Gifted Underachievers

Pat and James explore how creatives can be more prone to feelings of helplessness due to the subjectivity of success as a creative, constant rejection, and the systems we exist within. And then, the Gifted Underachievers explore ways to push back to regain our not just our sense but actual agency.
Questions for Listeners:
* Have you had a ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ moment that felt overwhelming?
* How did you overcome it?
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 Live a Creative Life: Dr. Ray Hsu
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Visit the Gifted Underachiever Merch Shop
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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

“Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody’s willing to do anything about it.” With this agreed, Pat and James discuss their rather different strategies for handling the winter season and its ills—limited daylight, cold weather, depression, anxiety, the impact of an exhausting December, and the urge to hibernate. The takeaway? Check out Kath Montstream and the Red Hot Chilly Dippers, who LOVE being outside in the January cold.
Questions for Listeners:
* What’s YOUR season of discontent?
* Do you have any tips for handling it?
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:
Red Hot Chilly Dippers on Instagram: ttps://www.instagram.com/redhotchillydippers?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
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!)
If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.



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

Submissions to literary mags can involve lots of rules, lots of waiting, and lots of rejection. Writers send their bright jewels of stories into the void to live or die on their literary merits, or on the hope that they’ll align with the magazine’s aesthetic.
But what if there’s a way to spice things up? What if we told them how we’ll help sell copies, so that we’re pitching not just our stories but also our platforms, connections, and willingness to pay for ads?
With nonfiction, if your platform is relevant to your piece’s content, it’s good to mention it. But with fiction, the consensus seems to be that literary mags evaluate submissions based on merit alone. It’s the quality of your writing that matters, not your reach or your marketing skills.
In this bold new experiment, Gifted Underachiever James is willing to risk his literary reputation to find out if that’s true.
Questions for Listeners:
* Would you ever pitch your platform to a literary mag?
* Or does it cheapen the whole affair?
* Are there parallel situations in other creative fields?
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:
Author platform requirements by genre.
Editor Matthew Fox talks about how to submit to literary mags:
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!)
If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse. Always free, no spam, unsubscribe any time.

Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.



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 any small business, whether it’s an art, a craft, or a trade, there is this tension between paying for the tools and training you need while at the same time being aware of the return on your investment. Sometimes you don’t know where a particular bit of training will bring you, but you’re willing to bet on yourself getting value out of it and seeing new opportunities on the other side. At other times, there’s no question that you need the thing (computer, supplies, whatever), because without it, you can’t produce.
Your Gifted Underachievers delve into the topic of spending money on your creative business. Is it always debt, or is it more accurately described as overhead? When is it worth it? How do you decide?
Questions for Listeners:
* What do you call it—overhead, or debt?
* Have you ever spent money you didn’t have to improve your creative work or life?
* If yes, did you see a return on investment (ROI)?
* What was the ROI, and was it worth it?
Buy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination
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:
Reduce your overhead by 25% to a) get out of debt or b) create some wiggle room in your creative business:
https://youtube.com/shorts/u_GwbzSlvLc?si=6JOvaM7BaDmL2K_a

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If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to see you in the GU Clubhouse! Always free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.



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

No matter where you live, no one will build the creative life you want for you. In fact, no one will build anything for you to help you live the creative life you seek. We have to be DIYers to the extreme because everything we do and want requires a self-driven and self-motivated “build-it-ourselves” mindset.
This is our superpower (one of them, anyway).
Questions for Listeners:
* What have you successfully built for yourself?
* What do you want to build?
Buy us a Coffee and Win a Guide to World Domination
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:
Five Steps to Design a Life You Love
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. Always free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.



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