“One of my New Years resolutions is to make the content I wish to see in the world.” –Amanda Litman

I love this quote. Creating the content I want to see in the world is the heart behind a lot of the work I do. It’s why I’ve done book projects, why I started West St. Paul Reader, why I make postcards and stickers for West St. Paul Reader, and it’s why I started my latest venture Frozen Friday.

I’m thinking about yet another venture thanks to that idea.

The challenge of all these things is making them worth your time. Sometimes creative work is its own reward. Sometimes you just need to do it, and it’s not about getting paid.

But other times, and depending on how many of these projects you have, there is a need to earn something. I find myself frequently in that spot. As a freelancer, there are enough demands on my time and I can’t do everything for free. Side projects can consume my day, and like everyone else I have bills to pay.

Reflecting on What Works

I’ve learned a lot from West St. Paul Reader about user supported content. I’ve had success with Kickstarter before for one-off projects, but West St. Paul Reader is the first time I’ve been able to build ongoing support for a project. That’s really key, elevating it above a side project, because when you can justify time and expense on the project, when you can pour more into it, it just elevates everything. It becomes more.

And when you don’t have that support, it languishes. I’m thinking of my 2007-era project Start Seeing Art that suffered from a lack of funding model (and being created in effectively a pre-iPhone world).

But today I think we’re in an interesting space where user-supported content is possible in a way it wasn’t maybe a decade ago. People are becoming accustomed to paying for content in certain circumstances. Those micro payments of $3 per month are possible, and if you can string enough of those together you can make something viable.

While I love Amanda Litman’s quote about creating the content you want to see, it assumes a certain ‘if you build it, they will come’ mindset. That might be true for someone semi-famous who already has a platform and an audience. But it’s harder for the rest of us.

The Social Media Trap

Making a living at it these days requires a reliance on social media. I think West St. Paul Reader works in part because of social media. There’s definitely a community element, a ‘boots on the ground’ thing where I literally talk to people face-to-face and they sign up. But I think the doors open first because they hear about West St. Paul Reader on social media. I think it’s top of the funnel in marketing speak. I’m not sure I’d find as much success without it.

Which creates a paradox in a world where social media feels like it’s doing more harm than good. The endless scrolling can’t be good for us, and it’s difficult to contribute to that to sustain your livelihood.

I’ve definitely pulled back from social media in the last three to four months. I’ve been hesitant to use social media for Frozen Friday (well, I post about it to a Facebook group, but I held off on creating accounts for it). I just wasn’t sure about creating and feeding that content machine. I went ahead and did it last week, and we’ll see how it goes.

This post is a good example. Few people read my blog (“Bueller?”). But I get a nice bump (or at least some comments/responses) if I post it to social media.

Do you rely on social media and risk feeding the doom scrolling monster? Or do you languish in obscurity and (maybe) purity on your own? It’s a trap.

Just Do It

Which leads me to another quote I’m inspired by:

“If you’re stuck, build something.” – Ann Calin

Sometimes you just have to try it and see what happens. Start building and be inspired by that act of creation. That can often overcome the obstacles, or at least give you the energy to find some momentum.