Jeff Goins is a full-time writer who lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, 2 children, and border collie. He is the author of four books, including the national best seller The Art of Work. His website, Goinswriter.com, has been visited by more than four million people from all over the world.

Snag Jeff’s book PLUS the bonuses at: EOFire.com/starve!

Subscribe to EOFire

Apple | Spotify | iHeart

Resources Mentioned:

• Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
• Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
• Goins Writer – Jeff’s website.
• Real Artists Don’t Starve – Jeff’s book.
• How to Finally Win – Create your dream life one step at a time!
• The Freedom Journal – Set and Accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days! Use the promo code ‘podcast’ for a special discount :)

3 Key Points:

1. Don’t write a book to be famous and rich, write a book because it needs to be written.
2. There is no lone genius—become a part of a group and reach out for help.
3. Starving and struggling as a creative is a choice; if you do the work, you will see the results.

Sponsors

• iStock: Cut through the market place with only authentic imagery by trying iStock today. Visit istockphoto.com/podcastfire and grab your code for 20% off any product!
• VideoBlocks: Looking for premium stock footage or a music track for your next big project? Visit VideoBlocks.com/fire for a 2 for 1 deal: get AudioBlocks for free when you sign up for your $149 VideoBlocks subscription!

Time Stamped Show Notes

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)

• [01:13] – Jeff is a writer who has been helping other writers for the past five years
• [01:24] – Jeff has learned what it takes to be a creative and to be in business
• [01:53] – Jeff has been a guest on Episodes 454, 877 and 1180 of EOFire!
• [02:11] – Jeff’s latest book is Real Artists Don’t Starve
• [02:29] – Jeff thinks people write books for the wrong reasons
  • [02:54] – Original book ideas are not true – you might not have done your homework or there is no demand for it
  • [03:14] – It’s wrong to write books to be rich and famous
  • [03:28] – “Write a book because it needs to be written”
• [03:52] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: The seven years of sitting on the couch before becoming an entrepreneur and believing in the myth of the “starving artist”
• [04:12] – Jeff wrote the book because he keeps running into two different groups of people:
  • [04:17] – Starving artists and aspiring entrepreneurs that have great ideas but lack the confidence and the mindset to succeed
  • [04:36] – Thriving artists who are killing it
  • [05:01] – Jeff believes that being a starving artist is no longer a necessary condition for one to do their art
• [05:16] – JLD says that you need to have the mindset of abundance and do what you need to do to be a thriving artist
• [06:04] – Check out EOFire.com/starve!
• [06:33] – The 2016 SNAAP report shows that over 80% of those who studied a creative field are satisfied with their job
  • [07:26] – 87% have the opportunity to be creative at their jobs
  • [07:30] – 87% are doing things that reflect their values
  • [07:37] – 89% are overall satisfied with their jobs
  • [07:50] – Jeff says the story you believe to be true, tends to be true
• [08:01] – Jeff does book launches through pre-order
  • [08:15] – Pre-order bonuses help get the book into the hands of people and make it spread faster
  • [08:36] – If you get the book through EOFire.com/starve, you can get an online video course from Jeff for free, plus the interview transcripts, and you can join the online community!
• [09:53] – JLD shares that people who took creative majors in college are often ridiculed as not having “real jobs”
• [10:30] – There is a misconception that anyone who took a creative major will end up being poor and miserable
• [11:01] – For those who make millions in revenue, it does NOT mean they have large profits
• [12:06] – Keith Sawyer wrote the book, Group Genius, where the idea of the lone genius is debunked
  • [12:51] – J.R.R. Tolkien was part of a literary group called the Inklings
  • [13:11] – Tolkien just finished writing The Hobbit and he asked his friend, C.S. Lewis, out to lunch to confide about his new book
  • [14:07] – It was Lewis who told Tolkien that hobbits are only interesting when they are not in their comfort zone and thus, The Lord of the Rings was written
  • [14:46] – Tolkien would not have written the book without the help of his group
  • [15:05] – There is no one creative genius that was not part of a group in some form or another
• [15:30] – JLD quotes Jeff – “Thriving artists don’t make art to make money, they make money to make more art”
• [16:35] – Jeff experienced being a starving artist and began to learn about the possibility of earning money
  • [17:31] – Jeff started to look for books on how not be a starving artist and there were many, but he could not find a book like the one that he wanted to write
  • [18:02] – Jeff’s book is like a manual for how to be an artist in today’s society
• [19:10] – Michelangelo was the richest artist of the Renaissance
  • [19:17] – Rab Hatfield discovered the bank accounts of Michelangelo and he tried to date the parts of the painting at the Sistine Chapel to the bank accounts
  • [20:27] – Michelangelo has a fortune worth over 50 million dollars
  • [20:43] – Michelangelo was not a lone genius
  • [20:54] – Michelangelo was a construction foreman and he had other people working for him
  • [21:22] – Michelangelo had a portfolio of work – he was a sculptor, painter, and architect
  • [22:17] – Michelangelo did not do it for the money, he was a master craftsman
• [22:41] – People can sense if you are creating for money or for the art
• [23:46] – You do not have to be broke for your passion – that is a choice
• [24:31] – If you are struggling, that is your choice. If you do the work, you are going to see results and your art will thrive
• [25:01] – Go to EOFire.com/starve for a special offer and snag Jeff’s book!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!

Subscribe to EOFire!