Adam Street's Blog
The spiritual and practical path to freedom to do your art

You only get one of these

I’m nearly impossible to reach by phone. 

You have my number? Cool. 

Dial it.

You will hear my lovely voicemail most of the time. 

Why?

Because my #1 purpose of my professional life is being an artist. When I’m drawing, planning, thinking, coaching, etc. I don’t pick up my phone. Hell, my ringer isn’t even on!

So maybe you’re thinking…

But Adam, isn’t the number one job of a business to make sales? Or to serve your clients?

I agree. 

Businesses HAVE TO make dinero. 

Even charities can’t do everything for free. And THEY’RE called CHARITIES!!!! And you surely want to do business from a place of service instead of a place of selfishness or ‘getting’.

But I want you to know this….

The number one reason people hire me is to do my “art”. I’ve gotten really good at it too. Same with my marketing… 

I serve you best, FIRST, by giving YOU the best version of ME.

I see so many peeps with businesses focused on never missing calls and emails always trying to be available that they neglect the skills that made them successful in the first place.

You are the only YOU you got. 

Make it a good one.

Adam

adamstreet.net

Enjoy the wine and not the label

You ever watch the show, Schitt’s Creek?  

It’s brilliant.  Like Seinfeld brilliant.  It’s a little zany, but it’s so good.  Here’s one of my favorite quotes from Dan Levy’s character David Rose.  He was explaining his sexual preferences to Stevie in season one. 

“I do drink red wine. But I also drink white wine. And I’ve been known to sample the occasional rosé. And a couple summers back I tried a merlot, that used to be a chardonnay. I like the wine, and not the label.” 

I legit LOL’d! 

When I watched the documentary  after the final season of Schitt’s Creek I learned that simple exchange did tremendous things for the LGBTQ community. 

Alexander Peartree from https://www.winemag.com said it best:

“As a gay man, I find it can be draining to constantly see myself reflected on screen in characters who are struggling as a result of their own sexuality…  It was so simple and nuanced, yet profound, uplifting and incredibly refreshing. The fact they did all with a wine-focused metaphor only broadens the scope to a wider audience.”

I think there’s a lot you can take from David’s wine analogy with your personal development.  Some people don’t get the info they need because they’re hung up on labels.

“That’s too spiritual”.

“He’s too religious”.

“I don’t like books, I only like video…”

Get the info that can propel you forward, and don’t worry about the label.

https://www.adamstreet.net

Adam Street

Why your super-power isn’t as important as you think

When I was trying to break into comics (which is to say work for DC or Marvel) I used to go to DC Comics’ Talent Search at San Diego Comic-Con.   

You’d get the ‘fire and brimstone’ speech on how hard it was to break into comics.   They already “had” the best talent so they made it clear… They didn’t NEED you.  

You had to be a unicorn with a style and mastery they had never seen before.  It was a good presentation but it was full of holes. 

You didn’t have to be some child prodigy to get a gig at DC, they employed tons of mediocre artists.  Including me by the way…  But unlike the artists that give up I knew I had the total skills needed to break in.

I knew I was cool.  People liked working with me.  I was hungry to learn and to improve.  Sooner or later I’d get in.  And I did.  But it was because of my Talent Stack, not because I was a stellar artist.

I picked up this term from artist Scott Addams in his book Win Bigly.  He said, “ a talent stack is a collection of skills that work well together and make the person with those skills unique and valuable.”

A lot of people say you should ask yourself, what is your superpower?  This is cute but it’s flawed like DC’s Talent Search.  

That’s like saying Stephen Curry is a good basketball player only because he’s can shoot 3-pointers.  Or Michael Jordon was successful because he could ‘dunk good’.  

Instead of looking for a magic bullet, you should be asking this instead.  What is your Talent Stack?

What are the two or three skills that when combined make you a juggernaut?  

And an even better question…

What can you do to make the parts of your talent stack even stronger?

Adam

https://adamstreet.net

Thanos? Give Me a Break

France beat the US men’s basketball team and the media has lost it’s mind.  USA didn’t get blown out, they lost by six points.  that’s two 3-pointers!  Give me a break.  

I get it.  That loss ended Team USA’s 25-game Olympic winning streak that dates back to when George W. Bush was still president (2004).  That’s a long time ago…but give me a break.

Coach Popovich said it best, ”When you lose a game, you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed. I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we were supposed to beat them by 30 or something.”

This reminded me of some businesses. Too many are jaded.  Airlines think the moment people stop traveling they’re entitled to a bail-out.  Restaurants think because their food is good they should always have a hungry crowd.  Give me a break…  

If a business doesn’t make it you shouldn’t be a surprise.  Businesses tank everyday.  Though it’s certainly disappointing. 

Like our Olympic athletes we need to train.  Pushups wouldn’t hurt but maybe it’s reading books or listening to a good podcast on marketing.  

The marketplace is big and ever changing like the weather in California.  Your “fitness” is what’s going to see you through the storms of disappointment.  

Keep watching videos, reading blogs, taking courses, and attending events.  Have so much ‘business’ strength and endurance you whoop the market with a snap of your fingers like Thanos.