Franklin Taggart's Blog

I'm reading two books on the topic of creativity, Creative Quest, by Questlove, and The Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida. Creative Quest is a fairly recent release and it's a personal exploration of his creative process as a musician, a creator, a DJ, and other roles the Roots drummer plays. The Rise of the Creative Class has an updated second edition that was released within the past few years. It's more about the segment of our economy and labor market that is made up of creative people. Both books have opinions on definitions of creativity, and like all books on the subject, there is more to the mystery of the thing than words can capture or articulate. It brought to mind the difference between learning about creativity and actually having creative experiences. I have some friends who have taken university-level classes on creativity, and their own creative output didn't seem to benefit from the education. I haven't found the book on creativity yet

We have a strange set of cultural norms around how creative people are supposed to become successful. The common tropes of the starving artist, suffering for your art, and paying your dues need to be made a thing of the past IMHO. In the folk music world that I've been a part of, I've seen people show up year after year, volunteering for menial jobs at festivals, playing free gigs and open mics, agreeing to play for "exposure", and finding a hundred other ways to chip away at their soul in exchange for opportunities that never arrive. And that is considered normal and acceptable. I believe in a different model. I stand by the idea that our creativity is meant to be a valuable service to other people, making a positive difference in the quality of their lives. And that it's worth paying for. The majority of creative people I work with have been struggling with these messages and their fallout for their entire careers. I know many musicians who have been paying dues

I was talking with a client yesterday about her feeling about not knowing what is next for her and her art business. She's had a few very successful years but has started to experience a slowing down and a level of dissatisfaction with the work she's doing now that suggests she's ready for a new level of development both as a creator and an entrepreneur. It's tempting at times like this to try to restructure what you're already doing, but I had another direction in mind. I asked her to tell me her core values. As she talked, it became clear to both of us that her values weren't clear to her and that the words she used to talk about her values were more used to impress other people than to represent who she really is. When we took the time to identify and articulate her values more clearly, she started to see that her dissatisfaction was coming from doing work that wasn't in alignment with her values. This gave us a much more solid starting place to work on e

I made a TikTok video a while back about this, but I thought I'd add to it here. I had a client recently ask me what I believe as far as spirituality and religion are concerned. The best I can say is I really don't know. In my life, I've been a Mormon, Christian, skeptic, seeker, dabbler, and devotee. I've learned meditation, reflection, scripture, and yoga. I've read hundreds of teachings and listened to hours of lectures and silence. I've had a handful of breathtaking awe-inspiring experiences. And even with all this, I can't articulate what I believe into a cohesive set of words. Iris Dement probably captured it best in her song Let the Mystery Be. "But no one knows for certain, and so it's all the same to me. I think I'll just let the mystery be." I also honor that aspect of us that needs to know why - that seeks to make this life mean something. Science can't deliver answers to this, so we turn to spirituality and religion. And eve

I was reminded today of one of my favorite podcast interviews. Bronwyn Jane is an intuitive and medium who shares life insights and messages with people that come to her through her intuitive senses.  In this segment, we talk about the difficulty some people experience when accepting payment for using their gifts. Bronwyn shares her experience of learning to acknowledge the value of what she does and finding a rate that helped her clients perceive her work with the highest value. The entire interview is available here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/06/honoring-your-own-gifts-bronwyn-jane.html . More information about Bronwyn and her services can be found at https://BronwynJaneMedium.com #pricing #value #worth 

From a struggling single mom to escaping a 13-year narcissistic abusive relationship, Sabrina’s tenacity and optimistic spirit have inspired fans worldwide and helped endless amounts of people break through and discover their own untapped talents and immense potential. Now, creator and CEO of Human Better 365, a human transformation company, creator of the Her Version Podcast, and founder of the Sober Society Community. Speaker, entrepreneur, and author. Today on Your Own Best Company, Sabrina shares her compelling and sometimes terrifying personal story ending on a note of hope and triumph.  Listen to her talk about: ** Her journey from fear to courage and confidence. ** Ignoring red flags and the experience of self-blame. ** The tension between leaving and staying. ** Becoming financially independent. ** Piecing together an escape plan. ** Evolving a coaching business. And more... You can find more information about Sabrina, her programs and services, Her Version, The Sober Society C

Celebrating my son's birthday and my wife's return home from three weeks away today. Seeing my son at seventeen and remembering myself at that age is the fodder for today's Coffee Break. Like father, like son is not a very accurate prediction. Bodhi is so far ahead of where I was at his age. I was a timid, socially awkward kid who tried to make up for my insecurities by showing off and other displays of bravado, none of which had any substance to back them up. I was a late starter as far as finding my own way of contributing, and I was extremely slow to ask for the things I wanted. Bodhi is much bolder than I am, and he asks for what he wants without a second thought. He's also much more confident in his social relationships than I ever was. He still has insecurities, but they aren't debilitating. He rebounds from challenges and difficult conversations and moves on. This video is my tribute to him. #birthdays #comingofage #growingup 

