Before you start becoming a multi-talented creator, let’s chat for a bit.
From this time last year, I officially started taking on author roles in a few small circles. Within the past year, I’ve written long articles, shot videos (although I didn’t release many episodes), appeared as a guest on podcasts, launched my own podcast, and tried out various other forms. Before that, aside from completing a 20,000-word super-short young adult novel during summer break after middle school graduation, I had no creative experience to speak of. A year later, I’d describe myself as an amateur multi-talented creator who can do anything, while also having my own unique creative style. If you’ve ever started out as a creator, you probably have some experience with giving up too. My experiences over the past year aren’t necessarily super successful, but there are still some valuable takeaways.
Starting Point: Finding a Suitable Position for Creation
People in the marketing field often have a professional disease, where they like to discuss something’s positioning before creating content. The same applies to creation. Most ordinary content producers cannot sustain their creative work because they haven’t placed their own creations in a suitable position in their lives. Clearly defining one’s position is a process that requires some twists and turns, but I have some experiences and methods to share with you.
Living, Hobby or Passion?
Sorry to ask such a serious question upfront. What does creation mean to you? A means of making a living? Just a hobby? Or has it already become a passion in your life?
Most people who start creating content don’t immediately treat it as a means of making a living, but they may still have the “illusion” that it will bring them wealth and fame. After all, who wouldn’t be envious of the income of top YouTubers? However, I advise everyone to give up the idea of treating creation as a side hustle before deciding to make it their main source of income.
Why do I say this? Let’s first look at the definition of a side hustle: a side job or second career that refers to part-time or temporary work done by salaried employees outside of their main occupation (main job) to supplement their income. Think about it - if you’re thinking of treating creation as a side hustle, you’ll find it hard not to worry about your traffic and income (yes, traffic is also a form of income). Creation requires a significant investment of time and energy, but it’s unlikely to bring quick financial returns in the early stages. If you keep thinking about making money from your side hustle, you might get distracted and lose focus. Moreover, if you experience two or three setbacks, you might give up immediately, which is a perfect illustration of what they mean by “it’s hard to start something new.”
Okay, let’s not talk about making money anymore. Let’s discuss hobbies and passions.
It’s unlikely that many people will realize from the start that creation is their passion in life. This usually happens only in movies or TV shows. If you’re one of those rare individuals who truly feels that way, I’ll bow down to you in awe. For most people, however, the path they take may be similar to mine - they just feel like writing, shooting, and recording things because it’s fun, and since the costs are almost negligible, why not share it with others? This positioning has its advantages, such as no pressure to create, but it also has drawbacks similar to the first type, making it easy to give up.
The Most Suitable Position: Hobby to Passion
What is the most suitable position for creation? I think it should be that transitional state between hobby and passion.
Around 2021, I started writing on Medium, but it wasn’t until 2023 that I officially became an author. The reason was that before then, I always treated writing as a simple hobby, even though I wrote about seven or eight articles. However, each article’s process was not smooth, and I often encountered situations where I would delay finishing one piece for a long time. Looking back now, the quality of those early articles was somewhat uneven, but at least I didn’t give up.
During this stage, I treated creation as something between hobby and passion, or slowly trying to convert my hobby into passion. There were some small goals that could bring in external feedback, but it wasn’t something that would drive me crazy. This state allowed creators to feel comfortable and unrestricted. After going through this stage, content creation became a passion, and it was only a matter of time.
So, for us small-scale content producers, the most suitable position is probably that transitional state between hobby and passion. Unlike just being a simple hobby, we need to create some small goals and feedback channels to stabilize this position.
Will AI Really Affect Content Producers?
There’s a huge difference between now and two years ago when it comes to thinking about AI. We can’t help but think about the threat AI poses to content creators. Without knowing what AI will do in the future, ordinary people can only do their best to create more content for the AI era.
Personally, I’m quite aggressive about AI’s capabilities. If AI can generate short texts and directly produce videos, it’s not impossible that AI could take over content production entirely. Assuming that this might happen in the near future, what would be the meaning of our hard work producing content here? This question is easy to answer, as content creation was originally a very personal thing. It’s only because sharing costs are extremely low now that content creation seems like it should meet the needs of the masses.
