A few years ago I was in New York with friends, and they decided to see Hamilton on Broadway. They asked if I wanted to join. I said no. Why? Because Hamilton wasn’t cool to me.

You can either say “Well, I tried,” and accept the plausible deniability. It isn’t in your court anymore after all. Other people dropped the ball, yeah? It’s not on you, right? Or you can take radical responsibility.

Photographers and videographers (and all sorts of creative freelancers) spend tons of time tinkering with their portfolios, hoping that big brands will notice. What they don’t realize is that big brands are searching for something beyond just good work.

Have you touched a duck before? Have the majority of people touched ducks before? Then why do we say “get your ducks in a row” so often?

One of my videos is earning tens of thousands of views on Instagram. And counting. Amidst the scramble to respond to comments and messages, I’ve pulled a few lessons from this experience that I’d like to share.

Wherever the folks in your industry are spending time, you need to spend time there too. I’ll add, it doesn’t matter which end of the industry. Clients and colleagues are equally as important in the freelance game.

I barely believed it when I read it, but Barnes and Noble grew by 4% last year. They’re in pursuit of opening 30 new stores this year. Even in the shadow of Amazon, which offers every book cheaper and faster, Barnes and Noble is expanding.

On Instagram, you could get by with pretty visuals, even if they were devoid of opinion. This isn’t the case on Threads.

“Something that I learned very early on is the importance of separating person versus persona. When people who don't know me are criticizing me, they're criticizing my persona, not my person.”
–Olivia Rodrigo

Behind every piece of good marketing is a good cause. Even the most profitable companies in the world wrap their products in a “cause” that helps their customers.

My friend started a disc golf company that creates discs from 100% recycled material. Anyone who knows anything about plastics knows that this is a difficult thing to do. It’s a good thing my friend didn’t know anything about plastic.

“You’re better off with a great salesman and a mediocre product than with a masterpiece and a moron to sell it.”
–Herb Cohen

Wiffle Ball is largely seen as a backyard replica of baseball that won’t break your window. Not anything serious. So how did Kyle Schultz turn a kids’ game into MLW Wiffle Ball: a verified YouTube channel, boasting 45 million views, multiple income streams, dozens of players, interstate travel, and an avid fan base?

I’ve worked with Nike, Disney, and Toyota, and none of those logos are on my website. Why? Because I’m not that concerned with getting credit for my work. Now you may be asking, “Isn’t getting credit for your work essential to new business as a creative freelancer?” Let me tell you a story. Then you can tell me.

You know the feeling, right? Staring at the blinking cursor on the blank word document? Or fiddling around with a few video clips in an editing software, not getting anywhere because nothing looks cool? Feeling stuck is the worst.

A staple in our culture has always been the theater. It’s taken different shapes over the centuries, but humans have always gathered to see a show.

There’s a Hyundai commercial I see all the time when I’m watching baseball that I hate. It’s so conventional. It tries so hard to be cool, but falls short in a huge way. Like the dad cracking jokes at the cookout, but he’s wearing New Balance 624s and has his Samsung on a belt clip.

So why does Toyota make commercials showing the Rav4 off-roading? Because they’re marketing to people who see themselves as adventurous, but are too busy to actually take a camping trip.

When I write sales pages, I make sure the very first thing a website visitor sees is a concise description of the product, and a clear button to buy it immediately. If someone arrives at the page, already convinced to buy from a previous ad or email, why is your sales page getting in the way of that?

Strategies are everywhere. But objectives are rare. And it’s ineffective to pick a strategy without knowing your objective.