We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Raham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
If I were to start over today I would network more. I would spend more time in marketing. One thing that many writers do is hone their writing craft, which is absolutely necessary, however if you don’t network and market your work then no one will read it. You must work on getting as many eyes and the right eyes on you and your work.
Ryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Ultimately I got into this industry because I have a love for stories. I love telling stories, watching stories, and reading stories. My passion for life and meaning flows into my work. I love experiencing the wide range of human emotion to the fullest extent. My stories will make readers laugh the type of laugh that makes you unable to breath and they will make you cry tears of heartbreak. I am most proud of myself for not quitting and putting myself and my work out there to be judged by the world.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think non-creatives struggle to understand is that creativity can be difficult, but not in the ways most people think. Non-creatives often say to me something along the lines of, “Ryan I don’t know how you are creative my mind doesn’t work like that.” I typically respond by saying, “Yes it does, just think about something and follow that thought to its natural end.” For example, even if it is the middle of summer and over 100 degrees we can all still imagine what it would feel like if it was freezing and 0 degrees. So when non-creatives have a thought, do not let it slip away, take it further until the idea ends, then pick out the good parts of the idea and leave the bad.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I knew about Reedsy.com it helps with writing, marketing, editing, and everything a writer needs to get started.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://a.co/d/dyVWsV1
Image Credits
Ryan Sims Photography