“Work with the man when the man can help you make your art…”

– Amanda Palmer

“When in doubt, remember: At the end of the day, you get to do whatever the fuck you want.”

– Amanda Palmer

My guest this episode is Amanda Palmer, who first came to prominence as one half of the internationally acclaimed punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls.

Many of you have no doubt seen her surprise hit TED presentation, “The Art of Asking,” which has been viewed more than 6 million times. But her story goes much deeper, and, in this conversation, we delve into her routines, habits, creative process, relationships, business models, and more.

Her new book is aptly titled The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help. I finished 50% and fundamentally upgraded my life in an afternoon of asking for help. It’s one hell of a read.

Amanda is also widely known as “The Social Media Queen of Rock-N-Roll” for her intimate engagement with fans via her blog, Tumblr, and Twitter (1,000,000+ followers), and has been at the vanguard of using both “direct-to-fan” and “pay what you want” (patronage) business models to build and run her business. In May of 2012, she made international news when she raised nearly $1.2 million pre-selling her new album, Theatre is Evil, which went on to debut in the Billboard Top 10 when it was released in late 2012.

We get into it all, including war stories, cursing, and meditation techniques. It’s a fun ride. Enjoy!

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Ep 67: Amanda Palmer on How to Fight, Meditate, and Make Good Art https://rss.art19.com/episodes/c3781b01-dd1b-4614-a868-fe781cd56777.mp3 Download

Want to hear another podcast with a world-class musician? — Listen to my conversations with Justin Boreta of the Glitch Mob or Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. In the fomer, we discuss his meditation practice, morning routines, and creative process (stream below or right-click here to download):

Ep 62: The EDM Cinderella - How The Glitch Mob Exploded https://rss.art19.com/episodes/39735218-6371-4a87-9f2f-a18e13572290.mp3 Download

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run…

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: Have you ever overcome the fear of asking for help? Please share stories or examples in the comments!

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

The origin story behind the alias Amanda Fucking Palmer [4:40]

On the creative process behind The Art of Asking [7:40]

Simplification and honing in art and life [19:10]

Lessons learned as The 8-foot Bride [25:10]

What separates a good living statue from a great living statue [30:40]

Advice for effective use of eye contact [33:25]

Amanda Palmer’s meditation techniques [42:25]

Most gifted books [49:50]

Who is the first person you think of when you think of “successful” [55:50]

Common misconceptions about Amanda Palmer [1:02:10]

Why the Amanda Palmer fan base is so dedicated [1:09:40]

Lessons learned from the rebellion against Roadrunner Records [1:17:25]

If Amanda had to choose one online tool, which would it be and why? [1:25:40]

The dynamics of having two creatives in one household [1:26:55]

Rapid-fire questions: Drinks in Boston and advice for her 20-year old self [1:34:10]

Thoughts on flying solo or working with “the man” [1:37:25]

People Mentioned

Related and Recommended

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 500 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.