Seth Godin: He's No Dip!

I'm currently reading Mr. Godin's new book, so this isn't a proper book review.

Instead, it is a preemptive recommendation. At the half-way point, I feel confident to say "buy this book!"

If you're an artist (and I believe that most if not all of the people who read this blog are [or have been] artists) you need to read this book. Here's an excerpt:

The Dip is the long slog between starting and mastery. A long slog that's actually a shortcut, because it gets you where you want to go faster than any other path.
The Dip is the combination of bureaucracy and busywork you must deal with in order to get certified in scuba diving.
The Dip is the difference betwen the easy "beginner" technique and the more useful "expert" approach in skiing or fashion design.
The Dip is the long stretch between beginner's luck and real accomplishment.
The Dip is the set of artificial screens set up to keep people like you out.

As inspirational and "can-do" as his other books, The Dip feels like a continuation of Purple Cow (another book you must read.) The two books go hand in hand: The Dip helps you evaluate a career path (or activity) to determine if you should fish or cut bait. The Purple Cow encourages you to pick a remarkable path. Both books contain useful suggestions and real-world examples of the principles in play.

Ah hell. This turned into a book review.