AI will definitely affect content producers, but creators who prioritize self-expression shouldn’t be replaced. In a future where AI might completely disrupt or replace us, please all creators to prioritize self-expression as your primary goal.
After saying so much, I’m trying to adjust the mindset of an amateur creator. To turn creation into something you love or use as a means to make a living, start with small steps and don’t be too aggressive. Put aside the benefits for now and seek feedback through multiple channels. The most suitable position I’ve found for my own creation is that transitional state between hobby and passion, and I hope you can find a suitable position for your own creation as well.
In Progress: Full-On Attack
It’s always easy to start, but deciding to continue is much harder. As a creator who has been doing this for a year, I’ve left my mark in many places. Some of my efforts have been successful, some have been mediocre, and some are now just lingering on the edge of oblivion. So, not all of these experiences are successes; there will also be failures to reflect on.
Accumulate to the Peak and Then Explode; Hesitation Will Lead to Defeat
Creating something is like running a marathon from start to finish - it requires steady breathing; or it’s like sprinting short distances - you need to accelerate wildly in a short time.
This May, I started recording my first podcast episode. In fact, I’ve been listening to podcasts regularly since 2022, and even participated as a guest in other podcast recordings last summer. But these were just accumulation, and they didn’t give me the desire to continue sharing my own content.
The most critical factor in this process is speed. Listening to many episodes isn’t enough to make me want to create something myself; it’s because I haven’t yet heard my ideal voice. Once you’ve accumulated to the peak, you need to take action quickly and not delay. The biggest fear for creators is the distance between idea and execution - if you don’t execute your ideas, they’ll be far removed from your original inspiration. I often say that hesitation will lead to defeat, especially when it comes to outputting content. Polishing isn’t suitable for our first works as small content producers; the longer you delay, the more opportunities you’ll miss. The benefits of rapid output not only prevent ideas from being stillborn but also provide a reference point and comparison object for your gradual progress.
Choose the Form You’re Best At, Not the Simplest One
What’s the simplest creative form today? Short videos?
What’s the easiest way to go viral today? Still short videos!
What’s the easiest way to make money today? Still short videos!
It seems that no matter from which angle, new creators should choose to create short videos, at least. So I’ll share my story with you.
In the summer of 2021, I started working and began living independently economically. Thinking about the future, I decided to start recording my life’s creation. So, I quickly shot out my first video. Over the next three or four months, I continued to shoot and release some “weird” videos.
After shooting around three or four videos, I realized that something was off. Every time I edited, I felt that the quality of my raw materials was too rough, making editing very difficult. Moreover, there was a more terrifying problem: creative mindset drift. For example, I would see many videos on YouTube that I thought were inferior to mine, yet they unexpectedly gained high play counts, which severely affected my subsequent creation enthusiasm. As expected, I soon stopped creating.
After reflecting on this issue, I realized that shooting videos is indeed an easy-to-get-into creative form, but it’s not the one I’m best at. Of course, no matter what creative form you choose, you need to practice and refine it multiple times before getting a feel for it. However, being good or bad at something should have its own standards. Let me give you a tip: if after trying out a creative form several times, you still feel like you’re not getting the hang of it, and you’re very concerned about your data feedback, then it’s likely that this is not the creative form you’re best at.
The situation above is quite different from when I started trying to write long-form content last year. As mentioned earlier, I wrote around seven or eight articles without too much fuss, but didn’t give up because every time I started writing, I felt like I had many things to say, and after finishing, I wasn’t too concerned about whether anyone would take it seriously enough to help me with data feedback. This shows that at this stage, writing is indeed more suitable for me than video creation, simply because I’m better at it. The more you’re good at something, the easier it is to persist, and the more likely you are to get encouraging feedback.
So, I advise you not to follow the crowd easily in terms of creative form. The most popular creative path often means there are many competitors, and it may not be your strong suit. Think back: who should have written several articles when Medium was on fire? Later, everyone might have started creating KOL content when that trend emerged. Now, TikTok is all the rage, and vlog and short-form content are probably sitting in many people’s phones for a long time. Everyone is a self-media producer by default, which means everyone produces content according to the current mainstream creative form. To become a true content producer, the most important principle is to focus on yourself. In the initial stage, use what you’re good at as your standard for choosing your creative form, and don’t let the mainstream dictate your pace.
