I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
Switch from consumer to creator
Hey Reader,
Have you ever been to an event where you saw someone speak on stage?
I remember the first conference I went to. I was too shy to even introduce myself to anyone.
But when I saw the speakers in a group talking amongst themselves, I couldn’t help but wish I was one of them.
What is the difference between someone who sits in the audience and someone who speaks on stage?
Speakers on stage are elevated above everyone else. They have a spotlight so everyone focuses their attention, and they have a microphone so their voice is amplified. The same thing happens online: people with large audiences have authority and influence.
It can be easy to think of people with audiences as special or somehow different from us. I remember the first time I met some of the people I followed online. It felt like I was meeting a celebrity.
But those people were just people.
They flew on the same plane to get to the event and tweeted from the same iPhone I had in my pocket. So what was the difference?
They had switched from consumer to creator.
While others mindlessly scrolled, they opened their writing app.
While others critiqued what someone else made, they brainstormed new topic ideas.
They used the same tools and platforms everyone else used for entertainment to create influence and become an authority.
How many times have you thought about starting a blog, a newsletter, or writing a book?
Many people say they want to write a book. Few ever do. They’re waiting for inspiration to strike. Surely one day, they’ll wake up and feel like writing a book.
But it doesn’t work that way.
Inspiration plays a part, sure, but creativity is found at the intersection of inspiration and discipline.
A professional schedules time to create. They set aside a block of time on their calendar set to write. Every day.
What they write isn’t always going to be good, but sometimes it is. And the more you show up, the better you get. The greater the chance that what you write will be something good. The greater the chance that inspiration will strike.
It comes down to identity: Who are you?
Are you a consumer or a creator?
A creator still consumes, but when they consume, it’s for the purpose of gathering inspiration to fuel creation. It’s not for the purpose of numbing their mind or filling time. Because they think of themselves as a creator, even their consumption purposefully drives creation.
If you’re been waiting for inspiration, or motivation, or discipline to appear, try changing your identity:
Switch from consumer to creator.
PODCAST
Transitioning From Digital to Physical Products With Purpose
I've talked about the 4 rules of a Billion Dollar Creator:
- Build more than a personal brand
- Sell products, not attention
- Drive higher customer value through recurring or repeat purchases
- Choose a better business model
Susie Bulloch is doing all of the above with Hey Grill, Hey, which started as a wildly successful food blog (to the tune of a million dollars or more a year in revenue).
We talk all about how she used her online business to kickstart a physical products company and how that's now about to overtake the blog in revenue.
Watch or listen to episode »
PODCAST
Making Media: Nathan Barry - The Email Economy
I was interviewed by Matt Reustle on Making Media to discuss newsletters, the creator economy, and why I choose to be so transparent.
We talked about the differences between producing media as an individual vs brand, timeles creator growth strategies, changes to the creator ecosystem, and a lot more.
TWITTER THREAD
How the hit TV show Ted Lasso was developed
Did you know Ted Lasso was developed over 20 years ago at a comedy club in Amsterdam?
I didn't.
Here's the story of how the show went from being passed on by multiple networks in 2015 to garnering massive success on Apple TV+. Jason Sudeikis is also set to earn $1 million per episode in season 3.
Talk soon!
—Nathan
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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