When I was 46 I thought I was going to die. My organs were failing. My right lung was compressed and scarred by fluid. I had congestive heart failure, and I wasn't sure I'd live much longer. In the midst of that time, my experience of hope shifted dramatically. Up until then I always had a sense that I had plenty of time to do the things I wanted, and pursue my dreams. But when I started to get seriously ill, life took on a much more urgent quality. Hope after that was much more centered in the moment, and any consideration about results or long-term benefits were now focused on what will be left after I'm gone for others to benefit from. This video experiment has been a realization of that hope. I expect these videos to outlive me, and to be found by people who may have never known me. I've found it impossible to make even short-term plans. It's hard to see much past this present moment, and I think I'm OK with that. Being future-focused actually removes my att

A few weeks ago I interviewed Michael Roderick, an impresario and media maker who I've grown to admire and appreciate. He sends out almost daily emails featuring his thinking on certain topics, and one of his recent messages really struck me. The title was Why a Lot of "Hits" Miss. While we creators like to think we're making something everyone in the world will need and appreciate, the decision is not ours to make. Micheal correctly points out that the market is the decider about what will gain widespread attention, acceptance, and acclaim.  His encouragement is for the creators to engage in the hard work of iteration instead of toiling to determine what the market wants and then create for that. Sadly, that formula rarely produces anything except what has already been popular. My encouragement is to pay more attention to your own resonance as a creator. Make the things that make you tingle, and then share them. I think the only aspect of the hitmaking process the cr

I was asked today about my greatest concerns for the future. Climate change is obvious and urgent, but there's another future concern I have that is equally urgent. Artificial Intelligence. In recent weeks, we've all seen some of the new capabilities of artificial intelligence to both create interesting images (Lensa), and to respond accurately in conversations with humans to answer increasingly complex questions ( ChatGPT ). More applications like these come to market every day, and the greatest concern I have about this is the long-term impact tools like this will have on economies as more and more human labor is replaced by machines. This isn't a new concern, but the urgency surrounding this technological revolution is one that will affect more sectors of labor than any other, including creative industries, medicine, law, and business. Human labor is one of the fundamental ways we participate in the economy. If this ability to participate is removed from even as much as

It feels like the level of burnout around webinars, summits, courses, workshops, funnels, and many other popular marketing tactics is only increasing. Now the workshops are all coming with titles like, A Workshop for People Who Hate Workshops. In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart makes the suggestion that there may be room for a return to more informal gatherings in which conversations can go deep, sharing is encouraged, and the emphasis is on being together before anything else. Instead of putting hundreds of hours into organizing a summit or a workshop where attendance isn't guaranteed, why don't we just invite some people over for dinner and share what we're up to. Get to know each other on a deep and meaningful human level before we start making pitches. My experience is that these gatherings actually create the circumstances in which these pitches are more likely to appeal. Informal gatherings will be central to my intention for 2023. #networking #gathering #tribes 

  I create a new business model every year. In most years, it shows up well before now. This year it's late.= Your business isn't set in stone. It's a live organism that adjusts to different circumstances and developments. That's normal. If you're looking for a sounding board for your next year in business, consider scheduling a Best Next Step coaching session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall #planning #2023goals #businessmodel 

We all have beliefs and behaviors we carry through our lives that can become saboteurs in certain situations. These internal saboteurs can be problematic when they keep people from reaching important goals and outcomes, and they can infect teams with defensiveness and mistrust, eroding relationships as they go. Our favorite organizational psychologist, Dr. Joanie Connell is back to give us some insight about these saboteurs, and she's offering a program that helps individuals and teams recognize their saboteurs and the stress that triggers them, and allow people to have more freedom to choose their responses instead of habitually reacting. If you're interested in identifying your saboteurs, there is an assessment available at https://positiveintelligence.com Joanie can be reached at https://flexibleworksolutions.com and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanieconnell/ #positiveintelligence #organizationalpsychology #selfsabotage 

I drive vehicles until they can no longer be driven. I've had a 2000 Ford van in my driveway that hasn't been started in over a year. I could sell it for parts, but finding a buyer takes time and energy I don't have right now, so what to do? Vehicles for Charity makes that a no-brainer. I filled out an online form, received a confirmation call the next morning, scheduled the tow, and had the title and let's ready for the driver. With less than an hour of my time invested, my favorite community radio station will now be getting the proceeds from the auction of my old wheels. If you're in Northern Colorado and want to donate your vehicle, learn more at https://vehiclesforcharity.org . #charitablegiving #donate #taxdeductions 

