WARNING – CREATIVE WRITING AHEAD

Without freedom of speech, we no longer have freedom of thought. Without freedom of thought, how the hell are we supposed to be creative?

 

– Source – Someone cleverer than me, probably JP.

Preamble

I’m am blessed, and always have been by wise and thoughtful commenters. Sometimes they raise questions, that make me pause to think, reflect and try to solve riddles of modern day life – why not try and help each other, isn’t cooperation the very fabric of society?.

A lot of these people – the polite, thoughtful, generous and peaceful ones, are my heros, I’m truly inspired. So thankyou to those people, for taking the time and effort – you know who you are (as I know you’ll be reading this).

Dilemmas

I have a friend who’s a struggling novelist. Like many people everywhere, especially in the “Arts”, life has gone from struggle to even harder struggle. People want to express themselves, through their art, and it’s a competitive arena these days. Millions can now publish their written works of their art on Amazon and the like, so it’s easy to get lost in this ocean. I even heard of books being written by “bots”, which is entirely plausible. Not to mention the river of free or virtually free photos out there. Music sales I hear from indie musicians hardly even cover a cup of coffee. And so on.

I hear cries of “isn’t globalism great” – the very people chanting the mantra, are the very same people who have been robbed of any chance of making any kind of living via their art. Globalism has brought some benefits, to some people. Others not so much. And there are yet others who are moving away from it – “Populism is quite popular” as coined by Nigel Farage. Me – I’m still mulling it all over, a mere student of politics – if it makes sense, it makes sense, otherwise it gets added to the absurd pile.

So I’m writing this not as a bastion of all knowledge and truth – I am certainly not “the font of all knowledge”. But as someone who likes to think aloud sometimes in public, in a reasonably coherent and rational way, without too many typos or grammar mishaps. Some may find utterances useful or entertaining. Others, well …

Some people don’t like me, which I’m cool with – we can’t make progress without breaking a few eggs, and the reasons for said broken eggs become more and more transparent to me these days, mostly it’s because I’m a “wrong thinker” – you know I actually try to think for myself, question what I see and hear. I know, I know, I might hurt myself, it’s a risky business being creative – but what would our world be without our Einsteins, our Mozarts, our Leonardo da Vincis, our J. R. R. Tolkiens, our Gandhis or the countless other talented creative “wrong thinkers” who proceeded us, to create masterpieces in their own arts, with such skill, precision and dedication ?

I tell you what it’d be like – we’d still be living in caves, bashing each other over the head with clubs – not this miracle of a world we have, created by our finest minds, manifested over the ages, by hard working men and women – who wanted a better life for us.

Did You Want To Know What I Really Think ?

In the end to be a “successful” artist of any form – writer, painter, photographer, musician, etc, and don’t forget creativity extends into STEM fields too – you either accept that you do your art because you love it or, you find a way to provide for you and your loved ones, via your gifts bestowed upon you by “God”. Or in other words, the things you’re passionate about doing, and love doing. Even better if you have competency at them.

If you do it for free because you love it, then carry on, don’t bother reading the rest of this. But do realise that if you’re publishing anything anywhere, for free, then someone is profiting from your efforts – I don’t know who said it but – “if it’s free then you are the product” or there or there about. WordPress.com stick adverts on your blogs, so don’t give me any “holier than thou” absurdity, you’re not, you’re an unpaid worker for WordPress.com. Even if you paid for “advert free” on your WordPress.com site, Google will have adverts all over their search engine, whilst people look for you – “there’s no such things as a free lunch”, someone wise once said.

SO, ANYWAY, sorry, got a bit carried away there, must have been a flashback of a troll or two of yore, playing a holier than thou game with me …

Skills

If, you want to make a living, then this is my attempt to provide some insight into what that entails. I can’t do it for you, I don’t have the time or resources, for one, and not my responsibility, for two. If you want my help, and are able to contribute to my family and loved one’s existence, then pay me – that’d be the honourable thing to do.

First off drop the notion that opportunity will drop into your lap. For 99.99% of people this won’t happen by itself. So the first skill you need to learn is promoting yourself (or your venture), which I’ve drivelled on about on this blog for years – and been vilified for by “purists”, as if in some way I’m corrupt for mentioning art and money in the same sentence – Just ignore those people, they’re either ignorant or already independently wealthy or subscribe to some absurd self-destructive ideology, that ends up with them become modern day slaves.

The second skill that wouldn’t hurt to learn, is sales and marketing. How do I successfully, first make my art marketable (make it so other people want to buy it), and second how (and where) will I sell it ?

The third skill is business, which kinda encompasses the first two (but all the skills kinda overlap anyway). “Fail to plan, or plan to fail”. Skills like accounting, managing other people (even if that’s just yourself !) and being able to read and write business plans, even if at novice level.

