When is the best time to start?

The truth about Creator Culture and whether it's for anyone.

The dull safety of a 9-5 is nothing to be scoffed at. It’s commendable to put stability and reliability before whimsical passions. Especially if you have a family or someone depending on you. Trust me, often I wish I had the will and skills to have a “real job” with that end-of-month salary and take my weekends off. It gets hard being a freelancer, you’re constantly dealing with uncertainty, chasing empty promises, and throwing a lot of effort into pitching yourself for no callbacks or reward. It’s also lonely because you’re not always part of a team. This is not going to be a moan - stay with me.

However, there are different types of people in the world. Some are good at routine, some are good at chaos. Some like comfort and others seek turmoil. It takes all of us to make up this magic blue-green ball in space. What is important though, is realizing which camp you fall into.

We have all heard the countless cries of “Do this! Earn a six-figure income in 6 months and quit your job!” The “Gurus” out there all kind-of do the same thing: They identify a pain point (the want to be your own boss and financially free), and they hook you with a disguised sales pitch (the YouTube video/newsletters/free download) and then sell you a system with a money-back guarantee. They are offering you comfort from hard work. With the world being digital the promise of everyone making money online as a side quest seems to be the new white picket fence dream.

I’m sorry to burst bubbles here but it’s simply not that easy. And if it is, then its not sustainable. There is a balance to life - you can’t have it all. You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true . . . Now at this point, if you’re ready to exit this newsletter because I’m not stroking your confirmation bias, that’s understandable. For those of you who keep reading, here we go.

Whether you’re a photographer, artist, videographer (don’t call yourself a filmmaker if you’re not making films), writer, etc, it’s no longer enough to be just a specialist. I’m speaking from a professional standpoint here ie. making money from your craft. If you’re an amateur, and it’s your way of enjoying the process of creation, by all means, enjoy it as much as you can. To make money, you have to have a different approach to the game. It now becomes a sport. And there are winners and losers in sport.

So, where does creator culture come into all of this? I’ll give you an example. I’m a photographer. I make money taking photos (not enough, hence the paragraph below), I have to market those skills to obtain clients, so I’m my own marketer as well. Now, again, I’m speaking from the perspective of a person in a small town without an Agent or a team supporting me. I’m in the beginning phase of my career. I’m a one-person show in that regard.

I also dabble in artistic practices and whenever possible I incorporate my photography. I have social media because I need to have an online presence for my work to be seen. I have websites, which I build and manage myself. Recently, I have started dabbling in YouTube to extend my reach as an educator. I am an entrepreneur, building my online business and scaling it to become a nest egg for later. So from photography, I’ve had to learn how to build efficient websites, SEO, design, video, sound and editing, social media growth tactics, writing (my weakest skill), business skills, and how to manage a community. This is the Creator Culture. It’s not new - we’re essentially creative entrepreneurs. The product going to market is ourselves.

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one” comes to mind. Whether you believe the second part was added post-21st century is irrelevant. What must be taken away from the quote is that we live in a world of “good enough”. Perfection takes time and the NOW is moving faster than the human being is designed to function. Make enough “good enough” work and you’ll become a master. It’s when you wait, procrastinate, hesitate that you lose. We have to be jacks of all trades - we are creators, balancing multiple eggs on spoons and running through the woods in the dark with a wolf called “the mundane life” nipping at our heels.

Creator Culture is essentially breaking the mold of the traditional approach. You know: Go to school, study for a degree, get a job, 2.5 kids, etc . . . More and more people are realizing this was a lie built on inequality and privilege, designed to serve the middle class from an era we are no longer in nor support.

Creator Culture is the idea that your hard work, adaptability, and personality can create the life you want to live. It’s a rebel’s culture, a dreamer’s culture.

So to answer the title of this rambling: NOW. Now is the best time to start. Not tomorrow, or after you’ve done this or that. NOW, today, in the next 10 minutes of your life. Take a pen and paper, notes app, or recording and put down the following:

I will __________(the action) in the next 12 hrs and post it on ________(the platform) to start my journey. Then I will do it again and again until it’s a habit and natural.

But know this. This is not a dip your toe into the water situation. Life is not an idyllic summertime pool. It’s a river, with rapids and falls. When you get in you better learn to swim fast or fail. That’s just how it is. If you got this far and you are not ready to face the risk of drowning, it’s not for you yet.

I guess, what I’m getting at is don’t fall for the BS out there that you’re going to be successful by default if you follow a 12-step program. Creator Culture is amazing! It might be the hardest thing you’re ever going to do outside of raising a child. I’m not going to compare it to climbing Mount Everest because this is a long game and highly demanding physical challenges have a much shorter duration. It’s going to weigh on your mind, problem-solving abilities, ethics, endurance, sleep, well-being, body, and personality. But if you’re a true creative, none of that matters. It’s going to become the most self-fulfilling natural state of being. It’s not a job, but a way of living.

Nothing good comes from comfort. Comfort is the reward - short-lived and sweet. Transformation cannot occur in stasis. Remember, we only get to see the successes people put out there. Each successful photo, article, painting, and YouTube video is backed by countless failures. This is how you become the master of all you endeavor. The discomfort of failure transforms and improves you - if you learn and adapt.

So, no, being a creator is not for everyone. It’s for the ones that can’t stand four walls and office carpets. The brave fools that want to make this world better by taking what they’ve got and sharing it. I hope that’s YOU. If it is, I hope I can save you some mistakes with future posts. But go right now and start what you’ve been putting off.

Till the next time my brain and keyboard meet, cheers!