Make content for fun

5 min read

// Why?

Back in 2021, I was in full flow with a business I started called ‘SalesChange’ - what started initially as a sales consultancy was now morphing into a full blown content creation engine for multiple clients across Instagram.

You see, when I started ‘designing’ and ‘creating’ work in 2019, I was doing it with the sole purpose of getting my expertise ‘seen’ and thus, attracting clients.

High on the knowledge and passion of Gary Vaynerchuk, I embarked on a journey to share some of my knowledge and expertise through some neatly crafted design work. I began on a journey with Canva and then Photoshop (this was the early days of Canva and I just couldn't get on with it) and my work and style slowly evolved.

But the consultancy work didn’t take off - I offered out my expertise for £99 an hour (some guru’s call them power hours) and I had one taker - a chap from India who wanted me to help him get more clients for his fledgling SEO business.

But creating content for people was going crazy.

At the peak, I was creating an Instagram post every day for myself but also working on three other clients Instagram accounts and generating original content for them. All of this alongside a day job and I was starting to burn out.

// The money.

Burning out wasn’t what I intended to do but it was a natural consequence of chasing the work for money.

My best ‘month’ for SalesChange was a $4000 month - I was securing design work, creating 30 carousel style posts each month for 4 clients which meant I was, across a 30 day period, needing to make 150 original pieces of content (including the 30 of my own) and when each one took around 1-2 hours to make, I was stretching myself to breaking point.

150 hours a month on top of a day job is completely unsustainable and despite getting a decent amount of money (on top of a salary from the day job) - it became increasingly obvious to those around me that I was no longer creating the work out of love, I was doing it for money and it became a chore.

When your motivation switches and you begin to create anything for external validation (likes, views, followers or money) then it can feel like a chore.

What started for me in 2019 as a way to share my knowledge and as a way to level up my creation skills was now a ‘job’ and one which (despite the money) I didn’t want to do anymore.

When I was creating my own content between 2019-2021 (before the burnout) - I would enter a flow state. A state of complete absorption in my creation which allowed me to enjoy the entire process and time would pass within the blink of an eye.

When it became about the money, those 150 hours felt like 150 hours.

So I stopped - I stopped doing the client work, I stopped creating for myself and the passion and joy evaporated.

Until The Clique.

// Passion

The Clique has been a creative outlet for me over the last year and it’s allowed me to experiment with styles, in a different medium and it’s allowed me to enter a flow state again.

I’ve written many times about my creative process, about the 5:30am wake up calls to create and honestly, getting up at an early time and creating The Clique doesn’t feel like a chore.

I spend those few hours typing away and it becomes a space where my thoughts are put onto a metaphorical page and I enjoy that place.

This has allowed me to expand my ideas and begin scratching an itch again - the thought of creating Instagram content and getting back to posting regularly on my socials always sits in the back of my mind but I always refrain as I don’t want there to be any pressure again and I don’t want to slip back to a place where I lose myself.

The Clique has also allowed me to develop my voice again.

Creating content for others means you have to mimic specific styles and you end up following trends to make ‘successful’ content but getting back to creating content for myself has allowed me to experiment and develop my own unique voice and it’s this authenticity which has allowed others to be drawn in, it’s my genuine expression of my own voice which has drawn you to read this blog and it’s easier for me to do that because it’s just me.

But the point is - the space to create has allowed me to rediscover the passion for creativity.

//Sustainability

I don’t want to labour the point but the burnout I suffered in 2021 was real - I was solely focusing on external metrics and chasing the money and the pressure to constantly “win” was leading me further and further away from the enjoyment of creating but now, my sustainable creation process is allowing me to enjoy the whole thing.

And when you enjoy something - a bit like a diet, you’re more likely to be consistent (hence the streak of creating these blogs) and it becomes more of a long term act.

And then there is a one other side effect - it sparks your brain to create more.

This week, I spoke with a friend and he told me that he’s realised suddenly realised that creating something for fun has always been a confusion for him because he ‘didn’t see the point’ but now, he’s actually come to realise that sometimes - you just need to have a creative outlet and thats ok.

Sustainable and fun - the best way to create.

// Creating something new.

This is how I stumbled into creating something new - I had a spark of creativity one day and I just had to itch it because I was in a space where I was comfortable.

I’ve always wanted to create a clothing line - I always wear a baseball cap (sorry to those who think that it’s not professional or ‘business like’ - you know who you are) and having my ‘SalesChange’ merch back in the day was a great way for me to show up consistently and on-brand but it always felt a little dated given that I haven’t presented an episode of the podcast since 2021.

I’ve always wanted to create a brand which meant something to me which is why I came up with ‘Let them hate’.

‘Let them hate’ is a way of standing for yourself. Being yourself. For yourself.

Its a motto which I live by and I want you to live by it to.

In life, even if others criticise or dislike you, as long as they remember your name and what you stand for, you have made a lasting impression.

When speaking to the same friend about my clothing brand, which was the primary conversation - it didn’t consist of a criticism but I know there will be others who will be critical and thats ok.

Not everything in your life has to be positive - you can learn from being both positive and negative.