Calling out to Steemians Content Creators.......
So one of the biggest inspiration I have had all year apart from Gary Vee, is this guy, Austin Kleon and his book "Steal Like An Artist". Now if at 1 am, a this time of the night, Jassica could start jabbing at her laptop and write about some dude, then he must be pretty shit hot, and seriously, he is.
Now I haven't finished reading the book yet. But I am so fired up that I really want to share something that slapped me in the face the first time I read it:
If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about before I started "being creative," well, I'd still be sitting around trying to figure myself out instead of making things. In my experience, it's in the act of making things and doing our work that we figure out who we are.
You're ready. Start Making Stuff.
Our Problem As Content Creators
For those of us perfectionist content creators, this is one of our biggest run-in. Or maybe it is mine.
I tend to sit on a content for so long, or a video for so long, and I finished the editing but never published it!
And here's why. We are often so bogged down by what people think, and what they feel our product should be. Yes, sure, learn from the best. However, here is the counter argument.
To find your "speciality", to find "Your" style, you need to start making content. The book is called "Steal Like An Artist", and if you guessed it right, it is about creating and finding your own voice, your "originality", through gathering (or stealing) ideas from the world around you, your idols, your heroes, and etc.
Simply put, ponder this quote:
"What is Originality? Undetected plagiarism." - William Ralph Inge
Gather ideas, make content, and be utterly shit at it - at first.
Fake it till you make it - literally. And no, that didn't come from me. I stole it from Austin Kleon, and yet I am not the only one who did.
This is probably a trademark of most successful people.
Applying that in the context of content creating:
Create something even though you have no idea what the heck you are doing. Continue at it until it actually becomes something. And if you haven't arrived at your destination, don't stop until you do. (That is if you really wanna be a bomb ass content creator)
Make mistakes - don't be afraid to look stupid. Truth is, we can only learn by making mistakes. Don't be afraid to fall. Austin made such a good point of saying something along this lines of "Make full use of your time when you are not famous."
Why? Because no one actually cares.
That means you get to hella lots of mistakes, look stupid (to you), but gain alot of experiences and learnings from it. And even if no one still cares, sometime along the line, when you get really good, they would.
And here's the thing, you will never learn and understand all this, if you never start. You can only sit, twiddle your thumbs, and think of the "What-ifs" because you have never even tried.
Best part? This is not just for us content creators. This applies for everything else in Life.
How cool is that??
J x
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I am absolutely passionate about being able to create content that will create value in YOUR life and which will help you live more amazing lives. All of your support will go in to supporting my passion to be able to live what matters for me, that is to share and give back to the community.
I can totally relate to this! Over the years, I realize i dont have to be perfect to start anything. I can just start as where i am. So, i started singing and uploading videos, eventhough i dont feel i did super well everytime, but i know i have to start doing something, in order to explore, learn and improve along the way. This article surely does speaks to me. Thanks for your sharing @jassicania! :) Upvoted & resteemed.
YES!! I Know right! Really for those of us who are so afraid to come out of our shells and do what we love - it can be a challenge. Totally relate to you Michelle - and I am looking forward to see more from you!! @michelleloh168
i just realize you sing too! And you have a beautiful voice! Soothing and nice. Please sing more songssss for us @jassicania :)
hahaha yes I do! Thats so kind of you - thank you ! ^-^ @michelleloh168
You do know those who "wing it" do come with years of hidden preparations, right...? It's what makes the "magic" feel magical. Shhh, the magicians would kill me for spilling their beans...
Ok, I'll throw you a lifeline. It's a battle between the imposter syndrome (I'm not good enough) vs. the Dunning-Kruger Effect (the person with the least ability thinking he/she can wing it). Two sides of an argument, two forms of justification.
It is true, Mav. It's just for the purpose of this article - it's really to push those of us who is afraid to even start.....! @maverickfoo
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I am definitely one of the perfectionist mentioned above... many times, it take me days to prepare a post. But as I age, I learn to be less into perfection. But and OCD like myself will still kick in and try to ensure a quality post.
Yeah thats true. I think quality post is still important - but really, the post is just to kickstart those of us who has problems even starting... ! hehe @orangila
I was once a perfectionist... now I don't care, sometimes it's funny to see people enjoy talking/listening/reading about mistakes that some of the people did... compared to wonderful things that have been done... it's some kind of entertainment too... 😊 hahaha...
Do what we enjoy and enjoy what we do... perfect is boring... mistakes are part of the learning... enjoy the journey... :)
SIreh, I think you have gotten to a point where you are pretty good at what you do - as what Mav said in his above comment, it takes years of preparation actually - to have something look so effortless. But yeah, hahah, mistakes and etc... It is part of the journey hey. I will take a leaf out of your booklet - enjoy the journey. :) Thank you my friend. @sireh.
My friend?... aiyaaakk... I got friendzoned... hahaha!
Yup!... lucky to have the chance of doing what I love and getting rewarded. Thanks to this platform, I'm lucky having the chance to know many creative people who shared the same passion. Looking forward attending your talk on 14 April Jass... cheers!
Hey Gary Vee got to me too .... haha... I still sometimes would dump a whole thing that's not resonating and restart a new post, but most of them go up now....
Wow, thank you for the push! I really needed it!