We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dave Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

There’s an undoubtedly romanticized vision of frustrated artists seeking their muse that’s not much at all what it’s like to be a full-time professional creator. The writing version of this is “writer’s block” and if you talk to pro writers, you’ll find that almost none of them have this issue. Graphic artists fire up their digital tools and get to work. Potters throw their clay (onto the wheel, that is!) and even videographers just push REC and start talking about what’s happening. In that light, I love being a creative because I’m always bursting with ideas and can pursue as many of them as I desire in a given day. Does it maximize revenue? No, but at the end of your career journey are you going to measure success based on the money in the bank and the stuff in your driveway, or by the days, weeks, years of happiness you had doing fun and interesting things? For me, it’s unquestionably the latter option.

I’ve worked in big corporations too, from Defense contractors to enormous tech firms and even a global publishing house. While there’s a lot to be said for the stability of a steady paycheck and the camaraderie of fellow workers, it’s essentially impossible to be creative while working for The Man (or Woman). As with so much in life, it’s a trade-off. If you want to be done at 5:01pm each weekday, “regular” jobs are a win. Me? If I’m caught up in something interesting, I want to keep working at it until it feels like I’ve hit a milestone, not worry about the clock.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my career as a software developer, first with a Defense contractor then with a major tech firm. Gradually, though, I realized that I was far more interested in how people communicate and how to create better systems and software to facilitate clear and effective communications. Since then I’ve worked in academia – I’m currently a professor at the University of Denver – but mostly focused on running my own media entities, from my popular AskDaveTaylor tech Q&A website to my AskDaveTaylor YouTube channel where I check out the latest gear and gadgets. On the side I work with local entrepreneurs from traditionally underrepresented communities to help them realize their own dreams of building and owning a business, whether it’s a food truck, a cool invention, or even just a new way to clean an apartment.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

While the rise of the Internet and social media has given us astonishingly powerful communications opportunities, it’s also made it harder to ignore everyone else and be true to yourself. From Instagram to Facebook, Snapchat to TikTok, too much of our energy is now focused on “keeping up appearances”, which is typically to the detriment of being present and enjoying our activities. Does your meal taste any better because you shared photos of it? Is the twenty minutes you spend posing and editing images before you post your daily BReal really helping others learn about the real you?

I’ve had to go through this same unlearning process, even as I try to stay plugged into social media. Used to be, I would share a lot of my personal life with my digital friends, hoping for one more like and another retweet, but nowadays I’m happy to read about my friends and peers, but much more interested in doing what I want to do rather than what I think will be popular on social media.

The lesson? Be true to yourself in your work and creative endeavors, even if it’s not hugely popular in the online world.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m going to be a contrarian here because I find that most business and self-help books are banal, obvious, and ridiculously padded to turn a 30 page idea into a 250 page title. I know, I’ve written a couple of books in this category and distinctly remember getting an email from my “Dummies Guide” editor saying I needed to add another 25+ pages to my title so it hits their page requirements. Did I have 25 more pages of content to add? Not really. Did we manage to fill those pages with content? Of course we did.

Instead of looking for self-aggrandizing YouTubers and “business consultants” then, just talk to regular folk. Ask the guy who runs the local Subway how he got started and how franchise life is treating him, and the gal who has a boutique clothing store in the mall. Ask friends of your parents about their business journeys and what they did right and would have done differently if they had the benefit of prescience. Join a networking group not to get more business but to meet people who might just have enlightening and inspirational stories to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.askdavetaylor.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetaylor
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/davetaylor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/askdavetaylor