I trust that everyone who’s working or has worked in a creative environment at some point in time asked themselves this question: How am I going to be different from everyone else who’s doing the exact same thing as me? Because let’s face it, loves, everyone these days has a blog, a YouTube channel or a TikTok account… or all of the above. You know it’s true. So of course you can’t help but wonder „Is this going to be worth my time and energy?”
Before I started my own blog/online magazine a lot of people were telling me „You should create something that’s yours. Stop writing for other people”. This statement was an eye opener and helped me realize that maybe I should be more independent and take control over what I’m actually passionate about and create my own brand. The idea of having my own website resonated with me tremendously and only thinking about it made me smile. It brought up this excitement I forgot I had and it gave me hope, a sense of fulfillment and purpose when it comes to my future. Like I said in my very first article, being a writer was a dream of mine, but I never really thought it was possible.
It was something so out of reach, that I was like „Yeah, sure…me, a writer…”. Until the Universe said „We’re going to show you that not only you can be a writer, but also that you’re quite good at it”. To some degree, it sounds like a meet-cute, right? It sounds like it was easy for me and it sounds a bit too perfect. Well, that’s how I see and feel about the story now, because I’ve grown and I now I understand the steps I needed to take and the lessons I needed to learn in order to get to this point.
Behind the scenes there were a lot of honest conversations with myself setting-up the expectations I had, the entire vision of what I wanted to do and what kind of material I wanted to send out into the world. A few small, small things you should know about me: I’m an overthinker and a perfectionist and when I tell you creating my own project, my baby, took me years, it’s so painfully true… it’s not even funny. I already know some people will say „Oh, you took too long. Why wait that much, tho’?”. Well, here’s why.
I’m not one to do things half-assed, on a whim or impulsively, especially when it comes to something I really love and care about. I had to answer myself some tough questions, for instance „What if no one will care that I have my own online magazine?” „What if no one will read my articles?” „What if I’m a joke to everyone else who has more followers and likes?” „What if I’m just not good enough and I’m gonna be overwhelmed?” „What if I won’t have any inspiration to write articles anymore?”. You see? There were a lot of things to unpack before starting my own project. And I had to go through all this process because I didn’t want to become just another blogger out there, a mediocre writer who just posts about products or services that doesn’t even use.
It took me a while to understand that it all comes down to one simple thing: authenticity. Let me explain. Yes, there are billions of other writers/bloggers out there, but we don’t share the same writing techniques, none of them can have my perspective on things, because they are simply not me and we don’t share the same experiences or the same environment. Once I’ve realized this, I was able to focus and put my energy where it was actually needed: in the process itself.
I knew I will attract the community that’s meant to resonate with me, with my way of writing, a community who also has a similar vision/understanding about the world as me. This eliminated the fear of being insignificant, which let’s be honest here, ok? It’s a safe space…we all have this fear to an extent. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Before you all go on panic mode, here’s how you overcome this feeling: know yourself and know your worth.
Being authentic when you create your material is a mindset that basically sets you free of any worry you might have and leaves room for all these amazing and creative ideas to come to you. Remember this: each person is unique and that’s what you need to use in order to differentiate yourself from others, especially when it comes to creative industries. Believe it or not, this is your superpower and you need to embrace it.
The most common mistake (and this is not specific only for writers/bloggers) people do is follow someone else’s path to success and believe that they will get the same outcome. This cannot be farther from the truth. I see all these people saying „Oh, the X celebrity did this and became successful, so I’m gonna try it” or „This influencer has this strategy, I’m gonna do the same”. Pursuing this narrative only shows that you don’t really have your mind made-up about what you want from your craft/project and this will pushback the actual outcome you wish for.
I 110% agree that there are people who can give you great advice, who can guide you towards your goals, who can be inspiring, but you need to use your discernment. What I like to do is use the bits and pieces technique, meaning you listen/learn/understand what other successful people do and then…you create your own jigsaw puzzles, you choose what’s right for you. This never fails. And bear in mind, this is also related to authenticity. Stop trying to fit other people’s success stories into your jigsaw puzzle, because that’s why life gets messy and confusing. No wonder you can’t see results and you get frustrated.
Being authentic also means that you don’t follow a specific trend when it comes to the topics you write about. You only speak on a subject if you’re passionate about it and if you feel you can contribute with a different perspective that can help others. Let me share something I’ve learned the hard way: if there’s no passion in your writing, it shows, trust me, it most definitely shows. The feeling is palpable and everyone will be able to tell. Choose to be picky with the topics you speak on because you don’t want to write about something just because others did and…you want to throw your two cents in there. If the topic it’s trending, that doesn’t automatically mean you should approach it. Don’t be superficial, don’t chase attention, trust the process, do the work, your research and everything will fall right into place.
I want to encourage everyone (writer, creator or otherwise) to be themselves, to know that there’s so much power in this small little detail… and they don’t even realize it.
I’m just gonna put this out there, as a mantra for all of us: being authentic in a creative environment „it’s a full time job, and it’s extremely time-consuming and it’s not as easy as it may appear to some people” but you know what? The rewards are worth it.
Please feel free to let me know in the comment section your take/view on this topic. I would love to read more opinions.