Unlock your Second Brain
Plus - bad advice, magical storytelling secrets, and a 100K celly for Danny! ~5 min read
Welcome back, pioneers! Before we get started, everyone CONGRATULATE our very own Danny-boy on 100k on YouTube! 🎉 What a momentous achievement, we’re so proud of you. Great work!
Got a lot of shiny gold nuggets in this one, so strap in. We’re heading Out West!
Let’s face it. We love working hard. Who doesn’t? There’s no better feeling than getting done with a creative session and knowing that you got a lot done.
But are you working too hard? Are you re-inventing the wheel every time you lock in? Or are you potentially wasting time and attention, the most valuable resources we have as creators, every time you make something?
For the first time in my life, I am able to produce 25 videos in a weekend. Because of my reliance on assets that I had already created, like title presets, color grades, folders of music that I’ve accumulated, I can expedite my process tenfold.
But how can you replicate this in your own work?
Enter: Intermediate Packets. These are what productivity wizard Tiago Forte calls the “concrete, individual building blocks that make up your work” in his book Building A Second Brain. But what does that actually mean? IPs could be anything - a sketch of an idea in your notes, or a folder of graphic design inspiration.
Intermediate Packets are what your work is made of, but have you actually thought about which ones are recurring in your work? Recognizing which ones you use most frequently can save you time and attention, allowing you to focus on more pressing parts that require more creative energy.
Find patterns, workflows, or assets you continually use when creating, and keep using them. Once you’ve accumulated a folder of IPs, your work will become frictionless, as you’ll constantly be pulling from a pile of assets you already know are great.
Unfinished Chronicles
Goal for next week: Shoot my next YouTube video!
I am SO excited to finally be making long-form content. There’s something about spending weeks on a video longer than 45 seconds and seeing it pay off. Although I’ve only made one in this newer era I’m in, I’m already working on the next. It’s all scripted and shot-listed - now, it’s time to press record!
Let me give you a piece of advice… stop taking people’s advice.
One of the largest learnings I’ve had in this industry is that everyone’s definition of success is wildly different. It’s not like a regular job where if you want to be promoted, there are set actions to be taken to get there.
In the creator economy, your goal could be to be the biggest YouTuber or have the deepest connection with an audience or have a following to sell your product. Each one of these routes comes with different advice and if you don’t know your own goal, then everything will feel conflicting.
Trust me, I’m struggling with this currently.
I have a close friend whose goal is to get as many views as possible. He doesn’t care about creating a community, depth of connection, any of that. He simply wants to arbitrage creator funds and make as much money as he can, which he does!
From the outside, he is very successful and I would look to him as a place for advice. However, when I applied it, the job felt shallow. I felt like a tabloid.
My friend’s advice is great for his version of success, it’s not great for my version of success. My goal is not to generate gossip, it’s to cultivate community.
Advice can be equally as harmful, as helpful.
Unfinished Chronicles
Previous week’s goal: Bring down the barrier to create my short form content. ❌
Next week’s goal: Finish up long form video and upload by Saturday!
Sigh, I didn't get what I needed to before my huge travel with Nickelodeon. In a bit of a rut but luckily I have the best circle around that picked me up. Also if you haven’t, check out Colt Kirwan’s video. It’s a masterpiece.
The secret to storytelling?
Three.
In filmmaking, we have a three-act structure, three-point lighting, rule of thirds, and much more. In fact, “three” pops up so often in storytelling that we have to ask – why?
Let’s whiz back to your earliest memories of stories. Maybe you were fighting your heavy eyelids as your mother uttered your bedtime story. You didn’t know anything about the theories and principles of storytelling. All you did know – was that stories had a beginning, middle and end.
As you grew older, this became a three-act structure, and you began to see the frameworks hidden beneath the surface. You learned about a setup, development, and punchline. A hero, villain, and mentor. Heck, there’s even love triangles.
Now, at your ripe age, you see the bigger picture. You’ve wisened, and understand that life is all about balance, contrast and completeness. Humans naturally respond to threes. It gives jokes rhythm, stories balance, and audience satisfaction. The repetition of a motif or pattern three times will generate a powerful impact. It’s all about setup, confrontation, and resolution.
In my videos, I structure the story into three distinct stages. I cut my montages with three sources. I use three main TV graphic overlays. It’s from the top, the middle, and down to the very bottom. When creating, you can do whatever the hell you want. But centuries of storytelling suggests, rely on three!
Unfinished Chronicles
Previous week’s goal: assembly edit finished, graphics started ✅
Next week’s goal: upload finished video and relax a little!
I hit 100k subscribers! Completely unbelievable. Thank you to everyone who’s been reading and watching for so long. In other news, the Adam Sandler documentary is out of my hands. The great Dan Pugsley is applying his sound wizardry, and then it’ll be on screens near you next week. The outcome is quite different to anything I’ve made so far - and the editing experience was quite brutal. But I still loved every second. Editing these videos is something I don’t think I’ll outsource for a long time, even though it’s such a time-suck. I hope you guys enjoy it!
Lov this episode of West Chronicles. You keep rocking guys!