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The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

  • Downloads：1351
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-07 06:56:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Seth Godin
  • ISBN：0593328973
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

From the bestselling author of Linchpin， Tribes， and The Dip comes an elegant little book that will inspire artists， writers， and entrepreneurs to stretch and commit to putting their best work out into the world。

Creative work doesn't come with a guarantee。 But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn't。 And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward。

Based on the breakthrough Akimbo workshop pioneered by legendary author Seth Godin， The Practice will help you get unstuck and find the courage to make and share creative work。 Godin insists that writer's block is a myth， that consistency is far more important than authenticity， and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you're a well-adjusted human。 Most of all， he shows you what it takes to turn your passion from a private distraction to a productive contribution， the one you've been seeking to share all along。

With this book as your guide， you'll learn to dance with your fear。 To take the risks worth taking。 And to embrace the empathy required to make work that contributes with authenticity and joy。

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Reviews

Nyambura ，

Not my usual thing and quite odd to listen to because there's little cohesion。Contemplated getting the e-book （from the library！） but life's too short after reading less than glowing reviews。 Not my usual thing and quite odd to listen to because there's little cohesion。Contemplated getting the e-book （from the library！） but life's too short after reading less than glowing reviews。 。。。more

Sarah Bereza ，

Excellent。

Wendolyn Lea ，

Practical， get-up-&-go advice。 Another golden nugget from Mr。 Godin。

Mar Antunes ，

Everyone who is feeling stuck should read this book！

Janisse Ray ，

For a self-help book， this gets 5 stars。 As a creative always seeking motivation and a profound reason to keep writing about the environment （in the face of not-good news）， I found many great ideas here。 Seth Godin just pounds again and again that what matters is showing up and doing the work， what he calls "the practice，" without thinking about outcome。 You just do the work。 The word "shipping" in the title was quite confusing at first， especially because my husband is an oil painter and he's a For a self-help book， this gets 5 stars。 As a creative always seeking motivation and a profound reason to keep writing about the environment （in the face of not-good news）， I found many great ideas here。 Seth Godin just pounds again and again that what matters is showing up and doing the work， what he calls "the practice，" without thinking about outcome。 You just do the work。 The word "shipping" in the title was quite confusing at first， especially because my husband is an oil painter and he's always shipping work。 When Godin says "shipping，" think "doing。" It means shipping it from the inside of you to the outside of you。 Showing up and shipping it。 I finished this book this morning & took lots of notes， including some mantras to post above my desk in my studio。 I wish I owned this copy and didn't have to return it to the library。 I have a feeling I'll need to read it a few more times。 Now， let's get busy shipping。 。。。more

Varun Srinivasan ，

This book reminded me of The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday。 Seth Godin takes us through hundreds of short proses based on his collected wisdom through experience， meeting new people， founding companies and more importantly observing the world around him from a different perspective。 Some of the content in the book repeats itself probably to push the point harder on us。 I’d suggest reading the book a few pages a day over the course of a few months。 Whenever I see the word practice， I get reminded o This book reminded me of The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday。 Seth Godin takes us through hundreds of short proses based on his collected wisdom through experience， meeting new people， founding companies and more importantly observing the world around him from a different perspective。 Some of the content in the book repeats itself probably to push the point harder on us。 I’d suggest reading the book a few pages a day over the course of a few months。 Whenever I see the word practice， I get reminded of the famous proverb “Practice makes a man perfect” - ignoring the focus on gender， this book enables us to “work” on ourselves， our skills and our actions。 Seth argues that the path forward is about curiosity， generosity and connection。 As humans， we must strive to do that in order to create new things for the common good going forward。 。。。more

Eduard Ingles ，

Great book to understand creativity

Andrew Connell ，

Had to bail on this one… love Seth’s books， but a good 30% into this and it felt very repetitive and fluffy。

Brian ，

Everyone loves this author so much that I thought， "I should give it a shot。" I'll say I found some nuggets， but I found myself always forcing things to pick it up and read。 Just 'meh' for me。 Everyone loves this author so much that I thought， "I should give it a shot。" I'll say I found some nuggets， but I found myself always forcing things to pick it up and read。 Just 'meh' for me。 。。。more

