Gifted Underachievers

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

James overcomes his disappointment in Pat’s despoilment of the GU Clubhouse in order to launch an investigation into marketing to & by creatives. We discuss the point of marketing, bring up examples of people whose marketing “works,” and arrive at the four key determinants of our own interest in working with someone: credibility, competence, vulnerability, and genuineness (or authenticity). If you...

Like many creatives, the Gifted Underachievers must sometimes take extraordinary steps to get the time and space to work on their stuff. Prompted in part by our year-long Grant Experiment, James is applying for residencies both in the US and abroad. Pat’s taking a more DIY approach. In this segment, we discuss the logistics, risks, and potential rewards of leaving the safety and routines of our wo...

As the heads of an international enterprise, we here at Gifted Underachievers are savvy and experienced travelers. So when Pat pulls the trigger on booking a VRBO for her 2026 creative retreat, she’s feeling pretty good about herself. That is, until she tells James where she’s going. Questions for Listeners: (Hop on over to the segment web page to leave a comment.) * Where would you go for a creat...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Your Gifted Underachievers are delighted to welcome artist and social change instigator Sharon Louden into the Clubhouse to talk about the nature of creativity, how artists (and creative people generally) are much more than makers, and the amazing opportunity we have right now to change how art and artists are seen and supported in the world. Warm, funny, and generous, Sharon is a catalyst for the...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

Pat’s getting ads for women’s shapewear (SHE SWEARS SHE’S NEVER CLICKED A LINK!) and ugly shoes. James is getting men’s outerwear and fungal cures. We’re not falling for any of it! Because we have feet. :D Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. We’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe any time. This is a public episode. I...

Both Pat and James have home offices where they do their client and personal creative work. For many, having a creative space inside the home where they earn their living is the dream. What could be better? Well, perhaps an office outside of the home. Questions for Listeners: * Do you work from home? * If so, what do you like/dislike? * If not, what do you like/dislike? Segment Links: I Spent One...

When you’re running a creative (or creative-adjacent) business and your ambient stress level gets a sudden spike, it can lead to overwhelm that lasts for days or even weeks. This is when your Gifted Underachivers think about saying “fuck it!” and going to get a jobby job. After all, it’s never too late to change your life. In this segment, we remind ourselves that blips are blips, that jobs have t...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

As part of the grant experiment, we here in the Gifted Achievers clubhouse have recently been asking guests about their experience with grants. In this short excerpt, writer and grant recipient Nadja Lubiw-Hazard shares her insightful and encouraging tips. Thanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it. If you aren’t already a subscriber, we’d love to h...

When Pat was doing her MFA in Writing, there was almost no business training (OK, none) and no mention of how to get published except writing exceptionally well and getting a New York agent. Thirteen years later and having worked with said NY agent, she’s starting to realize that it would have been equally good to have explored more of her local writing and publishing scene. She and James talk abo...

This segment began as an open discussion involving a lot of silliness. However, from that silly wrapper emerged an exploration of whether we should keep pitches simple thereby allowing the work to speak louder. Would this lead to more acceptances? Also, James drops his never-fail pickup line—so…don’t miss that action! Questions for Listeners * What are your pitch dos and don’ts? * Do you find pitc...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com

If you’re a creative looking for services (say, a voice or acting coach) to help you advance your career, how do you find the right person to hire? And if you’re a service provider to creatives, how do you show that you’re worth hiring? We start this segment with the strange math of the NYT Bestsellers list and end with the C-Squared Fallacy. Correlation does NOT equal causation, and creatives loo...

In this segment, Pat and James discuss the concept of persona—how to dress like a creative. We examine five possibilities, discuss the irony of expensive clothing for midlevel creatives, and come up with our own dress code for writers. Questions for Listeners (Hop on over to the segment web page to leave us your answers.) * Do you see yourself as any of the five “types?” (Desk Goblin, Dark Academi...

Here's a little-known fact about Gifted Underachiever Pat—she's a two-time winner of the International 3-Day Novel Contest, held every Labour Day weekend since its 1977 genesis in a Vancouver bar. In this snippet from our interview with Gifted Achiever Nadja Lubiw-Hazard (coming soon!), Nadja bravely commits to joining Pat and the international band of weirdos who enter the contest every year. If...