The young naïve King Arthur once asked the great wizard Merlin why he always wore robes with moons & stars on them. Merlin replied, “Why it’s because everywhere a wizard goes he is always at the center of the universe.”
That said, as 2017 draws to a close, stand in the very center of your crazy, independent, creative career and take a long, deep, honest, look around. Hunt down the petty activates (and people) that distract you from doing your best work. Search and destroy anything that continues to slow your progress. Terminate anything that thwarts your growth or stalls your advancement. Discern weakness at the very core of your creative work, and insist on accuracy and precision in all those who work with or for you.
Important because as the wizard of your world, take an intelligent look at what’s currently wanted and needed, then simply provide it—without fanfare, without praise, and without applause. Not like mythical magic, more like contemporary pragmatism.