No bane, No gain!
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No bane, No gain!
Fid#002: Staying afloat as a creator...
Hello K-reator!
I've been thinking about you recently and how it must have started for you and some other creators. Hear me out before you dismiss my thoughts, abeg 🙄.
Everything begins with a grand idea to change the world, society, or even yourself. You launch that YouTube channel, Instagram page, or blog with zeal and even a plan for those top-tier planners (they can never be caught ‘unfresh’ 😆). The brand name is ready, of course after perusing thousands of names and soliciting suggestions from family and friends. Setting up your channels or medium of expression is the simplest task; if you are a perfectionist like me, it will take you a week or more.
But you will undoubtedly complete your setup one day. Because you have this grand vision and can see the promising future of this path you are about to take, creating your first content is a piece of cake.
However, this piece of cake does not bring you as much ‘peace’ because you are now paranoid about how the public will receive your content. If you're brave enough, you'll upload your first YouTube video, launch your first podcast, or publish your first article. For every second that passes, you wait for the first like, comment, or share, and for many creators, this is the beginning of the end. Some people push through this stage, while others lurk around and then give up as quickly as they started. The survivors of these massacres of dreams continue to push forward, unaware of a larger ‘slaughter’ to come.
The bane of every creator varies from stage to stage, but one thing all creators have in common is that there are struggles at every stage. First-time creators struggle with the desire to continue and stay consistent, whereas those who have fully mastered consistency seek recognition, growth, and, in some cases, sustainability. Those at the top want to stay relevant and are concerned that they will be outgrown. You'll agree with me that no one is left out at this point.
Pause…
SEE WHAT’S COOKING 🍳
Episode three of The African Creator is out and analysing the power of Gen Z creators has never been more interesting.
Continue…
Looking at the success stories of those who have consistently created content for decades and remained relevant in the industry for years or even decades has proven the theory of 'no bane no gain' to be true. Your skills and passion get you in the door, and because of the ease with which you can get started as a creator, thanks to the availability of powerful devices and highly receptive social media platforms, the issue is no longer getting started, but how to keep going. As a creator who is still creating or a creator who has ‘closed shop’ 😥 due to frustration, my recommendations will be:
Knowing what stage you are as a creator
Lailah Gifty Akita words resonates with my thoughts, so I leave you with her words;
Life is in different stages.
Every stage of life is the foundation for the next stage of life.
Every stage of life must be fully-lived.”
Recognising the bane of the stage to gain.
In the words of Sun Tzu;
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Being a creator is a hell of a ride, and being a good creator is even worse. Recognising each stage you are and preparing for the difficulties that come with it will help you for a long time. Creating is difficult enough, but giving up is even more difficult (speaking from experience as a regular chicken who never misses an opportunity to chicken out). Get back to creating today, identify your battles, and conquer them one at a time; you don't have to win the war right away.
love, light and laughter!
Your guy,
Philo🧡.