When everyone wants to be a “content creator,” it is hard to find joy in the act of creating. Not at least without becoming one of “them”.
I think we’ve all seen the slew of AI slop all over the Internet. All over LinkedIn especially, as people try to humble brag their way around their professional life.
It’s 2026, and I want to create again.
Every marketer (and having been a marketer myself) tells you to think about the intersection of what you have to offer and what the world wants.
I’ve found that way of thinking exhausting. As a marketer, that makes perfect sense. As an artist, or creative, that is an impossible standard to meet.
At least in the beginning.
Last year, I took a shot at making some videos and putting them on YouTube. I spent hours learning about how to “rank” for YouTube. How to work with the algorithm. What trends are trending. And what’s not working.
I probably spent dozens of hours learning about this.
Not even because I want to become a “Youtuber”. Or an “influencer” (urgh). But because they tell you that is the price of admission these days.
But I am turning away from that. I am instead asking: “What can make this joyful?”
What questions intrigue you? What do you want to share for the sheer sake of sharing with the world?
I think to create with any form of consistency and resonance, I have to first feel comfortable as a creator.
The barriers to creation are lower than ever before. We enact these walls to our detriment.
So what do I enjoy doing?
I enjoy writing a daily post on here. About something I learned, thought about, a story that I heard, or a video that I enjoyed.
That’s also the reason why I will not post on LinkedIn for the foreseeable future. Probably because there is pressure to get it right from day one.
(I empathize more with my attorney friends whom I coached to start posting on LinkedIn).
What do I enjoy talking about? On video? That’s still a tougher question to answer, because video still pulls me off.
Even though I’ve been on stage in front of tens of thousands of people at a time. Over extended periods of time. Getting in front of a camera in my room is not comfortable. Probably because of how impersonal it feels.
I’m thinking of getting into doing a weekly video about what I learned and what I thought about.
And instead of grandiose topics, maybe the right first topic to talk about is: how to find your voice!