Don’t stop at multiple platforms, and you can also expand your channels
When writing became my main creative form, I naturally developed my own creative habits. This habit not only includes regular output but also involves thinking about suitable themes for writing. This habit gradually started to produce “side effects,” where some ideas would start to hatch when I felt them, and words weren’t the most suitable expression method.
Around me are other content creators, mostly video bloggers, who often do the same thing: releasing the same content on different video platforms with different editing styles, which is known as “full-network same name.” This approach isn’t a problem, but for those of us at the early stages of creation, it doesn’t have much positive marginal effect. Releasing content on multiple platforms actually tests the creator’s understanding of the content’s subtleties, and the deeper you understand, the more you can grasp what each platform needs in terms of content style and features. Early-stage creators often don’t have this strong ability, and blindly expanding to multiple platforms is unlikely to bring in more viewers. It’s better to change your mindset and express different ideas in different forms.
To achieve this, you need a foundation: having enough ideas in your material library. Remember when I talked about going from 0 to 1 and mentioned my podcast recording? The first episode of the podcast was so smooth because there were already four or five pre-prepared topics in my head. How do you accumulate and record your inspirations? There are many mature methods on the market that you can learn, but I won’t brag about it. What I can tell you is a small trick: when recording inspirations, pay attention to the “first glance” of the idea in your mind - is it audio, text, or video? This method helps you discover your creative form and trains you to be sensitive to different content.
After spreading out multiple times, you naturally become clear about where to focus on.
A small trick: changing perspectives to look at goals
Once you start doing something, how do you motivate yourself to complete it becomes a question that can’t be avoided. During the process of bringing ideas to life, you also need to overcome your procrastination and fear emotions. At this time, we need to slightly change our perspective on goals.
There is a classic experiment in psychology: a 100% progress bar, where people focus on the remaining 80% when they complete 20%, but when they complete 80%, they focus on what’s already been completed. Clearly, we always tend to focus on larger numbers, whether it’s completion or not. This time, you can use some tricks, such as drawing a progress bar each time you complete a creation and coloring in the completed part with your favorite color. This visual encouragement can form positive psychological suggestions and reduce your worries about the incomplete parts.
Never ignore the power of continuous input
I’ve talked about how to output so much, and now I want to say something: don’t ignore the impact of continuous input.
I believe that most creators are initially inspired by someone else’s creation, which highlights the importance of high-quality input. High-quality content is subjective, and each person has their own standards. So, what I’m going to tell you is a bit different from what others say.
Focus on changes
When watching someone else’s videos, listening to their podcasts, or reading their articles, I pay more attention to the changes. A style that is very uniform and perfect from start to finish is not my favorite type of creator. What I like is when you can see the changes and adjustments being made.
I used to follow a small actor on YouTube who started out just like many other new bloggers - sharing his professional expertise and daily vlogs, with no big splash. Although there was no dramatic change, he went through a long period where I didn’t watch his videos again until six months later when I discovered that he had started focusing on gymnastics blogging, talking about many gymnasts and following gymnastic competitions. Because it coincided with my personal interests, I started watching his videos again and even caught up on the ones I missed during that time. This process of catching up allowed me to discover how his video production style and storytelling methods changed during this transition period. These changes showed me an ordinary creator exploring through creation and gradually discovering their true creative direction and approach, which is very helpful for others who are at a similar stage. Focusing on someone else’s changes can actually help us refine our own main theme, and I find it more interesting and helpful than focusing on a perfect program that never changes.
Finding the common ground that attracts you
After following many creators on various platforms, I started thinking about what makes me attracted to certain content. What is it about these creators that keeps me engaged and interested?
I looked at my favorite YouTubers who have high-frequency updates, and most of them share a common trait: their content always has a part that resonates with me and feels authentic. It’s as if they’re growing and changing along with their audience.