A few weeks ago, I rearranged my office space to accommodate more musical recording. I'm in a pretty small room, so anything I can do to utilize space more efficiently is a tremendous help. I also have a difficult time sorting and giving things away or selling them. I have a 2000 Ford van sitting in the driveway that hasn't run in over a year and it's been waiting for me to just decide where it goes and make arrangements to take it there. Yesterday, I donated it to a locela charity through Vehicles for Charity. I don't think my donation will amount to much, but I don't have to pay to have it towed away, and one of my favorite organizations might get a few hundred bucks out of the deal. I can also write off the contribution.  Just that one bit of movement has gotten me more energized to let go of stuff. Music and recording equipment I no longer use or need? Gone! My dad's remaining book collection that I have no interest in reading? Gone! Every piece of paper I&#

 Many years ago, I was working with a spiritual teacher who challenged pretty much everything I said.  All the beliefs I grew up with and my biases were fair game. This deconstruction didn't happen in a violent or abusive way; in fact, there was a gentleness in how it was carried out that I appreciate to this day. This morning's inspiring conversation brought that situation to mind again. Our psychological conditioning is a powerful psychological mechanism that insures our survival, but there also seems to be an evolutionary imperative to grow beyond the life we were conditioned to have. While the conversation this morning was primarily centered on deconstructing prejudice and biases, my reflections afterward threw many more sacred cows under the bus.  Beliefs about who I am and how life is, and how the world is supposed to work all can be called into question and brought to greater scrutiny in the light of awareness.  For me, the value of coaching has been a safe place in whic

One of the recent books I've read with my book pal is The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker. This beautifully written book guides the reader through some insights and suggestions for elevating our common custom of gathering together to the level of art. I'm adding it to my list of recommended reading. https://amzn.to/3Uzn5sG (affiliate link) I also wanted to mention a few online networking mixers I enjoy: The Generous Entrepreneurs in Media mixers hosted by Jason Van Orden and Michael Roderick - http://generousentrepreneursinmedia.com/ The Lead Boss Mixer hosted by Cat Stancik - https://leadbossmixer.com And all the resources offered by Robbie Samuels - https://robbiesamuels.com/videos I hope to see you there! #networking #mixer #onlinenetworking 

I always enjoy my conversations with my good friend Dr. Joanie Connell. If you haven't heard the Reinventing nerds podcast, this is a good time to check it out. We had a fun chat about the pros and cons of working alone. Listen, subscribe, and if you like it, review!

In the past few years, my participation on Facebook and other social media platforms has shifted from content creation and sharing to more group participation and looking for opportunities for discussion, service, and meaningful interaction. This has been liberating. In the old model, I'd spend hours creating content to share, hoping it would reach enough people and stimulate enough likes and shares to be picked up by the algorithm for more people to see. I did social media this way for many years until I went through a period of burnout. Looking back on all that activity, I learned some important lessons. First, the content creation didn't amount to much more than busy work when I looked at the overall return I received from my time investment. Playing the algorithm and going viral was a losing proposition in gaining business. The one area that had a high payoff was Facebook groups. I tried hosting my own for a while, but that didn't get off the ground, mostly because I di

One week after the 9/11 attacks, I released my first and only music CD, Falling All The Way. I had hoped that would launch some of my best musical years. Life had other plans. Today, we're remembering our daughter Sarah Grace who was born 19 years ago. After ten miraculous days with us, she departed for the great beyond and we were left to pick up the pieces. That was just the beginning. This year, I've had friends face illness, deaths of loved ones, loss of jobs and businesses, and other major life events. In the midst of these hard times, I've seen them rally and dig to new depths within themselves to make it through to the next scene. Resilience is built into our mechanisms. We need to take care of ourselves and each other. #lifeevents #loss #planning 

As a solopreneur consultant, Reuben Swartz found that the learning curve and the frustration he experienced trying to adapt off-the-shelf enterprise customer relationship management software made his marketing and selling experience much less than enjoyable. As he started to put together tools of his own to track and manage his customer relationships, he started to look forward to his sales calls, and the friction he'd experienced with the larger software packages dissolved. As he showed people his new systems, he discovered there was a product opportunity there, and Mimiran was born. Mimiran is the "Anti-CRM" designed specifically for solopreneurs that will help you track your sales process and make your customer contacts easier to manage and much more enjoyable. It also allows relationship-based solopreneurs to prioritize conversations that lead to long-term connections and opportunities. In this episode, we talk about: ** The foundation of any relationship-based busine