On creating, longevity, and clout
Burnout can affect any creator, be it a singer, painter, or blogger. Success can put a lot of pressure. But what really matters -- relevancy now or legacy and value of the work?
In its article, INSIDER talks about YouTube creators who reached success and now are under constant pressure from their audience to create even more engaging content. Mentioned in the article Casey Neistat also did a follow-up video explaining his stance.
Being a popular YouTuber might not be as easy as it sounds. Casey argues that creators might feel overwhelmed because they want to be hitting certain numbers of views and staying on top of the rankings. YouTubers always want to be on the popularity wave.
Clout and relevancy
Neistat also makes a great point about relevancy and how it relates to the legacy of creators and their content. He says that clout is not something people should seek but it's all about longevity.
Now, what do I make of it? Can I even relate to Neistat whose audience exceeds 10 million subscribers? I think anyone who creates something can somewhat relate to Casey's words.
Bringing value vs having five minutes
I've only been blogging for a year before getting a national award for the best PR blog. I didn't expect this to happen. I was so grateful. This came with some pressure. A lot of people backed me up and I felt I had to deliver and I didn't want to let anyone down.
I was striving to be constantly writing things that people would enjoy and find useful. Hitting multiple writer blocks, I've been putting work out there. Some I was proud of, some I thought could've been executed better.
Thinking long-term
Coming back to Casey's words, having 15 minutes of fame, being part of glitzy events and being in the centre of attention is flattering. But the real mission of creators is to bring long-term value and ensuring we create content that will resonate with others and will leave a footprint.
I'm immensely proud of some of the things I did. Four PR Questions, a series where I interviewed some of the brightest minds of our industry about their careers. Or my tips on networking for students. This is the content that I felt was helpful for others and that was complimented by others.
Creating is hard. We're all going through our crises -- bigger or smaller ones. No matter whether we're publishing content for millions of subscribers or a handful of industry folk, it's important to remember there's a mission behind it; to share the knowledge, insights, opinions. And most importantly, to benefit those who consume our work.
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