The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here Let’s talk about something that quietly holds a lot of creators back — the belief that your work needs to resonate with everyone. It feels natural. We’re wired for connection. We want to be seen, appreciated, recognized. That’s human. But when that instinct starts driving your creative decisions, it can pull you further and further away from the very thing that makes your work meaningful in the first place. So here’s the truth I want you to hear clearly: You don’t need everyone. Not their approval. Not their attention. Not their validation. In fact, trying...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here Let’s talk about something every creator experiences — but almost nobody talks about openly. Rejection. If you’re pursuing anything creative — photography, writing, design, building a business, launching a project — you already know the truth: you hear a lot more no than you hear yes. But here’s the twist. Most people think rejection is the signal to stop. In reality, rejection is often the signal that you’re doing the work. In this episode, I’m unpacking why hearing “no” isn’t something to avoid — it’s something to learn from, grow through,...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here If you’re a creator who’s ever wondered why someone with “less talent” seems to get more opportunities… this episode is for you. Because here’s the truth: being great at your craft is only the price of admission. It gets you in the door. But what happens after that? That’s where your career is made. In today’s micro-show — Craft Is the Entry Fee — I’m talking about the things that matter most in the work you do… and the things that matter just as much in the way you do it. The stuff you can’t always point to on a resume. The stuff you can’t...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here There’s a myth that quietly messes with a lot of us — especially if you’re a maker, builder, or artist. It’s the myth that creative fulfillment is something you find. That if you just get lucky enough… brave enough… talented enough… you’ll stumble into “the thing” and everything will click. But here’s what I want to remind you today: Your path isn’t discovered. It’s designed. Not as in “perfectly planned.” As in: you choose it. You shape it. You tend it. You build it on purpose — even when you don’t feel ready. This episode is a short...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Every creative journey starts the same way. Excitement. Possibility. Momentum. And then — somewhere between the spark and the breakthrough — it gets hard. The novelty fades. The results slow down. Doubt gets louder. And that’s when most of us go looking for certainty. Better gear. Better tactics. The “right” answers. But what if the discomfort isn’t a sign you’re off track? What if it’s proof you’ve finally reached the part that actually matters? In this episode, I break down why the messy middle — that stretch between starting and mastering — is where your identity gets...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here This episode is short and direct — and it centers on a truth most of us spend years trying to outgrow: playing it safe has a cost. Not just a financial cost. Not just an “I didn’t take the leap” cost. I’m talking about the hidden cost — the slow trade of your originality for approval, your curiosity for compliance, your honest voice for whatever feels least risky. A lot of us were trained early to optimize for fitting in. To sit still. To follow directions. To avoid disrupting the room. And to be clear: the people who guided us usually meant well. But the...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here This episode is short and direct — and it centers on an idea that quietly changes everything once you see it: You don’t get paid first for the work you want to do next. You build it first. Most people wait for permission. They wait for a client, an investor, or an opportunity to show up before they start creating. But in my experience, it works the other way around. The next chapter of your career is built in parallel with the one you’re already in. I’ve always balanced paid work with deeply personal exploration. The commercial projects put food on the table....
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here This episode is short and direct — and it centers on an idea that runs counter to how most of us try to solve creative problems. When we feel stuck, uncertain, or restless, our instinct is usually to think harder. To analyze. To wait for clarity. But here’s the truth I’ve learned the hard way: you can’t think your way forward. Clarity doesn’t come from sitting on the couch running mental simulations. It comes from action. From making. From trying things in the real world and paying attention to what happens next. Early in my career, I hit a real creative rut....
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here This episode is short and practical — and it centers on a simple idea that tends to hit a little deeper once you really sit with it: you are not your goals. You are not your intentions. You are what you do repeatedly. Around this time of year — or anytime you feel the urge for a reset — it’s easy to assume the problem is motivation. That you just need to want it more. In my experience, that’s almost never true. Most people aren’t stuck because they lack drive. They’re stuck because their daily habits aren’t aligned with what they actually want. Goals...
info_outlineThe Chase Jarvis LIVE Show
Hey friends, Chase here This episode is short and direct — and it centers on an idea that quietly changes everything once you really see it: most people aren’t stuck because they’re lazy or unmotivated. They’re stuck because they confuse urgency with importance. We’ve been trained to react. To answer what’s loud, immediate, and demanding. Emails. Notifications. Small fires that feel productive simply because they need attention right now. But being busy isn’t the same thing as making progress — and activity is not the same as effectiveness. What I’ve learned over time is that...
info_outlineHey friends, Chase here
This episode is short and honest: if you don’t love the work you’re making, don’t ship it — or better yet, figure out how to love the work before you ship it. I know that sounds blunt, but the market — and more importantly, your audience — can smell half-hearted work a mile away. You can’t fake the stuff that matters. Loving the work isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity, curiosity, and being willing to do the uncomfortable thing: choose a direction, commit to it, and then grind the craft until you actually love the result. That’s the difference between noise and meaning.
Here’s the core idea:
If you’re not excited to promote what you made, you probably didn’t make what you love. Shipping is great — but shipping love is better.
Two common traps I see:
- Approval chasing: You try to design for everyone and end up designing for no one.
- Activity without affection: You’re busy making lots of stuff, but it never lights you up. That work will struggle to find real fans.
So what do you do about it? Make the work you can’t not make — and build a tiny system to ship it.
In today’s episode I cover:
- Why loving what you make makes promotion natural instead of gross
- Three practical moves to fall back in love with your craft: pick one obsessive idea, do the research that excites you, and iterate publicly
- How to find the small group (10–50 people) who will sustain you — and why that’s all you really need
A quick playbook to ship work you love:
- Choose one thing: narrow the focus until you feel a pull, not a push.
- Make it daily: small consistent steps beat sporadic heroics.
- Share early: get feedback from the right 10 people, not the loud crowd.
- Listen, then iterate: love grows when you respond to the craft (not the vanity metrics).
If you want to make a living doing what lights you up, stop designing for a mythical “everyone.” Build for the people who get it — and love the work enough to tell others.
Thanks for listening. Tag me with what you’re shipping next — I read as many replies as I can. And remember: ship less stuff, but love the stuff you ship.