Find Your “Why” as a Creative — With These Four Tips
Before I started writing, I used to dream about how I would churn out books about topics I had interest in. “I will write one book every year” is what I used to think. I mean, how hard can writing be?
Well, let’s just say that now, I understand it can be challenging. And no, not because it’s difficult to just come up with phrases that make up sentences, paragraphs and ultimately an article. It’s because it actually challenges you to think about-
What you want to truly say
How your audience would perceive what you’re saying, and
Why you’re even saying it
It got me thinking… that the why-how-what framework is very important in any sphere of life where someone wants to deliver value.
In a post I recently read about Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action”, he emphasized on why business leaders should make their employees understand the reason for the existence of the business first (the business’ why), to build an emotional connection between the employees and the business. If they were employed just because they could do the job, they would only work for the money.
As a content creator, it’s important to understand your why first. I personally took a break from writing and social media for several months just to know what mine is (I don’t think it’s a must, but I just felt burned out from vague thinking). For me, it’s not about doing something just to make money. If that was the case, I would read a few books on content creation, get a website, churn out a few courses and slap the word “guru” to my name.
Your why should move you. And trust me, you don’t need to have a detailed idea on the first go. I started with “self-improvement and productivity enthusiast”, and wrote a lot about productivity tips. But I later realized I was more concerned about stuff that would be really helpful to people, instead of short term tactics to increase work done.
A shortcut I’ve noticed that can lead you to your why is authenticity. Just be who you are, and the real reason why you yearn to create will come to you naturally. But just for more clarity, I’ve outline four helpful tips below to guide you in finding out what your why is.
1. It usually stems from something you needed help for, in the past.
Think back to who you were five or three years ago. What is one important thing that know now and wish someone would have told you back then? Maybe relating to a career choice, finances, life experience, some specialized knowledge, whatever. This could be a pointer to decide what you’d really want to create content about.
As an undergraduate, I wished someone had given me a full guide to self-improvement, like a blueprint I could follow to achieve true success. Especially career-wise and in my finances. All I got was guru talk and online courses I could not afford. Just content that wasn’t really telling me what I needed to hear.
2. It should be something that excites you (most of the time).
If you don’t love what you’re doing, you can’t say it’s your why. If you hate writing but you love talking, then you should try to build a podcast audience, for example, instead of forcing yourself to write articles. Also, the idea behind the content type (what you’re talking about) should be something you enjoy talking about.
And just like everything else we do in life, you may not enjoy creating content or producing ideas all the time, but for most of it, you should. A new idea doesn’t always excite us, but halfway into it, the spark always comes. Trust the process.
3. There should be people who need the content now
Like I said in the first point, your why could be based on some information you wish you had in the past. If you decide to go with that, make sure to check that people still need that information now and there is still a gap to be filled.
Four years ago, I had very limited ideas on how to make money online as a student because there was less information about freelance jobs that people without degrees could do. Today, the web is saturated with ideas for that, so there’s no need going in the same direction expect I know of a idea that nobody else is talking about.
4. It should be doable long-term
Your why is like a vision that informs the goals you want to achieve in the long-term. So, the main idea behind your content should be sustainable. Creating content about a pyramid scheme, for example, is not sustainable. It’s bound to crash in the nearest future.
Of course you’re allowed to change course once in a while, as long as you’re pushing an authentic idea that is valuable to your audience.
Following Simon Sinek’s model of Why-How-What, you’ll be able to get to the core of your rationale behind creating content. It also makes it easier for you to be consistent and deliver value to your audience.
The how and what (your unique value proposition and specific content types) will then be built on a more solid foundation. I hope this helped.
Thanks for reading!
Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Are you a struggling content creator or self improvement enthusiast? Do you want advice on how to improve your content strategy and other key areas delivered straight to your inbox?
If yes, join my mailing list: https://5ddb6f88.sibforms.com/serve/MUIEALvQFFEyFVc0M1eQWZQZMZFNPHp9s1H6URY4GU8nqDUMJjEtKBnEaa6L0QizDh5zGB8YEuoDySbQT-7eyC7tTTgxXG79s1bXbxhB9h3FhpnsZszj7U9L3qJzIC2rLXxeVdIG8OMWlb1sxvQOdVWpSXnp56N47aibeOxvQJzzqpu92tZI6xJmDxEvjBZ0b4zIa2rpAkIwlWlq
