Things I Learned Along The Way — Huck's Fiftieth Special collects lessons learned and creative advice from fifty of the most inspiring people we know. Each day we'll be sharing a new excerpt from the magazine. Today, High Maintenance creators Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld explain why bucking the system was the best decision they ever made.

#20 – High Maintenance

The way we’re watching TV has changed, thanks to a kind of technological coup. As movie stars cultivate a new respect for the form, veering towards series delivered on-demand (see True Detective, House of Cards and more), and teens turn to YouTube for their daily hits, everyone’s trying to figure out how to make it in this new world. But it also means more first-timers are getting air-time, and production companies are taking bigger chances than ever before. And if you don’t get your big break, you can craft one for yourself. That’s exactly what husband and wife duo Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld did when they embarked on their DIY web series, High Maintenance. The show’s success is a testament to trusting their instincts. But the duo have had to make some tough decisions along the way, some of which they wholly regret:

“Your first gut reaction is the correct one,” offers Ben. “Yeah, they were mostly based on advice from people who might not know us that well or based on what seems to be the general tact for most people,” continues Katja. “Our gut reaction would be at odds with that and we would choose to go with the more tried and true path because that’s what people around us are saying and then come to regret it. That’s been huge for us.”

This is just a short excerpt from Huck’s Fiftieth Special, a collection of fifty personal stories from fifty inspiring lives.

Grab a copy now to read all fifty stories in full. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss another issue.