Gifted Underachievers

Trump and Republicans decimated funding for the arts in the US with immediate impacts to creatives. This is a loss not just to artists and other creatives but society as a whole. We are a not a better country for this.
And yet, creatives are doing what we do best: Adapt.
There are signs that a range of creative businesses are adapting their business strategies and planning to adjust to this loss of funding and, perhaps, make these businesses stronger in the long run. This could, too, lead to a stronger arts and creative economy.
Let’s do more than hope. Let’s be part of the solution.
Questions for Listeners:
* Did you lose a US-based grant?
* How are you adapting?
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:
Why Most Arts Fundraising Fails—and What Actually Works
How Artists Break Free of the Starving Artist Myth
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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

Pat is excellent at thinking ahead and taking action to help herself down the road. Her month-long writing trip to [undisclosed location on the Spanish coast] is a shiny example. She set up a set of projects to help her pay and organize for her trip many months ago and the payoff has been a big boon.
In this segment, Pat describes how she approaches saving for large purchases and retirement with what she calls ‘pension projects.’ They are minimal in terms of the daily and weekly impact to her time, but over the long haul add up to an evergreen funding source.
Questions for Listeners:
* Do you have a retirement plan?
* Do you have a plan to use your creative work to make large purchases?
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:
Work Until You Die: Aging & Retirement for Artists
Yearly Goal Setting for Creatives
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

Both Gifted Underachievers have been through chronic stress for extended periods, and yes, it’s made us even less achieving than we normally are.
We discuss this, hope for the best, and, in an unprecedented move for GU, Pat parachutes in with an audio clip toward the end of the segment with some solid tips for combating chronic stress!
Questions for Listeners:
* What’s your best strategy for combating stress?
* Do you feel you’re in a period of chronic stress, or are things pretty good these days?
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:
Living with stress:
https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/living-with/index.html
10 evidence-based ways to manage stress:
Your brain on chronic stress:
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.

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!)


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

We all have fears. If you don’t, check to see if you might either be a sociopath or the poster child for the Dunning-Krueger effect.
In this brief segment, Pat and James explore their biggest fears and how they manage them.
The GU team found it interesting that each underachiever’s fears fit two broad categories:
* screwing up leading to retribution, and
* the fading of creative drive and skills
Questions for Listeners:
* What are your three biggest fears as a creative?
* Do you spend much time ruminating on them?
* If not, what’s your secret?
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:
Make Art Out of Curiosity not Fear
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 cost, 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

Despite what James claims to see on the screen as this episode is getting taped, there’s no tequila in Pat’s apartment during her creative retreat in Spain (that’s right, we’re giving away the location).
Dobes has been a long time without a vacation, and this is exactly where she wants to be. Her time is her own for the first time in a quarter century. She’s making progress on a novel and on other creative projects, as well as doing client work.
…and yet, she’s finding it surprisingly challenging to navigate the huge break in routine. Her approach? Accept the disorientation!
If you’re on a retreat, or considering one, this segment could help.
[Music “Mi Gata Blanca” Courtesy of Jean-Paul V., Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/pop-mi-gata-blanca-333231/]
Questions for Listeners:
* Do you go through periods of feeling disoriented about your life?
* If yes, what do you do?
* If you had the chance to do a self-directed creative retreat, where would 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:

Why retreat? Disconnect and get a new perspective:
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 cost, 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