All writers, artists and creatives share the very same sentiment towards ourselves and our vocations. We think we deserve a larger following and a deeper appreciation than we currently have.

Prior to social media, the unspoken formula for achieving greater notoriety could be summed up by the whisper on the wind Kevin Costner heard in Field of Dreams (before building a baseball field in the middle of a goddamn cornfield), “If you build it, he will come.”

In the 90s pre-social media age, the heavily misquoted line became the war-cry for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs building underwhelming enterprises that were miraculously garnering massive amounts.

When the tech bubble burst and everybody was caught with their pants down, Costner’s punchline faded into the distance.

Then came social media. When Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sank their fangs into culture, the formula changed. Suddenly, the strategy went from building something of questionable quality that you hoped would garner a following to garnering a following and then building something said following wanted.

I doubt too many people reading this have ever done ecstasy so admittedly this metaphor might fall flatter than a Big Swig left too long in a hot car… but this formula was kind of like ecstasy.

Everybody partied their fucking faces off until the effects of the drug that was social media wore off and left an entire generation depressed, deprived of serotonin and tired of opening their feeds to be drowned by a sea of influencers hocking bullshit products at them.

Now, we’re in a new age; an age where it’s no longer enough to “build it” and hope that they will come nor game the social media algorithm until you garner a following of bots big enough to land you a six-figure brand deal.

This brings me to my “Dope Shit” marketing strategy for writers, artists and creatives. It’s the love-child of Field of Dreams and Social Media circa 2016.

I think the only way for anyone to stand out these days is to focus all of their time, attention and creativity on really doing dope shit and then sharing said dope shit with the world.

Dope shit isn’t a 17-part tweet thread copy and pasted from Wikipedia. Dope shit isn’t a 30-second cover of a song (you can’t play from start to finish). Dope shit isn’t another thought-leadership post ripped off of Seth Godin’s blog.

Dope shit is original art, books, essays, creations, projects, inventions, albums and paintings that require you to do the hard, hands-in-the-dirt work of stumbling your way towards mastery in your respective vocation.

Can I promise this dope shit will garner you the following and the riches you think you deserve? Absolutely not.

But, what I can promise you, is at the end of each day, you will feel a little less lost and a little less discouraged and a little less worthless as you gaze upon your work-in-progress that you yourself created with your own two hands.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of arriving at the end of each day feeling like a fucking failure. So, I’ve decided I’m playing a different game.

From here on out, it’s dope shit only.

By Cole Schafer.

P.S. If this newsletter left you feeling inspired, do me a huge favor and tell one person to subscribe.