EDITOR’S NOTE:

“And how about that Dan Nelken bloke?” said Dave. 

Yesterday, Dave Harland and I were chatting on Zoom. 

“Oh, yeh,” I said. “Yes, Dan’s excellent.”

We were talking about people — marketers, writers — we admired.

“Ya,” he said, “his stuff is just incredible.” 

“Yes,” I said. “Very much so. Matter of fact, he did an interview. Gonna put it out tomorrow.”

And here we are. :)

Now I’m very excited to share one of the most real and profound Micro-Interviews yet, written by an exceptional copywriter, a rare talent. 

In only 340 words, Dan shares:

• 3 things he’d tell his younger self…

• The only type of success worth measuring…

• One of the most important things for all creative people to experience…

And so much more… 

Enjoy!

P.S. I’m looking forward to Dan’s upcoming newsletter.

Thank you, Dan.

Let’s get started: 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

I want to share a schedule that impresses your audience but I have a 4-year old and a 6-month old and so my routine is not the priority. 

On a good day, I’m up at 6:00 to do a quick workout, and then it’s just me, my coffee, and my work for a couple of hours. When I do that, I feel like I’m getting ahead of the day instead of chasing it. 

During the day, my wife and I hot potato the kids back and forth, because we both work as freelancers. Once the monkeys are back asleep, it’s work for a couple more hours. It’s a messy schedule and I don’t recommend it but we're making it work.

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d say:

1. Embrace your strengths but be brave enough to admit and work on your weaknesses and insecurities. 

2. Don’t be a one-trick pony. Not everything has to be funny. Explore a range of tones in your work.

3. Don’t be late for your photo-op with Justin Timberlake.

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

The only success worth measuring is your happiness.

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Earlier in my career, it was studying advertising award annuals. Instead of just being in awe of the work, I would break it down and extract the key insights. 

And now, writing about craft to teach others, helps me more than I could have imagined.

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

Easy. 

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan. 

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

I think it’s important for all creative people to experience the freedom of complete creative control.

So make sure you create something just for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s great, or if people like it. All that matters is it’s yours.