Therefore, I suggest you find the common ground in your favorite content. These commonalities might be what you hope to achieve in your own creative work. As time goes on, we input more and more content, and many times it becomes a routine task that loses its excitement. Finding common ground can help us discover our own style and even explore new interests.
Harvest Season: Focus on changes
After creating for over a year, most platforms’ traffic has decreased significantly, but my creative enthusiasm hasn’t wavered. As an amateur creator, my life has undergone many positive changes, which is also what I want to remind you to pay attention to.
More freedom and persistence in inputting
I’ve seen a famous quote that says: “Post one YouTube video every day for a year, and your life will be turned upside down.” These changes are bound to have both positive and negative effects. What’s important is to focus on them. For example, after producing content non-stop, our attitude towards inputting might change.
Above all, I’ve noticed that the variety of content on different platforms has increased, making it easy to develop aesthetic fatigue. I observed my own account growth, from initially having over 100 followers to now having only 40-50, but daily visits have stabilized at around 10-15 people. Additionally, I have a bad habit of experiencing periodic fatigue towards some YouTubers’ content, possibly not watching for two or three months, and then suddenly becoming interested again and rushing to catch up. These changes made me start rethinking my attitude towards inputting, ultimately discovering that I’ve lost interest in uniform-style content, with the freshness and stimulation decreasing significantly each time. Most of the time, it’s because I’m responding to recent learning needs (e.g., fashion) or collecting inspiration for podcasts and written works. Once I understood these things, I no longer worried about inputting, and fortunately, I’ve come to regard input as a search engine.
Besides that, I also discovered that creating brings more significant changes: I’ve developed a stronger interest in reading long texts, watching long videos, and listening to long podcasts. It might be because I’m writing and filming myself, so I can pay attention to the effort that creators put into their work. Further down the line, I even started slowly flipping through big historical books again.
I call these changes “more freedom and persistence in inputting.” Freedom means being able to control my mood and pace when consuming content, while persistence means starting to do things I couldn’t do before. These changes were hard for me to imagine before I started writing seriously. I hope that every creator, regardless of size, can maintain a stable mindset towards their input, without worrying about it all the time, as long as they can keep a nourishing heart.
Judge Output by Your Own Standards
In today’s content distribution, each platform has its unique characteristics and requirements. Over time, creators on each platform will adjust their content to cater to the masses and the platform’s preferences. For amateur creators, it’s easy to create content that appeals to everyone, but it’s hard to maintain one’s own creative style and direction. What I want to say is that people who can consistently produce content should have their own standards for judging whether their output is good or bad.
I don’t have a better summary than this: fluidity. No matter how you put it, you need to be able to produce content smoothly before you can convince yourself and others. Before I started writing, I tried making videos. The first episode was a reaction video, although it was just the first recording, but because I had watched many similar videos, I unintentionally started using phrases or catchphrases commonly used in those videos during the recording process. As a result, the quality of the final product was not good, and the playback effect was also poor.
Thanks to this failure experience, I realized that being popular is not just about adopting someone else’s style or method; it’s more like a gradual process where you gradually develop your own unique voice. Later, after writing several articles in a row, I found that the fluidity of my writing and the feedback from my audience were closely related. The more I wrote smoothly, the easier it was for my audience to read.
This experience had the greatest impact on me, as it made me understand the importance of having one’s own standards for judging content quality. Whether you’re a big or small creator, your audience is large or small. Audience feedback is the second step in encouraging creativity; the first step is the joy and sense of accomplishment you feel during the creative process. If you can’t even achieve the first step, then the second step becomes impossible.
Standards vary from person to person, and what’s good or bad will change depending on how long you’ve been creating content. Don’t forget to find your own judging principle and keep producing at least something you like.
Please Start, Please Persist
It’s said that everything is difficult at the beginning, then in the middle, and finally at the end. In this era, it’s easy to become a creator, but it’s hard to be someone who can consistently produce content and maintain their individuality. I’m still working on this road, striving to become a creator with continuous output capabilities, and more importantly, someone who creates things they like. Please join me in the future.
Note: The text is written in a personal and reflective tone, sharing the author’s experiences and insights about creating content as an amateur creator.
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