Alexander Kelley ，

This one took a lot longer to get through than some of his other books but it's a kick in the pants when you are done。 This one took a lot longer to get through than some of his other books but it's a kick in the pants when you are done。 。。。more

Gavin ，

There was no arc， no aha moment， no true focus， just a load of micro-chapters （almost as many chapters as pages: 222 vs。 261） which were fun at first but grew tedious， like hiking 10 miles on stepping stones。Godin's point is that if you have an idea， just do it， and "the magic" will arise from your generous gift of simply doing。 Godin doesn't wait until his own ideas are perfect to write a book; he writes utilitarian blog posts and then turns them into books。 His advice is sage， even if repeated There was no arc， no aha moment， no true focus， just a load of micro-chapters （almost as many chapters as pages: 222 vs。 261） which were fun at first but grew tedious， like hiking 10 miles on stepping stones。Godin's point is that if you have an idea， just do it， and "the magic" will arise from your generous gift of simply doing。 Godin doesn't wait until his own ideas are perfect to write a book; he writes utilitarian blog posts and then turns them into books。 His advice is sage， even if repeated 222 times， and perhaps the fault is my own: Godin is a self-help author and what I indeed got was nuts and bolts and mantras。 If I wanted art I should have turned to a novelist。 。。。more

Noah Nelson11 Noahelson11 Noahelson11 ，

You don't need la and see if he has a new I would do。 Edit and the post has been posted on here as a link for your comment karma and I don't want the link to make a post on my account uu and it doesn't contain1the comments You don't need la and see if he has a new I would do。 Edit and the post has been posted on here as a link for your comment karma and I don't want the link to make a post on my account uu and it doesn't contain1the comments 。。。more

Simon ，

Some great anecdotes and tips here and there， but the lack of an overall narrative made it difficult and uninteresting to digest。

James Chou ，

Good book and good advices for work and delivering quality work。 The only problem with it is that you can't remember all the good advices which means I'll have to buy the book eventually。 A small downside to the otherwise well thought out book that will help people focus in reaching their goals and become better in their work/life。 Good book and good advices for work and delivering quality work。 The only problem with it is that you can't remember all the good advices which means I'll have to buy the book eventually。 A small downside to the otherwise well thought out book that will help people focus in reaching their goals and become better in their work/life。 。。。more

Ariffa Hosein ，

I'd like to swoon a little。 This book was exactly what I needed， when I needed it。 It was more than inspirational and motivational。 Seth Godin's points really made me sit up and pay attention to my craft。 How am I spending my time？ How do I work with intention？ What matters so that I focus on process and leave outcome to take on a life of its own （or not）？ Now I want more from myself and for myself。 I don't want to delay any longer。 What I was ambivalent about before has either gone straight int I'd like to swoon a little。 This book was exactly what I needed， when I needed it。 It was more than inspirational and motivational。 Seth Godin's points really made me sit up and pay attention to my craft。 How am I spending my time？ How do I work with intention？ What matters so that I focus on process and leave outcome to take on a life of its own （or not）？ Now I want more from myself and for myself。 I don't want to delay any longer。 What I was ambivalent about before has either gone straight into the 'Keep' or 'Discard' pile。 No more waffling。 I can probably still refine my goals a lot more but I'm much more satisfied than before。 I can't say enough good things about this book。 I just hope that anyone who commits to themselves and to their community， gets as much out Godin's words as I have。 。。。more

Yukiko Mosseila ，

Very very useful for an ignorant for me。 Most of the points in this book is something that we actually know but never realized it was a thing。 I am so glad I read this book before I even turn 20。 I feel like this can help my future a lot。Reading this book feels like listening to a really good podcast basically。

Michele Block ，

I read one entry every day this year in order to savor the messages。 I’ve highlighted， underlined， notated， & dog-eared so many pages。 I will return to this book & its wisdom when I need to be reminded to ship my work。

Qian Jin ，

A book inspires you to do the thing that you have been thinking about doing for a long time。

