Having a laugh at myself this morning, I started to ponder the different stages of evolution required to cultivate the wherewithal to output a consistent stream of video content.
This is a raw list exploring that process.
I have been all of these and I am all of these, and I think each symbolizes a key experience in the creator journey.. something about us believing some deep intuition about ourselves, yet experiencing different roadblocks from making it happen...
1. The Procrastinator
"This will be a great video, just as soon as I find the time to make it..."
…never makes it.
- has plenty of ideas, most forgotten
- always inspired to dream, rarely to actually create
- lucky to get 1 video published per month
The Procrastinator can be first-stage video creation or it can be experienced at an advanced level.
You know you can do it... yet you're not doing it.
2. The Lonely YouTuber
"I’ve got plenty of footage, I just need to put it all together…"
…never puts it all together.
- too much material, not enough time!
- overwhelmed = poorly represented ideas, low engagement
- concerned with others' opinions
- often cursed by perfectionism
The archetype of the Lonely YouTuber has variations, but all demonstrate these common symptoms that hold us back.
I don’t want to tell you how many hard drives full of unfinished material I have in storage.
(Fine, I'll tell you: a lot. Too many.)
I literally stopped creating video content in 2020 so I could focus on solving this problem without having to sacrifice my ritualistic footage gathering routines.
3. The Outsourcer
"If I just film it, I can pay someone else to edit it for me…"
...gets frustrated with editors for not editing like they want.
- doesn’t know wtf they want
- expects the best but can only compare to other creators (because they don't know what they want)
The Outsourcer eventually figures it out, but they still had to stop and discover what they wanted first.
How do you discover what you want?
You do it yourself.
Take the time to learn, start, and hone your skills, then use your unique creativity to develop your own style that feels good. (Simultaneously, the audience starts to like it more, too!)
At that point, you not only have something that an editor can replicate easily, but something you can take pride in as a product of your own creative expression.
Not to mention—you already built the workflow, so it's easier to pass tasks off to a team and scale!
4. The Sovereign Video Creator
"Whatever man, let’s just make some content!"
...is consistent & successful!
- no idea too wild
- gets inspired and films immediately
- starts edits on the same day
- no fear of reception
- no fear of the technology
- keeps consistent and improves daily
But perhaps most importantly, the Sovereign Video Creator experiences success because of one important point:
- They have developed an ideal workflow that optimizes their ideation → final draft cycle.
This workflow starts with one’s own infinite creativity
and ends with packaged content that the world loves.
Working with a team or working solo, the Sovereign Video Creator can handle it.
Any idea life sends you, you're ready for.
Which one are you?
If you're like me and often struggle to hunker down and focus on consistent output,
(but you know you're capable)
this little list of archetypes has helped me evaluate where I'm currently at, so now I can develop a plan of action.
This can all be a timeless spectrum.
I find myself rotating through each of these archetypes as if it's seasonal.
It's my goal this year to keep up as the Sovereign Video Creator archetype, because it seems for me to be a reflection of healthy alignment in most aspects of my life: personal, professional, creative, spiritual, etc... otherwise I can't focus at all!
Do you want to become a Sovereign Video Creator?
My 1:1 Video Accelerator programs are designed to support you to:
- deal with the initial resistance,
- learn the skills,
- stay accountable and
- get consistent with your video output.
I'm building a library of lessons & tutorials that simplify and condense the process of learning video content creation--33 videos and counting!
You get full access to the library along with 2 weekly calls where I metaphorically hold your hand through the planning, capturing, and/or editing process.
