Writing

Visitors, Clicks, Subscriptions

Garth Beyer

Visitors, clicks, subscriptions, pinbacks, emails, tweets, retweets, follows, facebook impressions, favorites, stars, ratings, statistics, forwards, reblogs, and bookmarks are all great. All fantastic. All give the ego a boost, maybe your moral too.

But do they matter?

If you create out of the necessity for subscriptions, if you create solely because you have people reblogging your creations, if you create to see your stats rise, you’re working, not creating.

If you can take out all stats, trackers, measures, feedback, impressions, reach, views, and audience and still create – that’s what defines an artist. A creator for the sake of creation, a creator that will follow through no matter what, with no guarantee of it working, and no expectation of it meaning anything to anyone but you, the artist.

 

Stay Positive & Artistry Is Always A Lonesome Process At Its Core

Garth E. Beyer

Freelance Vs. Entrepreneur

Garth Beyer

I just left a freelancing job after six months (technically a  year, I’ll get to that in a moment). It was an exceptional experience, I wrote almost 100 articles on any string of the money management spider web you can imagine.

I got to write and was paid when I delivered. Freelancing at its finest.

After six months, I reached my learning capacity , enjoyment, and acceptably high skill level toward writing to this specific audience. [By “learning capacity,” I mean I got out 90% of what I believed I could from the position] Instead of quitting, I decided to become an entrepreneur.

I remembered the saying that freelancers get paid when they ship, and entrepreneurs get paid when they sleep. (HT Seth Godin)

So I hired some writers to do the work that I once was. I positioned myself as the boss and editor. I made the hiring process as legitimate as possible. Candidates emailed resumes, we met for an interview, I gave them test articles. I pushed them to do their best, get creative, and take the reigns. Being boss – to put a less professional tone to it – was awesome.

I didn’t make much money from being an entrepreneur for six months, but it’s not often I’ve gotten so much experience from something so temporary.

To think, I could have just left my freelancing position and moved on. It’s a decision that many freelancers forget they have.

 

Stay Positive & Maybe It’s Not “Vs.”, It’s An Optional Transition

Garth E. Beyer

How To Cope With Criticism

Garth Beyer

At one of my current occupations, I get to give kids money to go to college. It’s a pretty enjoyable time when I look at it like that. However, part of what I do is handle hundreds of phone calls and emails a week, call it customer service if you will.

Of course, those contacting me are doing so because of a problem they have, whether it’s from a lack of information, understanding, or what it sometimes feels like, they just want to blow up on someone.

This means I’m using a special kind emotional labor from day-to-day. I have to disassociate my personal feelings with every interaction while still keeping an open heart and willingness to help.

In other words, I continuously work on not taking anything personally.

To put it in more perspective, I seldom get a call to tell me I’ve done a good job or get an email just to tell me, “Thanks for all your work, we really appreciate it.” Occasionally I get a thank you letter from a student, maybe two a year on average.

I’m human, but even if I wasn’t, doing what I do without any pat on the back or thanks could still bring me to resent my work. Of course, it doesn’t. And for one simple reason.

Each day I remind myself that while I may receive 30 calls in one day, there are 90,000 students and 200,000 family members of students who don’t call, that things are going smoothly for, that have no problems. 30/290,000 is a pretty good ratio, wouldn’t you say?

Another current occupation (in which I am most artistic) is Writer. The majority of the time when I produce an article, when I get published, when I deliver, I get criticized. Similar to my work as a Grants Specialist, those who agree, who understand, who have been given the intended message, rarely leave feedback.

It’s not often people read to connect, but to learn and understand. I don’t see it, but there are hundreds (hopefully thousands?) of people nodding their heads in agreement and understanding while reading my work.

The few people who I hear from are those who disagree, who have a different opinion (that they would rather share in relation to my article rather than doing the hard work of writing one themselves), and yes, also those who just feel like trolling.

I once told a friend that if there was a point to complaining, they would call them com points, but they don’t. However, here is a point. (two actually)

We are criticized for two reasons. One, to broaden our minds, to self-evaluate, and to be aware of possible mistakes. In other words, to learn. Two (and most important), to be given a ratio. Not having a ratio doesn’t mean you’re doing everything right, it means you’re doing something seriously wrong.

Counting the number of critics you have is meant to remind you of all those who aren’t. I’ve never been one for math, but this is one ratio that makes it easy to cope with criticism.

