{"id":1808,"date":"2020-10-17T08:25:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-17T15:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/?p=1808"},"modified":"2020-10-17T22:00:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-18T05:00:04","slug":"you-cannot-pick-my-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/you-cannot-pick-my-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"You Cannot Pick My Brain!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"561\" data-attachment-id=\"1816\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/you-cannot-pick-my-brain\/dog-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?fit=2000%2C1095&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1095\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 6D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1596649708&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;120&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"dog\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?fit=1024%2C561&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?resize=1024%2C561&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?resize=1024%2C561&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?resize=300%2C164&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?resize=1536%2C841&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have learned a poo-ton thru online advice and IRL mentors. The advice I&#8217;ve given is even better! The greatest entertainment makers get lots of counseling from other masters, but we can sometimes do it wrong. We can see an opportunity to connect with someone&#8217;s wisdom and waste it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I want to reiterate that people like to help. People like to feel useful.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask a lot. Go for it. But do it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Saying &#8220;Could I pick your brain&#8221; Sucks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This is a gross phrase<\/li><li>What are we asking? It&#8217;s like &#8220;could I talk to you?&#8221;<\/li><li>Why?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An example of a bad way to transfer wisdom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Us &#8211; &#8220;You&#8217;re so cool. May I pick your brain?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Successful person &#8211; &#8220;Uh, I guess so&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Us &#8211; &#8220;What&#8217;s the best way to break into Hollywood?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Successful person &#8211; &#8220;Uh, well, it&#8217;s not locked.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Be specific to the advisor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;You&#8217;re an animator with a unique style and you&#8217;ve found lots of success. Could I ask for a little help with my own style?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;You are an incredible networker. Could I ask you some questions about connecting with the right people for this project I&#8217;m working on?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;You&#8217;ve been really good in this biz. Could I ask you a little about my direction starting out?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice, we&#8217;re complimenting the person&#8217;s wisdom\/skills (not their resources), then telling them what we will be asking. Even if the conversation leads in a different direction eventually, we&#8217;ve expressed the main thing that we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Be Candid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Because of my day job and family, I only have about an hour per day to work on my writing career. I have a book that&#8217;s half finished. I have no agent and only 20 followers on twitter.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I tend to jump from project to project. The way I&#8217;ve gotten most of my work is thru family. I&#8217;m scared of really going public.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If folks don&#8217;t know the truth of our situation, they will give us nothing useful. We gotta be honest and vulnerable to get the best advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Be clear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;My goal next month is to sell 100 more tickets. Do you have thoughts about how to do that better?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;When a client asks how long a project will take, I feel like I&#8217;m trapped and I often under-bid. How do you respond?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I feel like I&#8217;m wasting time on casting. Do you remember what the process was for casting the Gothic Ballet you produced?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stating clear goals gives the advisor a problem to solve. If they need to guess the goal, (&#8220;like what color is best to paint my car&#8221;) it&#8217;s more work for them and probably not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/tribe-to-fanbase\/\">fulfilling<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Show prototypes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The following is the email I&#8217;ve been sending out to agents&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I spend four hours per day coding and four hours per day streaming live to promote my game&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/nakedity\/\">costume<\/a> design I have so far.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giving advice on a premise is the worst. We don&#8217;t want to say &#8220;I have this idea for a tv show that&#8217;s about pickles and comedy, what do you think?&#8221; We want to say, &#8220;here&#8217;s a draft of the work I&#8217;ve done, what can be improved? What am I missing?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t ask<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes we meet someone who looks like they can help us a lot. If we can&#8217;t do the stuff above, we don&#8217;t need to ask them anything. We can be grateful we met them and stay in touch until we are ready to ask the right questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have learned a poo-ton thru online advice and IRL mentors. The advice I&#8217;ve given is even better! The greatest entertainment makers get lots of counseling from other masters, but we can sometimes do it wrong. We can see an opportunity to connect with someone&#8217;s wisdom and waste it. I want to reiterate that people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":1816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10158666434799935_26707174888":"","twitter_aToyMjM4MTQzMDs=_22381430":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dog.jpg?fit=2000%2C1095&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc33gc-ta","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4167,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/thinks-change-quickly\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":0},"title":"Thinks Change Quickly","author":"scot","date":"August 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Feelings drive us. We don't drive them. Our brains give us the chance to notice our feelings and act against them. I am really into letting my feelings be feelings. I let them flow thru me. I let them visit as long as they want. They will distort my reality.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blog-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blog-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blog-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blog-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/blog-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4196,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/opportunity-hope-is-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":1},"title":"Opportunity : Hope is power","author":"scot","date":"September 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a certain body shape that I'd like to attain by Sept 1. I don't think it will happen at this point, yet I'm still trying... a little bit. I think with dedication to it this month, I could have gotten much closer by now. My main things are\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3132,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/damnit-up-creativity-constraint-construction\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":2},"title":"Damnit UP &#8211; Creativity Constraint Construction","author":"scot","date":"November 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the problems I have with the word \"Creativity\" is that it is often used to mean boundless imagination. People think they don't have it, or they think they need to be freed from bounds to achieve it. What it really is is making stuff. Creating. And if we're\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-satoshi-hirayama-6473577.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-satoshi-hirayama-6473577.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-satoshi-hirayama-6473577.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-satoshi-hirayama-6473577.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-satoshi-hirayama-6473577.jpg?fit=1200%2C782&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3344,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/mudwashing\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":3},"title":"Mudwashing","author":"scot","date":"June 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I posted this question on Facebook and didn't get an adequate answer, so I'm making up a word. Here's the facebook post... I am an expert at making things complicated. I love complicated stories and people because they're a great escape that my brain continuously puzzles over. When I'm working\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cozy-reading-in-bed-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C633&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2783,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wasting-advice\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":4},"title":"Wasting Advice","author":"scot","date":"August 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We waste most of the advice we receive. I give way too much advice and I see it wasted all the time, it's still worth it to me to give it because of that little bit that takes effect. Here's how I see it wasted and here's how to prevent\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3837369.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3837369.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3837369.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3837369.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3837369.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3096,"url":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/death-zone-comfort-zone\/","url_meta":{"origin":1808,"position":5},"title":"Death Zone \/ Comfort Zone","author":"scot","date":"October 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Quick weird lifehack: when I think, \"Why is this thing such a big deal to me?\" I change the question to \"How do I think this thing is gonna kill me?\" If something's big emotionally, I can usually reduce it down to survival. Examples: Having trouble writing an email to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-johann-piber-702935.jpg?fit=1200%2C665&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-johann-piber-702935.jpg?fit=1200%2C665&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-johann-piber-702935.jpg?fit=1200%2C665&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-johann-piber-702935.jpg?fit=1200%2C665&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-johann-piber-702935.jpg?fit=1200%2C665&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1808"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1822,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808\/revisions\/1822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}