In The Practice, Seth Godin lays out in over 200 entries why we should focus primarily on the act of creation rather than on the outcome. Obviously, we all desire a good outcome to come from our work—let’s call that success—but Godin argues that the outcome flows from consistent practice. Do the work consistently, ship the work regularly, then repeat.
Following up on my last post on my influences, the question then becomes not just who are the influences on my art, but what is my art exactly? What is that thing I do consistently, then ship, then repeat?
Words. That’s what I practice consistently. That’s what I ship regularly. I’m a writer.
I sometimes limit myself by trying to fit into little boxes of my own making: I’m a game designer, I’m a blogger, I’m a fiction writer, etc. These are useful for marketing purposes, no doubt, but I am all that and more. I write games, I write stories, I write blog posts, I write essays, I write scripts, I write prompts, I write technical specs, I write instructions, I write memoirs, I write journal entries, I write, I write, I write (except poetry, cause I suck at it). Yes, I do podcasts, and yes, I do videos, and yes, I do some basic graphic design, but it’s all in service to the writing, in service to the words.
There are certainly lots of writers that have inspired me, but I’m figuring out that the people who are my influences are more those who consistently do the practice and ship the work, regardless of the medium of their art. It’s the dedication that influences me.
I want to make a living from my art—I desperately want to—and that means I need to get writing, do it consistently, then ship the writing, and send it into the world. This daily blog is part of that, but I need to do more. It’s the only way I’ll achieve the momentum I need to make a living from my art.
The Daily Highmoon 