The elevation of Pope Leo XIV is a profound and historic occasion. Like so many around the world, I am praying for him and wishing him and the Church well as his papacy begins.
You made it, you own it
You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.
So let me get this straight, we finally get an American pope, and some of the America first crowd is mad because he cares about the poor and immigrants. Am i missing something here?
Many of the loudest voices in today's creator economy preach market research, audience building, and trend-spotting.
Paradoxically, one of the 20th century’s greatest sculptors Louise Bourgeois, suggests the opposite path: Follow your internal compass exclusively:
" My proof of success is whether it does something to me— It makes me a nicer person and it gives me pleasure... The purpose of sculpture is really self-knowledge.
This shouldn’t happen.
Conventional wisdom says that to appeal to the market, you need to understand it deeply.
Yet, Bourgeois created work of such authenticity and psychological depth that the market came to her.
Bourgeois’ journey reveals a counterintuitive principle: the most externally successful work often comes from the most internally focused creators.
And what’s key to know is that she isn’t alone. Many of the world’s most iconic creators have this same exact philosophy. I write about these stories and their corresponding lessons in my new book…