The fourth skill is to be able to be creative and adaptive – that is use your creative skills, within the context of your goal of “success”, whatever that looks like to you. Just the same way you apply those skills in your art, that same muscle can be applied in any arena. Look for unfilled niches and unexplored avenues (for example).

The fifth skill is politics. Politics you might ask – why so ? Well if you don’t know the answer to that, then that is why you need to learn about politics. And I’m not just talking about high level politics of governments and countries, I’m also talking about interpersonal and group politics, and these days that involves culture too. Things got a whole lot tribalistic recently if you hadn’t noticed, and you don’t want to be walking that minefield, without at least knowing where the mines are. Let the scholars of today and of yore guide you, and forget most of the mainstream media, if you actually want to learn anything at all.

The sixth skill is persistence. Remember I said that opportunity wasn’t just going to fall into your lap within a couple of days – overnight success is rare as hens teeth. The examples I’ll give later are people who’ve worked for 5, 10, 20 or more years in their field, and have probably gone through multiple failures, disasters and disappointments, and probably hardships we could hardly even imagine. I’ve only listed a few people I’m somewhat familiar with, but could give a list as long as my arm. You figure out who inspires you, and could be a model for your own success.

I could write entire books on each of those skills, but don’t consider myself an expert on any of these fields. I try to grab what lessons and learning I can along the way – you know “the journey, not the destination.”. Current and ongoing political and cultural changes, and then the pandemic, make my future just as uncertain as many of yours – a lot of us in the same boat.

Examples Of “Successful” Writers (And Other Artists) I’ve Some Familiarity With

The Critical Drinker – is (as far as know) a successful novelist and popular YouTuber.

(Promoting/Politics&Culture) – He promotes himself via using his intimate and exceptionally brilliant and razor sharp knowledge of storytelling, culture (and politics) to do critical reviews of movies. Whilst injecting satire, sarcasm, bad language and humour whenever he can.

(Sales/Marketing/Politics&Culture) He gets probably millions of views on YouTube, and some of those will result in book sales – plus ad revenue, if his globalist overlords haven’t demonetised his videos for wrong think/wrong speech.

(Persistence) I don’t know how long he’s been doing what he’s been doing, but my guess would be at least 10 years, he could be a lifetime author.

(Business) I don’t know his exact business plan – usually people keep these confidential, which is fair enough, because others would just steal it if they knew. Study him, read between the lines, you’ll get the gist of what his business plan is.

Tony and Chelsea Northrup – are both photographers, they work together as a couple/team, as very successful YouTubers.

Chelsea is (and has been) a model, I don’t know her degree of success in that field, never looked very deeply into it.

Tony is an author, of the number one best selling photography book on Amazon.

And in fairness (I don’t want the identity politics thought police on my case) I think Chelsea is also an author, or co-author.

They put out regular content, on their very popular YouTube channel, which helps to sell their photography and their books (plus YouTube monies, which as non-wrong-thinkers, will probably be a pretty sweet deal). They often have guest photographers, and increase audience engagement and participation, by allowing photographers to submit their photos during their live streams, which they comment on and provide constructive criticism of.

(Persistence) Tony I know is a career photographer, Chelsea’s modelling career I know less to nothing about. But I’d say lifetime commitment to their project and passions – Photography, and capturing beauty as art.

Jordan Peterson – is a clinical psychologist, university professor, successful author and free speech advocate (and YouTuber)

Jordan has risen to celebrity status, initially for his opposition to a new law in Canada, which made certain speech potentially punishable by jail/prison. He was one of the few who spoke up and about this Orwellian development. And has inspired probably millions of others to do likewise, good people who care about other’s fundamental human right to free speech – like Harry Miller in the UK who won vs “the establishment” in a UK free speech case, which I blogged about here :

https://doncharisma.org/2020/02/14/nsfw-high-court-win-for-free-speech-in-uk-we-got-a-problem/

(NB. Above link – Not safe for work)

Jordan came into my awareness via Cathy “Destined to be forever a meme” Newman, when she interviewed him on Channel4. And subsequently interviewed by an equally dis-likable egocentric Marxist Helen Lewis for GQ.

He’s been a YouTuber for a long time, released most of his lectures and talks, free via the platform. He says his viewership is mostly male, because that gender are the demographic who are organically the main audience of YouTube (not because of patriarchy/oppression or any other absurdity via ideological mental gymnastics)

He seems to thrive on scandal, always being one (or more) move(s) ahead of his attempted defamers, smearers and ideologues who’d happily behead him or lynch him, if they were running things – mostly because he’s a wrong thinker/wrong speaker, in their eyes. Which I find absurd, because he simply believes in free speech and advocates for people to “speak the truth”, along with speaking rationally and sensibly on a multitude of topics – you know a real life living breathing expert.

