Someone, not everyone.
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Notes
There is a gulf between the knowledge, beliefs, and desires that you have, and those that others have. And each of those others is different from each other, as well.
This means that it’s impossible to be appropriately generous to everyone. For some, we need to say, “It’s not for you.”
“Change someone. And, as Hugh MacLeod said, ‘Ignore everyone.'”
Practical empathy:
- Makes you a better creative
- Allows you to make things for people who aren’t you (e.g., don’t need to be a toddler to design toys)
- Allows you to enter someone else’s narrative
Embrace the gulf. Go where the people you want to serve are; “those you serve are unlikely to care enough to come to you.”
Thoughts
It’s interesting: Seth writes, ” It’s not helpful to only make things for yourself, unless you’re fortunate enough that what you want is precisely what your audience wants.”
This goes against a lot of advice that I’ve heard. Many people encourage making things for yourself. I’m thinking of Tim Ferris (and many, many other entrepreneurs) talking about “scratching your own itch,” as an example, but there’s also a phrase echoing in my mind: “work for an audience of one.” (I can’t remember where I heard that, but Google it and you’ll find that it’s a popular Christian phrase, with “One” capitalized. That’s not what I was thinking of….)
I think the idea is fairly common: make things you like nor need, and it will attract people with similar taste or needs.
I’ve always struggled with that kind of advice. I don’t trust my taste, or my needs (and, to be honest, from my privileged position, what needs, really?). But Seth’s notion that we should work for someone (by which he means, not everyone) with empathy depends on the difference—the “gap” or “gulf” between ourselves (what we see, know, believe, need, desire)—and others.
I certainly understand the idea that creating something meant for everyone is a losing game. But practical empathy requires an understanding of who, precisely, the audience is. And that, I’ll admit, is daunting.
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.