Have you ever slaved away for hours, and days, and weeks, and months over a single project…
… and you put it out to the world, maybe in your store…
… and all you hear is crickets?
While on the other hand:
Sometimes you just sloppily release something quick for fun, and put it out there.
And…
*BOOM*
It explodes.
Everyone loves it.
And it becomes an almost instant bestseller.
Ever had that happen to you?
Yeah, it happens to me a lot.
But this always reminds me that it’s not about how much effort you put into a piece. Sometimes, for some reason, things just click.
And sometimes they don’t.
Who knows why?
It reminds me of a talk by world famous music entrepreneur, Derek Sivers.
In the talk, he mentions how when he first got started in his career as a musician, he released albums of his songs, and did everything he could to get his music famous. He performed live events, knocked on doors, made connections, did all the marketing he could.
For years.
Crickets.
No bite.
No response.
Until one day, he decided to just throw in the towel.
And switch to a new project.
Within days of that new beginning?
*BOOM*
It was like an overnight bestseller.
People kept throwing money at him. Non-stop. For years. And his new musical project, a website called CD Baby, became known throughout the world.
The moral of the story:
We are often told that we should persist, keep on going, and never give up. But it’s not about persistently and stubbornly doing the same things over and over again. In the words of Einstein, that would be insanity.
Rather, it’s about persistently experimenting and improving until you get the results you want.
So if you’re putting your work out there…
… and you’re not getting the attention you want…
… and all you hear is crickets…
… maybe it’s time to make some adjustments.
Perhaps it’s time for a new experiment.
Perhaps a change of pace, or a change of direction.
Maybe even a new project.
Just remember.
In the words of well-known Disney and National Geographic artist Lee White:
"Don’t try to polish a turd."
Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Chameleon-Bunny Hybrid"
P.S. This masterpiece has been one of my most recent overnight bestsellers. I really enjoyed making it. But never expected the response I’ve been getting. Wow!