He’s written two books which one is a best seller “12 Rules For Life” and “Maps Of Meaning”, which he says took him 15 years to write. I did also hear (a rumour ?) of a third book, but don’t know the title, or if it exists (put it in the comments if you know).

He also has started an online teaching portal, you can find here – https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/

Sadly, Jordan is unwell, currently being treated in Russia, at last update. So, might be worth considering burnout within your plans, which is what I suspect the underlying cause may be – although that’s just conjecture on my part (I don’t know Jordan or his family personally)

(Persistence) – His work, is his life’s work, so probably 50+ years, during most of that time he was relatively unknown.

Look Mum No Computer – musician and YouTuber

Last, but not least a short mention for LMNC who is a bit of a “punk”. He’s likable, comes across as authentic, fun and kinda anti-establishment, you know a rebel or underdog. He does all kinds of weird and zany musical projects, and seems to be doing quite well financially via ad revenue and Patreon. He’s carved out a niche, that wasn’t filled, and filled it. Even though I couldn’t say I care much for his music, not my taste, he’s still a joy to watch – I love watching all the crazy stuff he gets up to – he’s grasped that he needs to be an entertainer (aka promoter), beyond just his music, in order to promote himself and his art.

Conclusion

Either do your art because you love it, because you’re passionate about it, and forget about success, fame and money, or paying for your existence via it. Think – “Royals” originally by “Lorde”, I guess :

https://doncharisma.org/2015/11/01/royals/

Or realise that it’s likely F’ing hard work to get ahead in your art. It involves not only the art itself, but many other skills, and effort for an extended duration will be required. And even then you may not succeed (sorry, just saying it like it is)

Other’s success may help as a model on which to base your plans, so look around who’s in a similar field to that which you want to be in, and study them like a stalker (in a good way, please), or an ornithologist – then take what you’ve learn’t and apply it to your own project. Carve out your little niche in the world, and attempt to thrive in it.

All of the models of success I’ve given above, have to a greater or lesser extent all of the skills I mentioned. Plus a few other factors that I didn’t directly like competency and professionalism, for example. Even Look Mum No Computer is extremely professional in what he does in his own way.

So professionalism probably should have been the seventh skill, but not sure that’s a skill, more an ethic.

If you got this far, you either cheated and just read the conclusion, or you’re a real champion and read the whole thing, in which case maybe you learnt something. Or maybe not, either way, it’s the same for me.

“Go away now”, as the The Critical Drinker would say …

Hope you are safe and stays that way.

Cheers

Don Charisma

*Start Testing*(Random backlink1)*End Testing*

---

---

Help us out by using our referral codes – Transferwise – Dropbox – pCloud –

---

Disclaimer – When opinions are stated anywhere on this blog they are just opinions, not facts, truths or endorsements. I am not a journalist or an activist and TBH most of the time not a “serious” writer either, more I enjoy creative writing (blogging is supposed to be fun?). I’m a centrist, I read and view content from both sides of the aisle (as long as it’s not blatant propaganda, or utter trash) – so I’m sharing this for your information, something you may not be aware of and may be interested in (or not, in which case, just go to the next post). As with any news, article, post, writing or report, don’t just take it at face value, do your own research, use your own critical thinking. Kind of obvious really, but best stated, so that it’s clear.

---

*Shameless self-promotion* – Sometimes we work – Our commercial site :

DonCharisma.com – you dream it we built it … because – “anything is possible with Charisma”

---

ADD Us On Social Media

(We syndicate out to some of these sites, so maybe be easier for you to follow us on these platforms :

Gravatar – FaceBook Profile – FaceBook Page – Twitter ‘Shitter’ Profile – Blogspot – Pinterest – FineArtAmerica – YouTube – YouTubeTV – LinkedIn – Tumblr – Pixels.com – BitChute.com – Bloglovin –

---

Resources & Sources

Unless otherwise stated everything here is (c) DonCharisma.org, all rights are reserved – Please contact us if you want to buy digital assets from this website, we’d be happy to help. Sometimes we use photos from stock sites (or public domain) which are un-watermarked (Watermarked photos are normally our own). Where content is included from elsewhere on the internet (for example news articles, or parts of articles, images or YouTube videos), we have included under fair use, that is for “satire or discussion” (or other fair uses), will cite the source (where known) and that copyright remains with copyright holder. Each and every post on this website has an open comments section, so it’s usually a discussion, but sometimes satire appears in comments, or in the post.

---

Comments

Comments are often welcomed, provided you can string a legible, relevant and polite sentence together. In other cases probably best shared with your therapist, or kept to yourself.

---

---

---