Episode 142—Jeff Goins on Amateurism, Clarity, and the Myth of the Starving Artist

Jeff Goins
Jeff Goins, author of Real Artists Don’t Starve, came by The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Photo credit Ashley Goins

By Brendan O’Meara

“You’ve gotta find new ways to have fun in old things.” —Jeff Goins, @JeffGoins.

All right, it’s The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where I talk to badass writers, producers, and filmmakers about the art and craft of telling true stories, how they got to where they are, how the cope with crippling self-doubt, and the routines they enlist to get the work done. I’m your host Brendan O’Meara and today’s episode is a tight 30, man.

When you get somebody like Jeff Goins on the show, author of a quintillion blog posts and several books, including Real Artists Don’t Starve, you adhere to the time allotment. So this was a tight window, but I think it’s packed with great stuff. Amazing what you can get done in a tight window if you focus and don’t dither.

So, yes, a little house keeping is in order, as it usually is. You know where to subscribe to the show, don’t you? If you want to be in the know and get a little blip of goodness every CNFriday, subscribe on  Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast/Play Music, Spotify, and Stitcher. That’s enough I think.

Yes, Jeff Goins is here and he’s the author of The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve and he sits in that Steven Pressfield/Seth Godin/Austin Kleon space of empowering you to make a go of it. We talk about how he was read the dictionary as a kid and breaking down the barriers between who we think the geniuses are (they’re more like us than we think), and a lot more. He’s @JeffGoins on Twitter and visit goinswriter.com for all sorts of goodies and to buy a bunch of his stuff.

Books by Jeff Goins

You Are a Writer So Start Acting Like One
Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age
The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Are Supposed to Do
The In Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing 
Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life

That’s it, friends, here’s me and Jeff Goins:

Nothing wrong with a tight 30, right? It has a different vibe to it, but it’s no less valuable.

Thanks to Jeff, go check him out on the socials and thanks to our sponsors in Goucher College and Bay Path University tag teaming this Royal Rumble.

Be sure to give the show a follow across the socials, but more important, share it with a friend. You are the social network. Reviews are nice and welcome, but if you share it with your people, that means more. Tag me @BrendanOMeara and @CNFPod on Twitter, @cnfpod on Instagram and The Creative Nonfiction Podcast on Facebook. I’ll jump in the fire with you.

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