On book 2 and skills.

In December of 2020, I published my first book Aquafunkapus and the Macrocosm of Mayhem.

After publishing book number one, the next step was to begin working on publishing book number 2. On September 19th, I published book number two, Up the Nose and Backed out Again. Fall in Love Saves the World.

Here is what I learned. First, when you self-publish, you have to wear several hats. The Artist. The Project Manager. The Executive Director.

The artist comes up with the idea; the project manager sets deadlines, develops the writing schedule, makes sure the artist sticks to the writing schedule, and makes adjustments along the way. Finally, The Executive Director handles the editing, budgeting, publishing, and marketing of the book.

My ability to publish a book is tied to what I do daily in my career. As a school administrator, I interview potential teachers, review educators, design academic programs, mediate disputes between teachers, parents, and students, manage budgets, hold people to deadlines, manage performance, mentor, and a slew of other items.

As a leader, my job depends on my ability to process information quickly and make decisions in real time. Often these decisions come in crisis moments.

The skills and competencies crossed over when I needed to interview and hire an editor to navigate the publishing various publishing platforms, landing pages, email list providers, book covers, and making decisions on what to include in the story and what to take out. In addition, the ability to hold myself accountable to deadlines, goals, and say no to me when I didn't want to write was crucial to the book getting published.

Each day I encounter articles or stories about people who leave their jobs and make millions on their own or the freedom and independence that come from running your own business. I don't want to take away from entrepreneurship. Heck, I consider myself an entrepreneur. I am building my own creative business. I wish to point out that our current careers and occupations teach us many lessons that we should pay attention to. If we need to pay attention to the gifts they bring to us. Our years in school, from elementary school to college, into careers gave us skills and competencies that will make us successful in any ventures that we pursue.

Careers, jobs, education can be frustrating, maddening, and even discouraging, but give yourself some space to reframe.

The career or your day job is not the enemy of your creative life. Your career, job, or education should be viewed as a contributing partner to your success as a creative.

For me, after publishing book number 2, the next step is book number 3. It is called Aquafunkapus and the Showdown with Satan, and I am working on it now.