Hey there. Tim here.
This week's newsletter is going to be short and sweet. We're at the midway point of creativity month, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the output of amazing work we are seeing from the Copyblogger community. Keep it up!
Top Content Marketing Resources
1. Do You Recognize these 10 Mental Blocks of Creative Thinking?
Brian Clark put together an EPIC blog post of the 10 mental blocks that keep us from doing our best creative work.
You're already capable of creative thinking at all times, but you have to strip away the imaginary mental blocks (or boxes) you've picked up along the way to wherever you are today.
I like to keep this list of 10 common ways we suppress our natural creative abilities nearby when I get stuck. It helps me realize that the barriers to a good idea are truly all in my head.
2. 5 Ways to Tap Into the Endless Wellspring of Creative Ideas
We're going to publish more content. Stick to a schedule. And, of course, make sure all of it is high-quality stuff that people actually want to read.
The first week or two are good … and then …
You fire up your WordPress dashboard. You click to add a post. And you spend more time than you want to admit staring at that depressing expanse of blank white space.
You don't have an idea. You don't know how or where to get an idea. And you really, really don't want to write this $#!& post today.
What do you do? When you're creative juices don't seem to be flowing', where can you draw your creativity from?
In this article, Sonia Simone teaches us how to tap into our creative reserves.
3. The Art of Creative Self Editing: From Basic to Brilliant Content
When a company fails to stand out, its marketing has a certain something less-ness going on. Its products or services blend in with all of the similar-looking options available.
This has nothing to do with the actual quality of a product or service. It's how prospects perceive the offer.
How do we take our creativity and use it to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the herd? We don't want to blend in, we want to stand out.
This is the way.
I've always enjoyed the honesty of Austin Kleon. His work is a brilliant example of the value of "building in public."
Austin publishes his good work as well as his bad work. He does something creative every day, and the process of making bad art can be just as valuable as making good art. Creativity doesn't come with an on and off switch. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of volume.
Crafting an original work of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction takes time, practice, and persistence. While there's no exact science to creative writing, these tips will help you get started.
Closing Thoughts
Last week, Brian gave me some great advice. He reminded me to "write as though I am writing for one person."
The creative journey is an uncomfortable one, because it forces us to be vulnerable. There is no such thing as safe creativity. There is no protection from the creative elements. Publishing your creative work means exposing yourself. That fear is what holds most of us back.
Next time you're having second thoughts about hitting the publish button, I encourage you think of the one person you're writing for.
Are you writing to your friend? A stranger? Yourself?
Write for one person and the rest will fall into place.
Talk to you next week.
Tim Stoddart
Copyblogger Media
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P.S. We love hearing from our readers. Feel free to hit reply and let me know what you think about the newsletter format, or ask questions about content marketing.
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