"Here, I made this."

These are magic words for creative professionals.

They show us that creative work may be daunting, but it's just what we do. It's what we must do.

We put ourselves out there ("I"). We invest knowledge, skill, and effort ("made") to create something that didn't exist a few moments ago ("this"). And we do that to build a connection with others ("here"). This is what Seth Godin meant by "Here, I made this."

The most exciting projects are the ones that help us build relationships with others through creative work. It's what gets our blood rushing. And we often forget about it in the thick of it - creating the next campaign, answering client requests, trying to keep the quarterly budget balanced.

But as the year is coming to an end I want to remind you to think back to the creative projects that made the year special. What was your "Here, I made this" moment of creative passion?

How are you going to make these moments special in the next year, too?

Happy holidays!

🎁 P.S. What was your "Here, I made this" moment of 2022? Hit reply and share!

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THAT'S A WRAP!

All course modules are live now, still at a special price

A while back, I read Seth Godin's concept of "Here, I made this." I took the words as a lesson and a challenge. They drove me to go forward with my marketing video course. I just launched the course's final module today, which marks an important milestone in this journey of creation and connection. But there's more to come – our group training sessions are starting in January, and I'm already planning more content to record.

A quick reminder: the course is available at a special holiday price by the end of the year.

More about the course →

HANDPICKED STORIES FOR YOU

Year on TikTok: 2022, truly #ForYou
The ‘Year on TikTok’ report sums up the top creators, moments, and trends that reverberated within the app throughout the past 12 months. It's not just a fun selection of videos to watch – it can help you understand the trends and types of content that work on the platform. Maybe it can all be an inspiration for your 2023 TikTok plan.

‘People see why we came off now’: Lush has no regrets about quitting Instagram and Facebook
I have to say I'm not a fan of Meta. And seeing any brand succeed in marketing after leaving social media properties is the holiday story I want to see. This post will give you a detailed overview of how Lush found new ways to connect with customers outside popular platforms.

Why Negative Content Turns In Such Positive Results
Treat the word "negative" carefully here – it's not about spreading hate for your competitors. But having a contrarian view can get the attention of the right people. This post shows a few great examples of content that goes against the grain – and wins.

14 Creative Holiday Email Examples You Need to See
Even if you're done with your holiday email plan, this selection of examples can help you for the next one – I mean, St. Valentine's is coming. Drip shares some great ideas here - from making emails personal to some brilliant subject lines that will help you stand out in a crowded inbox.

Why Your Team Needs a Weekly Metrics Review
Being "data-informed" is the Holy Grail of product companies, but there's a right and a wrong way to do it. This post shows how weekly reviews can build understanding in your team and enable people to make better decisions autonomously without the help of a "data guru" who holds the keys to your analytics.

QUICKIES

• Letterstack is a great list of resources to build, grow and monetize your newsletter.
• The Ordinary showed everyone how to communicate a price increase. Keep it short, be transparent, and remind people why they like you.

CONTENT WORTH WATCHING

How Spotify’s Wrapped campaign came together

Spotify Wrapped is a stellar example of what content can do for your brand. The campaign captures the attention of existing customers and gets the brand in front of so many others. This post shows how the campaign came to life - from the design direction to the choice of distribution channels (even ones that don't seem to make sense, like out-of-home).

Read about the campaign →

FUN STUFF TO CLICK ON

• This amazing underground city in Turkey – when you decide to expand your basement and stumble upon an ancient city that's a wow story. Read the post to see a picture of the structure and a full overview of the galleries.
• This account with great emails – you will find messages from Uber's Travis Kalanick, Elizabeth Holmes's daily schedule, Zuckerberg's thoughts on Tinder, and more curious stuff.
• Weekly cat – holiday wins look like this.

Hope you enjoy these!

SHARE AND CARE

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Here's how: You have a custom referral link (see below). Just copy and paste it into an email, on social media, or however else you'd like to share it. If others sign up through it, you'll get access to templates, monthly consulting sessions, and more to come!

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