Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: 'The Practice: Shipping Creative Work'

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

As you must know by now, I am an unabashed fan of Seth Godin and an equally unabashed fan of this particular book. Out of all of Seth’s books, and there are a lot of good ones in the 20-plus he has written, this one motivates me the most. I go back to it repeatedly when I’m stuck in the middle of a creative project and I need a good swift kick in the you-know-what to get moving.

The Practice is all about sharing your work, no matter what that work is. It’s having the courage and the confidence to put yourself and your work out there.

By using a series of 219 rants (all of them from the thousands of blogs that Seth has put out over the years), his core message is: It doesn’t matter what you do unless you share it. If you do not “ship it,” it’s as bad as if you’d never done it in the first place.

Personally, this is true in everything we do, from writing a column or short story to introducing a new marketing idea to a company. Nothing is useful until someone uses it. It’s all up to you. Don’t for someone else to do it. We need to nominate and select ourselves. If you write a book, publish it yourself if no one else will. If no one will hire you, start your own business.

If you fail, so what? You’re learning. Thomas Edison tried over a thousand different filaments before he got it right on his light bulb. He did not fail a thousand times; he learned a thousand times until he got it right.

“This book is an extraordinary and electrifying call to action,” says Rosanne Cash. She’s right. That’s the way I feel about it as well.

If you have a book in your bottom drawer, or a new company you want to start, but you’re afraid of failing, then read The Practice. If you have a new strategy for your company and are afraid to try it, this book will give the wherewithal and the courage to move forward fearlessly.

I have this quote from Seth on the wall in front of my writing table: 

“The path forward is about curiosity, generosity, and connection. These are the three foundations of art. Art is a tool that give us the ability to make things better and to create something new on behalf of those who will use it to create the next thing. Human connection is exponential: It scales as we create it, weaving together culture and possibility where none used to exist. You have everything you need to make magic. You always have. Go make a ruckus.”

Remember that when he says “art,” he means what we are working, even in business. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

Author: Seth Godin

Copyright: 2020 Portfolio- Penguin an Imprint of Penguin Random House L.L.C.

Pages: 261

Price $26