A recipe for unhappiness.
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Notes
Two possible pursuits:
- Making things for yourself
- Making things for others—”those you seek to connect and change”
Pursuing either is fine. Pursuing both is a “recipe for unhappiness,” as it insists that others share our desires and perspectives.
Thoughts
Pursuing either is fine—but only the second fits what Seth calls the “working professional.”
A couple chapters ago, I noted that I seem to view my audience as anyone. It’s not everyone—I’m not trying to please everybody with lowest-common-denominator work that somehow hopes to be a “hit.” It’s not an audience of one, either; when I do (however rarely, at this point) finish things, I want them to be seen or heard or whatever. And it’s not someone, the way Seth means it: an audience whom I want to empathize with, connect with, change.
Anyone is a low-energy, low-stakes target, I think. I have friends and family that I throw my work at, and occasionally someone will stumble upon it as well. (My song “Josie” got a comment from someone named Josie who also shares my last name, as an example.) I kind of make it more or less for myself, put it out there, and if others stumble upon it, great; if not, well, what do you expect?
Anyone.
Sounds lazy, put that way. But perhaps anyone is good for now. Start where we are, right? And a collection of anyones could well become a someone.
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.