Shane Fozard ，

This is a great book for anyone that wants to become more disciplined， show up more often for themselves， and who might feel stuck with the mundane， daily habits， such as working on your craft each day。This book complements other books such as Steven Pressfield's The War of Art， Cal Newport's Deep Work & Ryan Holiday's Ego is the Enemy。The main message is that you need to fall in love with the daily practice， not the glorified big outcome you are waiting to create。 This is a great book for anyone that wants to become more disciplined， show up more often for themselves， and who might feel stuck with the mundane， daily habits， such as working on your craft each day。This book complements other books such as Steven Pressfield's The War of Art， Cal Newport's Deep Work & Ryan Holiday's Ego is the Enemy。The main message is that you need to fall in love with the daily practice， not the glorified big outcome you are waiting to create。 。。。more

Lacy ，

So freaking excellent。 I spent about 6 months with this book， reading its small & brilliant sections each morning before heading to the computer。 A book about creating & shipping creative work。 Nearly every line a bombshell。

Kris ，

‘The Practice’ is a wonderful generous bookI’m a big fan of Seth Godin。 I’ve read many of his books and plan to read them all。 The Practice immediately inspired me to reread it， which isn’t something I do very often （but may get in the habit of doing now）。 Thoughtful and beautifully crafted， reading this book helped me create a new set of pictures for myself about how to proceed in my own practice。 Thank you for all that you give， Seth。

Mark Fallon ，

Mixed feelings on this book – and I’m not sure if it’s the writing or my mental attitude。 I agree with Godin about the importance of process。 However， I feel he gives short shrift to power and importance of inspiration。 Maybe that’s the problem with this book – it didn’t inspire me at all。

Chris ，

Consumed in audiobook form。 The format of the "book" really isn't for me but I figured I'd finish it。 Each chapter is a handful of paragraphs， so each chapter is basically what page number you are on。Some interesting stuff in there though。 If it wasn't the audiobook form I probably would've bailed on it。 Consumed in audiobook form。 The format of the "book" really isn't for me but I figured I'd finish it。 Each chapter is a handful of paragraphs， so each chapter is basically what page number you are on。Some interesting stuff in there though。 If it wasn't the audiobook form I probably would've bailed on it。 。。。more

Cherie In the Dooryard ，

This is the first time I've read anything by Godin and it was。。。terrible。 If you what you want is a privileged white boy motivation on work， then Cal Newport does it better and provides research-based evidence。 If what you want is a dreamy creative pep-talk， Elizabeth Gilbert does it better and provides more interesting stories。 If what you want is empty platitudes and declarations base don nothing， then I guess Godin is for you。 This is the first time I've read anything by Godin and it was。。。terrible。 If you what you want is a privileged white boy motivation on work， then Cal Newport does it better and provides research-based evidence。 If what you want is a dreamy creative pep-talk， Elizabeth Gilbert does it better and provides more interesting stories。 If what you want is empty platitudes and declarations base don nothing， then I guess Godin is for you。 。。。more

A。M。 ，

Wrestling with the kobo app again， sighs。 I think the real issue with this title is that I bought it in an ebook format。 [Regardless of my deep and abiding issues with Kobo。]As many others have noted， it feels like a disjointed set of blog posts; to read it from cover to cover is not easy。It seems like the kind of title that if you were having a problem， and you picked up the paperback and just randomly opened it to a page， that there would be good helpful advice on that page。 But with an ebook， Wrestling with the kobo app again， sighs。 I think the real issue with this title is that I bought it in an ebook format。 [Regardless of my deep and abiding issues with Kobo。]As many others have noted， it feels like a disjointed set of blog posts; to read it from cover to cover is not easy。It seems like the kind of title that if you were having a problem， and you picked up the paperback and just randomly opened it to a page， that there would be good helpful advice on that page。 But with an ebook， you can't do that。I also expected something very different from the cute little book trailers I saw prior to the release。3 how do I even rate this stars 。。。more

