How To | Chase Jarvis

Oct 24

10 Things Every Creative Person (That’s YOU) Must Learn

Here is a list of 10 things I've learned the hard way that every photographer, designer, creative--hell, every creative person--should know. 1. Experts aren’t the answer. The blogs, the teachers, the mentors, the seminars aren’t the answer. They’re not there to tell you exactly what you need to know. If they’re good, then they are there to give you some ideas, some guidelines, or some rules to learn and subsequently break. This isn’t about the... read more ›

Feb 06

Writing Makes Photographers More Creative — 5 Easy Tips

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Getting personal and a little scientific here... Once our basic three needs are met (and often even when they're not), there exists within the human species a hard-wired desire to pursue happiness. For me, happiness has always been inextricably linked with creativity, the two enjoying a direct relationship. The happier I am, the more creative I am. Or more metaphysically speaking, the happier I am, the more open I am to inspiration and creativity. As... read more ›

Aug 03

My Morning Routine: 6 Things I Do (Almost) Every Day That Make for A Happy + Productive Day

FIRST: I believe deeply that our actions cultivate our mindset and - in turn - our mindset determines our life / success / outcome. Experience tells me this. Whether from my background in art or sports or...hell...anything. As a result, I've long been paying attention to the habits (read: actions) that I do on a regular basis...which ones benefit me and which ones do not. In line with this, I've come to understand that a... read more ›

Apr 26

How To Become A Pro in 5 Simple Steps

Got a note the other day from an aspiring photographer. He wanted to know what it takes to become a pro. I thought--very pragmatically--that it's really not complicated. HARD maybe, but complicated, no. And this applies to so many FILL-IN-THE-BLANK things you aspire to be: 1. Declare yourself as that thing. That's what you ARE in life. You're not a student, not a finance-guy-slash-part-time-photographer, not a part time anything. You're a photographer, or entrepreneur, or... read more ›

Apr 05

How to get hired with no experience

This is the age old question ... How do you get hired to do work that you've never been paid to do before because you need experience. But to get that experience, you need to do the work. Here are a three ways to overcome this chicken & egg situation: Listen to the Podcast Get Involved The fastest way to learn is to get involved in the community. It can lead to new partnerships, new opportunities, and... read more ›

Mar 02

3 Bulletproof Tips for Getting Your Work Noticed by Your Creative Heroes

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you most likely know my M.O. by now: put your work out there early and often. Steve Martin famously said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” But the other side of that is to have so much work out there that people can't swing a stick without hitting something you've made/written/built/produced/directed/etc. I talked about this with fellow sharing advocate, #cjLIVE alum, and all-around... read more ›

Feb 22

How I Learn ANY SKILL + How You Can Too

People ask me all the time if there's one thing that's changed my life the most, what is it? No question it's the ability to learn quickly...new skills whether they be for life, hobby, or career... Life long learning is quite literally what has created anything I would consider a classic "success" in my life. SO... In today's episode of #cjRAW I break down my own learning process into 3 clear, easily repeatable steps. And then I go... read more ›

Jan 11

12 Secrets for Unlocking Your Most Creative Work

A lot of my breakthrough creative thoughts come to me when least expected. I've talked about "finding creativity" and "creative inspiration" all over the place... on podcasts like this and this (twice for example) or given a keynote on it here at SWSW. That said, I've also learned from an entire life in the trenches as an artist what DOESN'T contribute to them (abusing myself, bad head space, partying too much), but more importantly, what... read more ›

Dec 14

Your New Hit List: 5 Things That Every Creative Person Should Get (and Give)

Give. Whether to yourself or to a fellow artist in need. Every photographer, director, painter, writer, creative, entrepreneur, whatever mold into which you fit (or don't) has basic needs. And thankfully, these needs are mostly free of charge. I've read 100 artist biographies, studied my own life and the creative LIVES of those around me and distilled some of the commonalities -- and the outliers -- for how and when, under what circumstance creatives kick... read more ›

Sep 14

Your Job Is More Than Your Job Description

What I've learned over the years is that the truly remarkable people are not just masters of their craft, but a combination of craft + many other things that elevate their work. In fact, the best photographers I know, the best creatives, teachers, accountants, or --insert profession here--, are also entrepreneurs/intra-preneurs, authors, speakers, marketers, and more. We're ALL hyphens. Just as I started as a photographer, then learned skills to become a director, then a... read more ›