How to Increase your odds of creative success by 28.3%
Choose a Hook that resonates
TenMinuteArtist Prompt:
Write a List of Catchphrases:
Things you say with your mates. Things your mom says. Things Arnold Schwarzenegger says. Pick one of the things and draw them or draw all of them!
Do this for ten minutes then stop.
Here’s my list, all titles of bestselling books, all things you might say in regular conversation.
Share your Catchphrase in the comments
Increase your odds of success by 28.3%
Want to boost the appeal of your work?
Choose a hook that resonates.
A creative director once told me, “If your story, game, or book is about a unicorn, it’s likely to sell more—just because of the subject matter.”
Insights like these stick with you.
When my mom bought me coffee-themed stickers, I asked if she chose them for the art or the theme — it was the theme. Choosing a familiar and commonplace subject speaks to people’s interests and can bypass their natural ad-blocking filters, they are impossible to tune out or not notice.
Consider titles like Bad Guys or When I Was a Kid—familiar phrases that naturally resonate and grab attention. Every time someone hears a phrase like this, it works as free advertising, connecting them with your work.
A friend who wrote and illustrated Tiny Dogs often emphasizes this same idea: find a memorable hook, and it does half the work for you. In my own journey, focusing on the Nonfiction category was a hook that helped me land 11 book illustration projects in just two years.
Why 28.3%?
A bestselling author and illustrator shared that 85% of his success came from just three foundational strategies, so this one tip roughly accounted for 28.3% of that success =)
Choose a subject with built-in appeal and watch it work for you!
You’re reading, Ten Minute Artists, a page-a-day guide that offers fun prompts, encouragement, and thoughtful perspective for every stage of the creative journey to help new and experienced creators alike advance their quest in 10 minute increments.
Award winning illustrator Adam Ming draws lessons from creative legends, industry experts, and his own experience of rapidly breaking into international publishing from a third world country.
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I've learned that the catchphrase or high concept of a story to be such an important element that now I often start there when coming up with a graphic novel idea.