Years ago, Justin Vernon, the leader of Bon Iver (Your favorite artist's favorite artist), was asked if he was writing new music in anticipation of a potential new album after five years since their previous self-titled album, for which they won a Grammy for "Best New Artist."
Justin's response to the question, "Are you writing new music?" has been and continues to be part of how I approach creating anything I release.
Since I can't recall verbatim what he said, I'll paraphrase what stood out ot me. "I'm always writing music, but I can't force creativity."
That statement alone is the reason I consider myself a "content creator."
It's that reason alone that I don't just "put something out just to put something out." That's why I disagree with posting something every day. The reason I don't placate to an algorithm, or conform to these so-called "personal branding" coaches and their meaningless advice, or the reason I rarely, if ever, write about how to create content (because creating content about how to create content isn't content).
It's the reason you don't hear me walking around telling people I'm a social media coach, or worse, a LinkedIn coach...sorry, LinkedIn Lunatic (a tribute to the Reddit page dedicated to insufferable content).
It's the reason this isn't double-spaced, doesn't have a fancy hook, or a clever call to action, because, when you (as Justin Vernon implied) force creativity you subject yourself and your work to focusing on things to distract your audience from the substance of what you're creating as if to defer them recognizing the piece of shit that it is, and trust me, if you're not proud of anything you put out, that's exactly what it is.
I prefer to tell a story, as in I fall in the camp where meaning and authenticity are at the core of everything I put out. And it's not because I know they have to tell me it's authentic; it's because when I read it or watch it, it's obvious.
I'm not a content creator, and truthfully, neither are you, but everyone, regardless of who you are or what your qualifications might be, has told a story before, and for me, that's all I want to do. I prefer to tell a story, one with meaning and authenticity at its core. Not because someone labeled it authentic, but because when you read it or watch it, you just know.
I'm not a content creator, and neither are you. We're storytellers. And the only story worth telling is the one that isn't forced.
Thanks,
Derek
