Zachary Petit is editor-in-chief of the National Magazine Award-winning publication Print, author of The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work, and Thrive on Your Own Terms, and a lifelong literary and design nerd.
At one point in time, he was the senior managine editor of HOW magazine, Print, and Writer’s Digest, as well as executive editor of many other related newsstand titles. His words also regularly appear in National Geographic Kids, National Geographic, Mental_Floss, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, just to name a few.
Most recently, Zachary has curated the book Treat Ideas Like Cats, which unlocks the secret of creativity as it collects the inspiring and insightful words of artists, writers, designers, and thinkers who have had the courage to create.
In this episode, Zachary discusses:
-How his new book, Treat Ideas Like Cats, came to be.
-The amount of wisdom that can sometimes come from so few words.
-The idea of one quote per page, which helps to slow the reader down to really take it in.
-The importance of being able to interpret motivational stories and apply them to your own situation.
-One of the quotes from the book that influenced him the most.
-His creative journey and how he got to the point he is at now.
-How difficult it can be to do your creative work after eight hours at a job, but how good you always feel after you’ve done it.
-Working for National Geographic and National Geographic Kids.
-Some of the fears involved with public speaking and teaching.
-Some of his experiences as an interviewer for Writer’s Digest.
-His advice for people to create their own collection of inspiration.
-The lost art of conversation.
Zachary’s Final Push will inspire you to keep chipping away!
Quotes:
“Some of these quotes to me are equivalent to reading an entire book on something. They just carry so much power in so few words.”
“Whenever I wrote something or created something, I felt more alive than if I had not.”
“I’ve always been driven by finding the weird side of things.”
“That inescapable creative drive is really what you need to embrace. Yes, it’s terrifying, but if you have no choice but to do it, you’ll figure out a way to do it and to put it out into the world even though it may be completely terrifying to you.”
“That, to me, is where it takes the most courage and the most drive – to come home from working 8-9 hours and having the courage to walk down those basement steps and sit yourself down at the computer no matter how tired or fatigued you are. It’s never easy but once you’ve done it, you always feel better.”
“The big challenge is finding balance between your life, your creative passions, and your day job.”
“I think it’s good to be slightly uncomfortable and to not settle into only what you’re good at and what you’re comfortable with, because you learn a lot by doing things that terrify you.”
Links mentioned:
Treat Ideas Like Cats: And Other Creative Quotes to Inspire Creative People by Zachary Petit
Connect with Zachary:
