into what you’re working on and building.
Take Action Now To Start Growth Farming For Success
This conversation explored a new way to approach relationship building and success.
Learn how to apply the Growth Farming principles to your work by setting up a free 15 minute strategy session with me here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.