TIPS ON STARTING CONTENT CREATION
Content creating is something we’ve done since social media has come into our lives. If you post a picture on instagram that's the content. If you tweet on twitter that’s the content. If you post on snapchat that’s the content. We all have been content creators for the majority of our lives. The reason we never considered ourselves to be content creators is because we didn’t have any intention behind the things we shared online everyday. We didn't think twice about it.
I’ve considered myself a content creator for about 7 years and I’ve been an anime content creator for 1 year. A friend of mine suggested that I talk about anime on TikTok. He thought I was funny and thought I could create funny content about anime. I said no because I thought TikTok was for weirdos and 6 year olds. I’m a simple ass grown man. I like champagne, tacos, titties, and cucumber face masks. Why in the fuck would I be on TikTok?
About 4 months after my friend suggested TikTok to me I thought to myself “I shouldn’t say no to things without trying them for myself first.” I watched a youtube video on how to use TikTok and I created a video that same day. The video got 5000 views and it shocked me. The second video I made the next day got 1.1 million views and I couldn’t believe that shit. As of today on TikTok I have 95,000 followers and 3.6 million likes. I don’t care about that shit but I do think about what if i never tried? What if I never started? If you’re reading this I want you to ask yourself those same questions.
Here’s some tips when starting content creation.
START IMPERFECT
Perfection is the sibling of procrastination. If you wait for everything to be perfect you will never get anything done. Perfection is bullshit. Only thing perfect in life is listening to The Isley Brothers while drinking margaritas in 70 degree weather. Needing everything to be no less than 100% is bullshit. You think Kobe Bryant was at 100% every time he stepped on the basketball court? Imagine if Kobe never played because everything wasn’t perfect? He would’ve never been great. You can still win at 80%. You don't need a lot of money. If you’re trying to create video content, you don’t need fancy equipment. We all walk around with a computer in our hands everyday. A phone and an app to edit your videos is all you need. I started imperfectly. The longer I wait for everything to be just right the more time I’m letting slip away. Almost every content creator didn’t have it all together when they started. Just start creating and build as you go along.
EVERYONE HAS CONFIDENCE
Everybody has confidence. When people say they don’t have confidence all that tells me is that you are unaware of how to awaken the confidence inside of you. You have to meet your confidence halfway. It takes two to tango. It’s like how people speak words of affirmation but never put any action behind the words. There needs to be movement. Faith without works is dead. You gain confidence through movement. You gain confidence through experience. You can't gain experience if you don’t begin anything. Confidence doesn’t just appear. Confidence is a skill and you have to hone that skill. If you never weight lifted and you go to a gym for the first time you’re going to not have a lot of confidence. You’ll probably be terrified. Fast forward 6 months later after you’ve been going to the gym consistently 3 times a week. You’ll have a lot more confidence because you now know what you’re doing.
THE MYTH OF MOTIVATION
If I wait for motivation to do anything then I will never get anything done. Let me give you an example. I’m not always motivated to have sex but if I like the woman enough, whether if I’m motivated or not will not matter. I wanted to be at my crib in my drawls watching Scarface but I’m pulling up on her and preparing to whisper the YuYu Hakusho theme song in her ear. It’s the same with content creation. I’m not always motivated to create content. I’m human. I do it anyway because I like it. Which is the perfect transition into my next tip.
SCHEDULING AND HABITS ARE THE KEY
Motivation is not needed if you know what you’re doing ahead of time. The only time I don’t want to go to the gym is when I don’t have a workout in place. Scheduling when you’re going to create is VERY crucial. Creation does require some freestyle to it but if your mindset is always “I don’t have a schedule, it’s just vibes” you’re not focused and you’re more likely to not create anything. When I started making content on TikTok and Youtube I would schedule blocks of time to create. I still practice that same habit. Once you create a schedule and stick to it will become a habit. When things become habits you don’t even think about it. You just do it because it’s what you’re used to. You have to get into a groove and rhythm. If you’re a writer you have to write EVERYDAY. Even if it’s just 4 sentences. Even if what you write is terrible. You have to write the bad stuff to get to the good stuff. When I take L’s I just apply more pressure. I’m not letting up. When you’re in a rhythm, ideas flow more frequently. If you're always starting and stopping creation for extended periods it’s like driving a car then not driving that car for a month and a half. The car is not going to ride as smoothly. The car battery is not going to hold up well. Habits and scheduling erase the need for motivation. Your goal is the goal. The goal is the endpoint but the only way you get to the goal are habits.
YOU ARE YOU. YOU ARE ENOUGH.
You are you and that’s more powerful than you think. Let’s say you want to start streaming yourself playing games. Don’t just sit on the stream playing the game quietly. Show your personality. Play as if you have your friends in the room with you. There’s a billion people in the world. How many people out of a billion do you think have the same sense of humor you do? The same interest. The same type of personality. The same type of beliefs.We are all unique and that’s what makes us special. When I started on TikTok the deal that I made with myself was to show my personality and not hold back. I don't care who likes it or hates it, I will always be myself. I am enough. You are too.
THE JOURNEY IS GREATER THAN THE RESULTS
I notice that people who start out creating content get so wrapped up in the numbers, the followers, the views, who’s not supporting. None of that shit matters. I don't care if you have 10 followers or 10,000 followers. You create for YOU first. Anyone else likes or follows what you create, that's a bonus. Stop worrying about the algorithm. Your priority is not to figure out the algorithm. Your priority is to create what brings you joy. Your priority is to create content that YOU like. Once you become obsessed with attention, numbers, and who’s watching or not watching, content creation isn’t fun anymore. Fun is my number 1 reason why I create content. If I’m driven by followers and views then my ideas and imagination will become narrow and restricted because I’m creating for others first and not myself. Look at it like this. If you’re hungry you’re not going to always ask a stranger what they feel like eating. You’re not going to base everything you're eating off of what a stranger is eating. What do YOU have a taste for? What do YOU like to eat? You’ll never enjoy a meal if what you eat is always decided on what strangers want to eat. Content creation is the same way. You’ll never enjoy it if your focus is always based on strangers. If you’re creating content like workout videos which are designed to help people then I understand why a stranger's input would be helpful but if you’re creating a podcast talking about movies then overly caring what people think is pointless.
The numbers shouldn’t be fuel for you to create. If the external factors have more influence on whether you create or not then this shit not for you. It needs to be more internal. You have to influence yourself more than the outside factors. The reason that this is important is because you do not have any control over the outside factors. You can control if someone will support you or not so why are you beating yourself up about it? It’s not your decision to make. The only decision you have to make is “When am I going to create today?” Influencing yourself more than anyone or anything outside of yourself is the key. When you influence yourself more than anybody or anything else you have more fun. You worry less. You don’t stress as much. You don’t overthink. Majority of overthinking is influenced by worrying about what other people think. Influencing yourself is freedom. Being more influenced by external factors is prison. You put limits on your passions. You put locks and chains on your gifts. When you enjoy the journey and the work you create, the results work themself out. If you don’t enjoy the journey, the results you desire become almost impossible to obtain or even get close to. The journey is more important than the results.
Love, Benny
Benny’s social media links below!
