c&p #1: Who is it for?

Who is it for?

On the surface, that’s a perfectly innocent, seemingly innocuous question. A simple line with a simple answer.

But dig a little deeper and it turns out this simple question is the gateway standing between you and a successful exchange.

“Who is it for?” requires you to know not only the recipient, but also the content and the context of whatever you’re expressing.

“Who is it for?” means that you understand what that thing is, and you’re trying to find the right person to give it to.

“Who is it for?”, when answered correctly, means that you might have something that matches exactly with the person who needs it the most.

“Who is it for?” is something you can create art towards, in hopes that you can express yourself and communicate in the right way to the right person.

The things we create, art or otherwise, inherently have a purpose. And to create is to be of service to your fellow human.

Whether that’s through the vehicle of inspiration, motivation, or even just letting someone mentally escape for a few seconds in their busy day, the art we make ultimately serves others, even if it seems like we’re only serving ourselves. Creation is a generous act.

And to know who you are serving is the ultimate form of focus when it comes to making something.

When I used to do Product Design, we used a technique called a “Persona”. A Persona is a broad collection of information about a particular subset of people, amalgamated into a singular representative — a person, a persona, to represent the entire group.

Using a set of Persona’s when creating anything allows you to tailor your creation to the recipients’ experience. It allows you to speak their unique language. It allows more avenues of perspective to latch on to. But most importantly, it allows us to feel empathy for others, providing a greater opportunity for connection.

And isn’t that what art and creativity are all about? Expression IS connection. Ultimately, we create things so we can be heard. But if you’re speaking different languages, then the dance of interpretation is a lot harder than it could be.

So, “Who is it for?”. When I was thinking of creating this newsletter, I was thinking about a creative person who loves to improve themselves. Someone who expresses themselves, solves problems, or ventures out where others haven’t. Someone who has the feeling of art and service and generosity in their hearts.

But it’s a confusing time right now for creative people, and just the mere act of making anything in 2023 comes with so much baggage: “is this art? or is this content?”, “which social media platform do I post this on?”, “how does anyone make money doing what they love?”. Not to mention the mental fatigue of social pressure, anxiety, and stress that comes along with all of that. Heck, most creative people cant even figure out whether to call themselves a “creative”, or a “creator”, or a “content creator”, or an “artist”.

I’m with you. This stuff is tough. And I want to talk about it.

This newsletter is my attempt at enabling you as much as possible to thrive as a person whose passion it is to make things, regardless of what it is that you make. And it’s my hope that I can make something here that helps you make even more considerate, thoughtful, and expressive things in the future.

Like all things in life, work, and our passions, this is a work in progress. But I’m stoked to be of service to you, and I’m stoked that we get to share part of our journey together.

Let me know if there’s anything you’d specifically like me to talk about when it comes to the creative journey by replying back to this email or hitting me up on my socials below.

Thanks for being here on day 1, we’ll get into it deep from next week.

— Pat