Kelvin Yeong ，

It is not a bad book but it is hard for me to pick it up and continue reading。 It actually doesn't feel like a book but a few hundred short blog posts being put together。 Putting that aside， it gives some interesting ideas on how to accomplish a simple task which is so hard to do persistently， GET IT STARTED AND GET IT GOING。 It is not a bad book but it is hard for me to pick it up and continue reading。 It actually doesn't feel like a book but a few hundred short blog posts being put together。 Putting that aside， it gives some interesting ideas on how to accomplish a simple task which is so hard to do persistently， GET IT STARTED AND GET IT GOING。 。。。more

Lanre Dahunsi ，

The Practice is based on the Akimbo Creative Workshop pioneered by author Seth Godin。 Seth insists that writer’s block is a myth， that consistency is far more important than authenticity， and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you’re a well-adjusted human。“The practice doesn’t care when you decide to become an artist。 What simply matters is that you decide。 Whether or not your mom is involved in the decision。”Favorite takeaways – The Practice by Seth Godin:The industrial econ The Practice is based on the Akimbo Creative Workshop pioneered by author Seth Godin。 Seth insists that writer’s block is a myth， that consistency is far more important than authenticity， and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you’re a well-adjusted human。“The practice doesn’t care when you decide to become an artist。 What simply matters is that you decide。 Whether or not your mom is involved in the decision。”Favorite takeaways – The Practice by Seth Godin:The industrial economy BrainwashingThe industrial economy demands it。 It prods us to consumption and obedience。 We trust the system and the people we work for to give us what we need， as long as we’re willing to continue down the path they’ve set out for us。 We were all brainwashed from a very early age to accept this dynamic and to be part of it。The deal is simple: follow the steps and you’ll get the outcome the system promised you。 It might not be easy， but with effort， just about anyone can do it”So we focus on the outcome because that’s how we know we followed the steps properly。 The industrial system that brainwashed us demands that we focus on outcomes to prove we followed the recipe。 That priority makes sense if the reliable， predictable outcome really matters and the payoff is truly guaranteed。The industrial system we all live in is outcome-based。 It’s about guaranteed productivity in exchange for soul-numbing， predirected labor。 But if we choose to look for it， there’s a different journey available to us。 This is the path followed by those who seek change， who want to make things better。Trust Your SelfAt the heart of the creative’s practice is trust: the difficult journey to trust in your self ， the often hidden self， the unique human each of us lives with。 See the pattern， find your practice， and you can begin to live the process of making magic。 Your magic。 The magic that we need right now。 Learning to Juggle“Learning requires a simple insight: catching the ball isn’t the point。”People who fail to learn to juggle always fail because they’re lunging to catch the next ball。 But once you lunge for a ball， you’re out of position for the next throw， and then the whole thing falls apart。Practicing how to throw。 Getting good at throwing。 If you get good enough at throwing， the catching takes care of itself。It turns out that all this dropping is the hardest part for someone who is learning to juggle。 It makes them really uncomfortable to throw a ball and then stand there as it drops to the ground。 The desire for outcome is deeply ingrained， and for some， this is the moment where they give up。 They simply can’t bear a process that willingly ignores the outcome。Our work is about throwing。 The catching can take care of itself。 The Story （and the Choice）Most of the time， the story we live by came from somewhere。 It might be the way we were raised， or it could be the outcome of a series of events。 Burn yourself on the stove and you might persuade yourself that you should go nowhere near a stove。 Grow up in a home with low expectations and it’s possible you’ll begin to believe them。 The story we tell ourselves leads to the actions we take。If you want to change your story， change your actions first。 When we choose to act a certain way， our mind can’t help but rework our narrative to make those actions become coherent。 We become what we do。The Process and the OutcomeFocusing solely on outcomes forces us to make choices that are banal， short-term， or selfish。 It takes our focus away from the journey and encourages us to give up too early。The practice of choosing creativity persists。 It’s a commitment to a process， not simply the next outcome on the list。 We do this work for a reason， but if we triangulate the work we do and focus only on the immediate outcome， our practice will fall apart。Reassurance is futile—and focusing on outcomes at the expense of process is a shortcut that will destroy your work。 