Each time we finish a section of the book, I’m going to pause and step away from the manuscript and send you a handful of short Dispatches from the workbench.
Short updates on decisions, things I’m trying, and invitations I’m sharing that I hope will be useful to you and inform how the work evolves.
In today’s Dispatch:
I’m breaking up with marketing and what I’m doing instead
Introducing the Order of Unremarkable Creators
Marketing is so over
I’m done with traditional marketing and social platforms.
In the next Dispatch we’ll talk about why, but for now I’m pulling back the curtain on my commitments and the rules I’m setting for myself to ensure I never treat people as targets.
Marketing has been abused. Some people do it really well, with heart and purpose. But for most of us, it implies a target, a funnel, and a transaction. Feasting on scarcity, hijacking emotions, and deliberately propagating the fear of missing out.
People are sick of it. It doesn’t help. I’m out.
In the final chapter of Movement 1, I reckoned with the idea of abundance. It challenged me to entirely reconsider how I talk about my work publicly. So as of now, I’m switching my focus from marketing to inviting.
There are many thousands of people out there who already need my work. The same is true for you, too. But I’m not going to attempt to reach the masses. Even if I could, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Instead I’m going to focus on the abundance of one.
It boils down to this statement:
My only job is to extend an invitation to the people who are already looking for me. I don’t sell, pitch, or provoke because they are not targets. They are peers and collaborators. All content I create helps clarify who I’m looking for, so they can extend the invitation too, if they choose.
To help me remain true to this commitment, I’ve listed what I’m against, what I refuse, what I actually do, and the things I talk about below.
You’re welcome to read it and take what you need.
The Order of Unremarkable Creators
Today I make this real, and this is where you come in. If you choose to.
I’m starting a small private community of practice for 20 makers, artists, and practitioners who are tired of building alone and would benefit from the wisdom, feedback, and challenge of others.
It’s not a $10k mastermind. There’s no curriculum, no 90-day sprints, no leaderboards, and no hacks. There are no guarantees, no pre-determined outcomes, no goals to measure yourself by, and no one telling you what to do.
It’s fellowship. Where we serve the work, not the outcome.
But this is not your invitation. I am not pitching this to you. You are my peer, a potential collaborator, and I’d like your help to find someone.
Have You Seen This Person?
Do you know someone working harder than ever, but feeling completely defeated because they are stretched thin? Maybe they’re really good at showing up, but they are exhausted by the performance of it all.
I can’t promise them an answer. But I can offer creative energy, people to bounce ideas off, a safe space for the real questions, and an end to the isolation.
If you know who they are, extend the invitation in any way that feels right. Some suggestions:
Forward this Dispatch to them
Send me a DM, or introduce us over email (I’m at dan@unremarkable.co)
Or simply send them this link: https://join.unremarkable.co/ouc
And that’s a wrap for today. Thanks for spending a little time with me. I’ll send the next Dispatch as soon as it’s ready.
Dan
My commitments
What I’m against
Attention scalping: the media culture that puts a price tag on your insecurities and demands constant, loud performance just to be seen.
Being sold to: the fear-of-failure ecosystem that treats human beings as targets, and emotions as something to exploit.
The tech oligarchy: the platforms that rely on your creative labour to serve their ad-based business models. You work for them for free.
The tyranny of measurement: The soul-crushing chase for impressions, likes, and reach. As of today, vanity metrics can officially do one.
What I refuse to do
Zero effort for the feed: I refuse to give platforms my creative energy. No clickbait, no pressure, no force.
Zero effort for the algorithm: I won’t try to appease a self-serving multi-billion-parameter AI that refuses to promote my work.
No pitching: I refuse to try and sell people another thing. No broadcasts, no product breakdowns, or sales copy.
No convincing: I will not try to persuade the masses. If someone doesn’t get it, we let them scroll. I am leaving the 99 to find the other 1%.
What I actually do
I post what exists: I clip shorts from my podcast and post native Substack assets. Anything unique is always an invitation, not a declaration.
I leave the light on: I use social media for ‘signs of life’. A simple noticeboard with trail markers for anyone actively searching.
I ask for help: I don’t create invitation posts for the reader. I create them so they know who to look out for. Followers are collaborators, not targets.
What I talk about
The Unremarkable Entrepreneur: my book that helps makers, creators, and artists take action and build a sustainable practice around their calling.
Dispatches from the workbench: balancing my workload, creating space to talk about other things, and welcoming you behind the scenes.
The Order of Unremarkable Creators: the private community of practice I’ve launched for those ready to deepen their practice in good company.
