David Andrew Wiebe's Development Blog

You're doing all the things you're supposed to be doing. You listened to the gurus, learned as much as you could, and started putting yourself out there. You're creating your art, but you've also set up a website, social media profiles, email campaigns, maybe even advertising and direct mail. You're checking all the boxes. I've been there too. I've done videos, podcasts, multiple blogs and websites, email marketing, social media marketing, snail mail marketing, funnel building, and ads on Google and Meta. The list goes on. Conventional wisdom says that if you're doing all the right things, you should be seeing results. But if you're not getting results, you're not alone. In this post (and video), I break down why "do all the things" advice is failing so many independents. I can almost promise you two things: first, there's not enough authenticity shining through in what you're creating. Second, you're showing up as vanilla i...

Just two or three years ago, I felt passion adjacent, impact adjacent, and income adjacent. Adjacent means you're right next to something — close enough to see it, close enough to almost touch it — but not actually there. I wasn't doing exactly what I was passionate about. I wasn't having the kind of impact I wanted to have. And I wasn't making the kind of income I wanted to make. At the time, I had a contract writing content for a music business website. I was good at the work, but I had very little control over what I wrote, and no matter how skilled or efficient I became, I couldn't seem to get paid more. I have a deep passion for music, creativity, and writing — and yet I found myself in a situation where I didn't like the contract, didn't like the work, and didn't like the people I was working with. I was underappreciated, underutilized, and underpaid. I remember having this moment where I thought, "I guess this is about as good as it gets....

 Why do so many multi‑talented creatives feel stuck, even when opportunity seems to follow them? In this post (and video), I look at “being stuck” from a very different angle. Instead of assuming that feeling trapped means something is wrong with you, I start by asking a few simple questions: Are you the go‑to person in your network? Do people bring you ideas and projects on a regular basis? Do you actually feel fulfilled working on a variety of different things, or would you rather be confined to a single niche? Most creatives underestimate what they’re already doing. While many people struggle to get good at one thing, some of us have developed multiple skills — and are quietly thriving in ways we don’t even recognize. The problem isn’t always our situation; sometimes it’s the story we’re telling ourselves about it. This piece invites you to reconsider whether you’re truly stuck, or whether you’ve simply forgotten to accept, be grateful for, and even love exactly where you are ri...

 I was born in Camrose, Alberta — a small place you might only recognize by its proximity to Edmonton and the legendary West Edmonton Mall. My childhood was defined by humble circumstances: a Bible college professor for a father, a simple home, and a limited understanding of what it meant to be rich or poor. Life was just… life. At five years old, my world shifted. My family moved to Japan, and I turned six inside a tiny apartment with two small bedrooms, a cramped living space, and a kitchen that felt like a closet. The neighborhood was rough; the school was even rougher. I still remember getting punched in the gut by a bully and being too winded to chase him — an experience my sister shared as well. Eventually, things improved. We moved to a rented house in the mountains, my parents began to thrive, and I transferred to a better school. Those early years — from cramped apartments to mountain air — are the backdrop to who I am today. In this post (and video), I share those humble b...

Do you ever feel like you’re doing excellent work that nobody sees? This post is for the creatives and creators who pour time, energy, and money into what they do… yet still feel invisible. The ones who keep hitting a ceiling, wondering why their work isn’t getting in front of the people who need it most. In this piece, I’m not offering a 5‑step formula or marketing hacks. Instead, I’m naming what you’re going through and recognizing where you are — without shame and without pretending you’re somewhere else. I share my own story of being “the independent nobody”: 49 songs, 13 books, thousands of blog posts — all created in the dark, mostly unseen. If you feel invisible but know your work matters, this is for you. You are not alone, and you are not doomed to stay stuck exactly where you are. https://davidandrewwiebe.com/the-independent-nobody-sees-but-should-who-i-actually-help/

“So, how’s that inflammation going?” He took one look at my blood sample and called my number. “Any time I consume dairy, I feel it big time,” was my response. But I think he was expecting me to be feeling a lot more pain than I was, and more frequent. I felt kind of lucky in that moment, to be honest. …Wait, what’s this about? See, I kind of went AWOL last week. I finished work, rented a car, and drove four hours from Greater Vancouver to the Okanagan. On a Tuesday. Only to make the entire four-hour return trip home the next day (I took the day off work). Who does that?! Well, I’d booked an appointment with a blood specialist. Not any old specialist, but one of a kind. As in, there are only four other people in the WORLD who operate at his level. I had somehow managed to squeeze in an appointment on short notice, with a man who has a waiting list until October 2026 (no kidding…). I didn’t have any pressing health concerns (save for some minor things I’ve alluded to before), but my fri...

“I’m going to give it a year. That’s my mentality.” When I heard those words, I felt a sense of freedom about my decision. Of course, there isn’t anything specifically magical about the number. Ask the top performers across the world, and they will tell you: Getting a new venture off the ground and up and running generally takes two to five years. I’ve heard this repeated, not just in network marketing circles, but also in the coaching and businesses I’ve been a part of since. It applies to independent creative ventures, too. A long-term mindset is crucial. Although I will add this: When you understand that you’re committing to yourself and your growth, not just to your ultimate success, it reframes the journey positively. The point is, it’s hard to tell whether you’ve got something on your hands that’s worth continuing until you’ve given it two to five years. Not Your First Rodeo? The difference is that, if this isn’t your first rodeo, you can get enough of an idea of whether some...

Tell me if any part of this sounds familiar: You wake up to face another day. You’ve got your to-do list written out. You’ve got your favorite glass or cup loaded with your preferred brew of caffeine fuel. You sit at your desk and turn your computer on. You should be ready to get cracking on your tasks. But you can’t seem to get started. You’re well aware that, logically, there’s nothing on your list that should be difficult to do. But you find yourself resisting the work. And this is usually where the TikTok video or social media binges begin… If you’re a little more self-aware, you might turn to checking your email for the fifth time today, or something else that has the appearance of being more productive… But the result is the same, because either way, you’re just faking yourself out. You’re not getting to the things you know you should be getting to. If this is a frequent struggle for you, consider grabbing a copy of the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook. This bo...

“Stop inviting me to your weight loss groups.” Bro, first, I don’t own any weight loss groups. Second, you know that you can opt out of whatever you want, don’t you? But you know what? My weight does matter to me, and why should I be punished for it? And to me, it’s not really about weight loss. It’s about: - Looking and feeling great (call me vain if you want) - Maintaining and improving my health (I’ve had some, thankfully minor, conditions crop up in the last few years that I’m beginning to understand better) - Ensuring my mental faculties are intact – this one is HUGE (how else am I going to keep doing what I’m doing – writing, music, community, and business?) Coincidentally (and it really is coincidental, because I haven’t shared much about my weight loss anywhere, and it really has absolutely nothing to do with Facebook groups), I have had some major wins this year. The Weight Loss Cure You Probably Discarded, Overlooked, and Called a Scam When I began my weight los...