Meet Seth Campbell

We recently connected with Seth Campbell and have shared our conversation below.

Seth, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I’m drawn to this question because there’s so many times of the day where I still feel like I don’t have any confidence. Or that my sense of self and my self-esteem are low. For most of my life I struggled with crippling self doubt and the fact that I would never rise above mediocrity in most things.
But I chose this question, so I must have some, right? Can you be confident and not all at the same time?
The answer is yes, and it’s okay. True self-esteem comes from knowing when to be confident and when to set your fears aside and admit when you’re not the expert in the room. It comes from finding something you really love and are good at, and then pouring your heart into it no matter what you think people will say – and recognizing that you can and SHOULD keep getting better at it.
Last year I took the dive and became a self-published author through writing my fantasy novels at night after everyone went to bed and promoting them on the internet. There were quite a few people who said I was wasting my time, that I should be putting that time and energy into something more related to my career. I kept pushing forward, however, and wrote them – and I wrote them my way. They’re weird, divisive, and not to everyone’s tastes. And then I started dressing like a pirate to promote them. I sang pirate shanties and made dad jokes. I didn’t care about how I would be perceived – I love my books and just want to share them with people in a way that is natural to me.
I found my confidence because I found my true passion. I had spent many years in jobs and hobbies where I felt behind or mediocre, and could never quite rise up to a level of true confidence and expertise. Writing unlocked something for me. I’m so passionate about the worlds I create and the joy they’ve brought to people that I don’t care if people make fun of me.
And I think that’s the key to confidence and self-esteem. It’s not about being the best at something or lording your expertise over people. It’s about loving something so much that you don’t care when you fail or look like an idiot – you try again and you keep doing what you love. And the even more wonderful thing about it is that once you’ve unlocked that feeling of confidence in one area, it starts to trickle into others.
And before you know it, you’re trying all sorts of things you never would have before because you let fear and crippling self-doubt hold you back.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

By day I am a project developer for a local construction company where I help budget and design projects on the front end.
At night, I’m an independent author of dark fantasy books who parades around the internet in full costume.
I’ve always been a dabbling creative. Whether it be homemade board games, graphic novels, or model painting, I’ve always had some artistic endeavor that I was working on. After years of projects that never really went anywhere, my wife finally encouraged me to get back into writing. It was something I was always pretty good at, but didn’t really think I belonged in. I thought I was the visual person and that, despite my proclivity for the written word, that I should stay in that lane.
Turns out that she was right.
I am currently in the middle of my dark oceanpunk fantasy book series, the Eldritch Depths. It’s a wild, adult dark fantasy series that combines elements of Waterworld and the Soulsborne games with a pirate aesthetic and turns into a dark, fun, gothic thrill ride. The third book comes out soon, and I’m beginning work into other similar worlds – starting with my Eldritch Dunes western punk dark fantasy book series.
Creating bizarre and darkly fun worlds is one of the most enjoyable things I can think of. I love the intricacies of world building, and seeing how much absurdity I can put into one story while still maintaining interest and engagement.
I can be found on TikTok and Instagram promoting my work in full pirate gear, and have also started a Patreon where you can get exclusive art, sneak peaks, and full works.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Passion, persistence, and playfulness.
Figure out what you really love and pursue it. Even if it’s not something that will become monetary or your primary career. Once you find something that really makes you happy, it’s important to never let that go and to invest in it.
But remember to have fun.
Test the boundaries. Try something weird. Be yourself.
Once you drift into self-seriousness or frustration, it’s time to take a break and reevaluate.
My work is my work, but my writing is my passion. I love it, I push past all barriers to keep doing it, and I never let go of the fun I have while doing it.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one obstacle I face is time. There’s never enough of it and there’s always something taking it up.
As an independent author working after my day job on my books, I have much less time to invest in my worlds and writing than I would like. I have a lot of ideas – and I mean a LOT of ideas – and time constraints are always keeping me from getting them out as fast as I want.
This used to really frustrate me a lot more, but I’ve pulled back and let myself relax about it. I make time for it and schedule it appropriately, but I’ve learned to relax when I don’t get as much done as I want or if something unexpected slows me down.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Cover art by MIBLArt
DND sheet by YourMajestysWill
Eldritch Depths Art by S.M. Campbell

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