 

Stay Positive & No Critics Usually Means No Art (and that’s on you, not them)

Garth E. Beyer

Subscription

Garth Beyer

I’ve made the decision to close off my blog to subscriptions. In particular, email/RSS feed subscription and for two particular reasons.

Yes, a blogger absolutely benefits from having subscribers. That’s all good and great, but by subscribing, you – the subscriber – benefit less. What?!

I used to be subscribed to about a dozen blogs and I would get updates on them every few days. After only a couple of months, I found myself deleting the emails; some without opening to see what the newest posts were about. The reason for this leads to the first reason why I closed off subscription to my blog.

I quit needing their particular form of motivation. I stopped needing their information, their persuasion, their enthrallment. In other words, while I never stopped loving their blogs, I found myself reading them for the sake of just reading them and not for the sake of them helping me or bringing me to make some action.

I don’t want you (my readers) to enter this lull or habit. In a sense, it can even be self-defeating; one is more interested in learning how to improve their life than they are in improving it. If it’s between you taking a risk to do something in your life and reading my post for the day, well, you know which one I would pick.

The second reason for ending subscriptions I only realized a couple of weeks ago after someone said, “I’ve been on your website. I don’t read everything you write, but I hop on their every now and then.” I went on to tell them that they shouldn’t feel guilty for not reading every day, I don’t write so the same person can read every single post. I have this idea that I am simply here when you need me. I’m not going to force you to show up by making you feel guilty or reminding you to read my content through subscriptions. If you don’t show, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it’s probably best you didn’t.

If you want to read what I have written, then you can type www.garthbox.com in your web bar or add me to your favorites bar. I’m looking for connections, not subscriptions.

 

Stay Positive & Let’s Connect (@)

Garth E. Beyer

Additional Content To My Feature Article: Doug Moe

Garth Beyer

If you haven’t read the feature article I wrote of Doug Moe, just click his name.

The content below is additional information, sidebars, for the article. Enjoy.

David Callender

Doug is a Madison generalist, well versed, and very curious about the world around him. He’s a great listener and a mold of the great urban newspaper columnist. Moe never pulled any punches; he really explored and explained the issues of his profiles. Moe is the last of a breed of people who wanted to be newspaper writers. He grew up in Madison and experienced its growth over the years firsthand and there is no substitute for firsthand experience and knowledge. Moe had 30+ years growing up and writing about the community. His sort of writing can only come from long-term investment.

Jeff Scott Olson

Moe doesn’t go out of his way to be unkind. He’s a great sportsman, competitive, but joyful. Although,  at times he can get glum about his performance. […] Moe, in his writing, preserves characters. He shares stories that are larger than life. The important parts of Madison won’t go away and that’s because of Doug Moe.

Doug Moe

So far as choosing the columns to write, I guess the overriding concern is: Will this be interesting to the readers? There really is no other consideration. Now, I also try hard to have a good mix of column subjects. I don’t want to write too often about books, or golf, or Madison history, or only men, or only women — you get the idea. I want people to not know what to expect when they look for my column. That is a goal. Then, how to write them for me gets down to a question of tone. What’s the appropriate tone? Light? Serious? A little of both? […] My dad was actually in broadcast management. He was general manager of Channel 27 here in Madison. I suppose growing up in a media family might have influenced my own decision to go into the media. The main thing was, writing was what I was good at. I wasn’t going to be a scientist or engineer.

Hiring A Freelance Writer?

Garth Beyer

I’m your guy, resulting in direct success for your blog/businesses. After reading posts that I have made, you know that the ideas, the motivation, and the creativity are there.

What you may not know is that I also Ghostwrite for other private employers with topics including, jobs, education, all corners of business, marketing, the way ideas spread, improvements, budgets, career changes, life & work decisions, public relations, personal stories, and anything else in relation to these topics. Additionally, I do interviews and reports for business’s and other individuals which I would be happy to do for you.

But, it doesn’t end there. I can write about anything. I will do the extensive necessary research to become a professional on the specific topic choice. My ability to adapt and overcome with success can not be competed with. You will realize that my writing breaks boundaries and mechanical preferences in order to exceed formal expectations which results in value so rich its richness becomes tangible. (Yes, by that I mean profitable.)

You can always reach me at thegarthbox@gmail.com