EP145_The Creator Show
What does it really take to create online content and to create the life you want?
Episode Summary:
What does it take to make it as a content creator?
What does it take to succeed in business?
What does it take to create the life you want?
The easy answer to all three of those questions is hard work, consistency, persistence, and patience., but I’m going to go a little deeper on what it really takes to master your craft and make a living doing what you love
Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
.Episode 145 is a motivational episode, but it may also be a harsh reality check and a bit of a warning call for those looking to build a personal brand or online business.
This episode is to force you to take a step back and look in the mirror and do a real gut check and to really determine if you are doing all you can to succeed and to stop making excuses.
Content creation is no longer an option or choice for brands and businesses who want to be relevant online. It is a requirement.
It’s noisy. You have to work to get the attention of your target audience and you have to learn what and how they consume content.
Take small steps, but take them and be ready to shift and pivot as things change.
Do an audit of your online presence.
Is your website fully functional on a mobile phone?
When was the last time you updated your website or added new content to your social media channels?
Are you giving people a reason to want to do business with you? Can people reach you easily?
This episode 145 is to remind you that there is no easy button or shortcut for creating content so stop looking for it. Okay, let’s get into it.
The Backstory:
This episode was inspired by a video made this week titled ‘Why it takes 3 hours to make a 30-second video’. Based on the feedback and reactions, I think it may have hit home for some
The moral of the story was things are not always what they seem and hard work is required to be great at your craft and create the life you want.
Content creation, working for yourself, it’s not easy. It takes time and most of all it takes hard work and patience. And it’s not easy for anyone. Those who make it look easy are called pros and they went through exactly the same struggle only they stuck with it and have been doing it longer. It takes time and patience. For everyone.
Every article you read on blogs or Medium or LinkedIn.
Every podcast episode.
Every video on YouTube.
Every story on Instagram.
Every piece of content. Period.
We see the finished products.
We do not see the years of taking classes and tutorials, practicing, hashing out ideas, and the research time and the writing time and the prep time, the set up time of gear, cameras and lights and audio and the 20 takes it took them to do their intro and the re-shoots do to bad lighting and flickering and audio problems, etc etc.
Why People Quit
The average podcaster pod fades or quits before the 7th episode. Most daily vlogs do not make it a week.
The reason most individuals or brands and businesses quit vlogging, podcasting, blogging and insert any other craft here is that it’s really hard and takes a lot of time and practice and dedication to master.
Translation: It’s a pain in the #$! And the climb up is not a lot of fun at times, but you will get better and faster.
The other reason people quit is self-doubt caused by your friends and family and significant others.
You get embarrassed maybe that it’s taking so long or maybe they get on your case to give up and get a real job. Then you start looking at the pros and wonder what is wrong with you. If they can do it, why can’t you?
Do you really want it and are you working as hard as required?
You have to block out the negativity and do your thing if you genuinely believe in what you are doing. Be relentless.
My Content
Tech & Creativity come easy for me and creating content on a regular basis is still challenging for me.
This podcast is 15 mins long and some episodes take me several hours to write the script. The recording and editing and all the other stuff is really easy for me, but still takes a few hours when said and done.
The promo video that I make every week takes 2–4 hours to make in After Effects. The social media posting and Medium article I write for each episode adds another hour or so. One 15-minute episode could realistically take 15–20 hours per week.
My daily tutorials are under 2 minutes long and I make them very quickly usually and they still might take 4 hours from start to finish. Some days are smooth and other days my computer is struggling or Screenflow and Camtasia are buggy and crashing or any number of issues that can make a 2 minute video take 8 hours to finish.
I create daily content on Instagram which is the easiest thing I create all day because I keep it very loose and casual, but I put time and effort into it and use my creative juices.
Why do I do it? Because I am in this for the long haul and do not want to be an average creator and educator. I want to be at the top of my game and I want to to be successful which means I can make a living doing what I love from anywhere in the world. My version of success is complete lifestyle and financial freedom to do what I want on my terms. It’s taking longer than I originally hoped for, but I am confident in my trajectory and I am patient and diligent.
The Truth about Content Creation & Creating the life You Want:
It’s a grind.
It’s relentless.
It’s not always fun.
It can really suck.
It takes time and patience.
I am doing what is required to be relevant online.
Are you?
The Future
I’m doing this because I believe the world is changing fast and right before our eyes and the opportunities are limitless for those who are ready and willing to play in the big leagues and adapt and evolve and transition to the new technologies and the new ways of doing online business that is a mystery to everyone. If you are trying to build a brand or online platform and you are not preparing and practicing the basics and fundamentals which are currently social media content, podcasting, videos, writing articles and books and tomorrow it could be augmented reality or who knows. But if you are turning a blind eye because creating content or learning new tech and skills is too time consuming and hard, you are going to blink and wake up too far behind to catch up.
Start small, but start now. Start a podcast. Update your social media channels. Learn the online habits of your target audience and create for them in your voice and share your story so people can connect with you. The internet and content creation and storytelling through multiple mediums is not a passing fad and the changes are going to start coming faster and faster, so like Wayne Gretzky, you have to skate towards the puck and not where it currently is, but if you are really far behind, you need to kick it in gear.
The easy button does not exist. Remember that. Do not compare yourself to anyone online or think they must have taken a shortcut because you are smarter or more talented. Luck happens, but it is rarely the reason people achieve long-term success, which is what we ultimately want isn’t it?
Creating the life you want.
You really didn’t think it would be easy did you?
But don’t you think it’s worth the effort?
Email me anytime at mike@mikemurphy.co with questions, comments, feedback or if you need 1–1 consulting.
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