Gifted Underachievers

James has taken on a rational amount of work in the last several months, but some of the projects that have left his hands have entered new phases that require his magic touch.
Pat has current client work as well as non-optional personal projects, and all of these need her attention now.
When you’re in this situation, you really don’t have time for things that can throw you off: unnecessary phone calls and last-minute emergencies coming in from non-work sources force you to do ruthless triage or let your day get hijacked.
In this segment, the Gifted Underachievers discuss their systems and processes for managing multiple projects and delivering excellent results without letting any plates fall. Priority sequencing, task focus, and regular reviews of your project timelines are just a few of our techniques.
Questions for Listeners:
* How do you manage multiple projects?
* What’s your creative or creative adjacent field and what are your goals?
* What are your triage protocols for incoming life-related tasks?
Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book
Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!
For Further Exploration:
How to Manage Multiple Projects:
How to Build Systems to Actually Achieve Your Goals:
Visit the Gifted Underachiever Merch Shop
We have T-shirts, notebooks, hats, fridge magnets, mugs, and more. (Note: We’re working on getting free or low shipping in all countries!)
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Both of the Gifted Underachievers have personal lives as well as their professional creative and creative-adjacent work. We’ve both had careers in other industries before entering the writing arena—James as a journalist, and Pat as a logistics manager for international conferences and trade shows.
In this segment, we discuss how our backgrounds didn’t just teach us myriad skills that come in handy for running a creative business but also gave us the gift of perspective.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your background is a logical precursor to your creative work, here’s your answer.
Questions for Listeners:
* What have some of your previous jobs been?
* How did they prepare you for running a creative business?
* If you had to live your life over again, what would you change about your work trajectory?
Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book
Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!
For Further Exploration:
Your past doesn’t define your art career:
The importance of variety in a career: https://medium.com/@dialcortez/the-importance-of-variety-in-a-career-57ccb994cfe5
Want to Show Your Support for the Gifted Underachievers?
Visit the Gifted Underachiever Merch Shop
We have T-shirts, notebooks, hats, fridge magnets, mugs, and more. (Note: We’re working on getting free or low shipping in all countries!)
Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

In her creative-adjacent work as a developmental book editor and consultant, it is common for Pat to offer prospective clients a sample edit. In fact, it is her policy. In James’s work as a ghostwriter, it is common for prospective clients to ask him to produce a bit of sample writing.
The gifted underachievers agree that it’s important to help prospective clients perform their due diligence so they can decide who to work with on their creative project.
But looked at from another perspective, there’s free work involved. Essentially, clients are requesting (being offered, in Pat’s case) unpaid work on their project as part of evaluating who to work with.
And so, the question is: Work for free?
Well, it depends. Pat will do a sample edit with no obligation for either party to work with the other, while James says no to producing any writing before the contract is signed and some payment received.
We’re both experienced in our fields, we both have a solid base of clients. The difference turns out to be in our respective roles and where we enter a project’s development and execution.
Find out our policies around free work and why we do things the way we do.
Questions for Listeners:
* Will you do free work to get a gig?
* If yes, why?
* If no, why not?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book
Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!
For Further Exploration:
Should You Do Free Work?
How to Use Free Work to Get Clients
Dealing with Difficult Clients for Creative Professionals
Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No spam, unsubscribe any time.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Pat is on the verge of leaving for [undisclosed location] for a month-long writing vacation. Think of it as a self-sponsored writer’s residency without other people except for the very lovely locals.
However, with a busy and time-consuming creative adjacent business composed of numerous clients, incoming work proposals, and multiple deadlines, how is Pat creating the space to ensure this trip goes as planned?
That is what this segment is about: How to get away without burning down the proverbial house.
Questions for Listeners:
* Are you thinking of taking a creative retreat?
* How will you fund it?
* What do you need to do at work before you go?

Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book
Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!
For Further Exploration:
Sanity Saving Pre-Vacation Checklist for Solopreneurs
https://dawnmentzer.com/sanity-saving-pre-vacation-checklist-for-solopreneurs/#:~:text=Don’t%20only%20inform%20them,ample%20time%20to%20complete%20them.
Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. No spam, unsubscribe any time.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

The grant experiment has been a mixed success. Let’s just call it a near-failure. Let’s just call it a nightmare. James has applied with equanimity, while Dobes (Pat) has let the sheer amount of fruitless work involved get her down.
In this short segment, we talk about her resulting self-sabotage and learned helplessness, and what happened with a recent grant application she assumed would be an easy submission.
Mistakes were made, and the battle played out in public (more or less), in a sunny location at the public library.
Listen to discover a few tips and tricks for finishing those grant apps when the will is gone.
Questions for Listeners:
* Any success with grants in 2025 or in 2026 so far?
* Are you applying for grants and residencies? If yes, how’s it going? If no, what’s stopping you?
Buy us a Coffee and Win a Book
Here in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!
For Further Exploration:
The Marian Hebb Research Grant: https://www.acfoundation.ca/eligibility/
What you need to know to win grants in 2026: https://youtube.com/shorts/ScLz4On8j-Y?si=nNBg1c7nWjVnoMpL
Applying for Funding: Top Tips for Artists:
Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com