Start Where You AreIdentity fuels action， and action creates habits， and habits are part of a practice， and a practice is the single best way to get to where you seek to go。 Before you are a “bestselling author，” you’re an author， and authors write。 Before you are an “acclaimed entrepreneur，” you’re simply someone who is building something。“I am _______ but they just don’t realize it yet” is totally different from “I’m not _______ because they didn’t tell me I was。” Toward a Daily Practice in Service of Your Identity“Do the work， become the artist。 Instead of planning， simply become。 Acting as if is how we acquire identity。”Writing is a universal solvent for creatives。 Painters， entrepreneurs， therapists， circus acts—each of us can write our story down， a permanent record of how we see the world and how we will change the world。 Blog every day。 It’s easy， it’s free， and it establishes your identity long before the market cares about who you are and what you do。“Writers write。 Runners run。 Establish your identity by doing your work。”“So Far” and “Not Yet”You haven’t reached your goals （so far）。You’re not as good at your skill as you want to be （not yet）。You are struggling to find the courage to create （so far）。This is fabulous news。 It’s been going on since you were a kid。 Something isn’t there when you want it （or need it） but then it is。 Persistent and consistent effort over time can yield results。“So far” and “not yet” are the foundation of every successful journey。Hoarding Is ToxicHoarding your voice is based on the false assumption that you need to conserve your insight and generosity or else you’ll run out of these qualities。 Hoarding is a way to hide from the fear of being insufficient。 Hoarding isolates you from the people who count on you and need you the most。A scarcity mindset simply creates more scarcity， because you’re isolating yourself from the circle of people who can cheer you on and challenge you to produce more。WorryingWorrying is the quest for a guarantee， all so we can find the confidence to press on。 It’s an endless search for a promise: the outcome will be worth the effort we put into the process。 Worrying is impossible without attachment。 No one worries about the weather on Saturn， because no one is counting on the weather to be a certain way。Talent Is Not the Same as SkillTalent is something we’re born with: it’s in our DNA， a magical alignment of gifts。 But skill？ Skill is earned。 It’s learned and practiced and hard-won。It’s insulting to call a professional talented。 She’s skilled， first and foremost。 Many people have talent， but only a few care enough to show up fully， to earn their skill。 Skill is rarer than talent。 Skill is earned。 Skill is available to anyone who cares enough。Sunk Costs and Your PracticeIf the practice you’ve developed isn’t getting you what you are after， you can politely walk away from it。 If the audience you’ve worked so hard to build trust with is making it clear that your vision doesn’t match theirs， you can move on。 It’s fine to experience regret when we abandon a sunk cost。 It’s a mistake to stick with one simply because we can’t bear the regret。A Roundup of Tips and Tricks for CreatorsBuild streaks。 Do the work every single day。 Blog daily。 Write daily。 Ship daily。 Show up daily。 Find your streak and maintain it。Talk about your streaks to keep honest。Seek the smallest viable audience。 Make it for someone， not everyone。Avoid shortcuts。 Seek the most direct path instead。Find and embrace genre。Seek out desirable difficulty。Don’t talk about your dreams with people who want to protect you from heartache。 To Be Great Requires Embracing NeglectHumans have even more trouble with superpowers than organizations do， because there’s just one of you， and one of me。 That means that if you’re going to over-index for something， you’re simply going to have to under-index for something else。Fortunately， it’s now possible to easily outsource many of the things you’re not very good at， so that you can simulate a level of sanity and professionalism to the outside world。 But first， each of us must choose。 Choose the skill we’re going to assert to the outside world。Even if it comes at the cost of neglecting some of the work you used to do that， in the end， was simply a distraction。“You have everything you need to make magic。 You always have。 Go make a ruckus。” 。。。more

Kerri D ，

Quite a lot of good points in short fashion。 Recommend if you're looking for some inspiration to make a change。 Quite a lot of good points in short fashion。 Recommend if you're looking for some inspiration to make a change。 。。。more

Cheryl Johnson ，

Seth Godin continues to inspire and challenge me with the latest edition to his canon of wisdom。 I love that he never lets us off the hook。 （And I also love the limited-edition playing cards。 Thank you for making a customer feel special， Penguin Magic！）

Nicole ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The type of book if read at the right time brings clarity and ways to move forward with ideas/projects。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Practice: Shipping Creative Work&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Practice: Shipping Creative Work&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0