"Do I really need to make content?"

Evaluating the impact of content on the success of creatives in today's digital era.

For many creatives, making “content” has become a chore. And it’s because deep down we just want to exist. I mean after all, that’s how we make our art right? From living in the moment and going with the natural flow. Some of our best ideas come from being off the grid and locked in, and it’s hard to make “content” when you’re in that mode.

One month after launching Nüclei, my sales started to slow down. I spent so much time planning my launch that I forgot about the biggest variable: myself. I didn’t prepare to have personal brand content. I mean, after all, that’s a part of the reason why I created Nuclei in the first place: to be able to create but disconnect my creations from me.

Another variable to mention: Nüclei is 100% self-funded by me. I didn’t/don’t have extra capital to run ads or pay a bunch of influencers to promote my products. I quickly learned that because of that, if I don’t post, I don’t make money. Simple math.

Once I figured that out, I immediately put my Creative Director hat on and planned a “Creative CEO” photoshoot for myself using the information in this guide.

I got some good visuals from the shoot, including these iPhone photos I posted on twitter a few days ago. The post generated a total of 8 Brain Bank orders for me, and got me about 100+ new followers. At that moment, I felt like Social Media had become my boss even though I work for myself.

A few days after my shoot, I got on instagram and saw this story from an amazing Graphic Designer & Illustrator I follow by the name Sophia Yeshi :

I responded yes to her question because I personally saw a shift once I started being more consistent online. I started getting more orders and more brand deal emails. Could I have gotten this type of success another way? Absolutely. There’s never one way to do anything. But was that the most time, money, and energy efficient ? Yes. I started to think… do creatives need the internet and content in order to sustain their careers?

I asked my Instagram followers if they felt the need to be “content creators” in order to get more business. 84% said yes. Here’s a few of my favorite responses that made me really think.

I want to respond to Victoria’s question because I think this is a very interesting case. If you don’t know who Renell Medrano is, she’s an amazing photographer from the Bronx. She has photographed legendary public figures from Shacarri Richardson, to Andre 300, to Solange. Her portfolio EATS. She also has over 700K on instagram.

I pulled this from an interview Renell did in 2016 :

Conclusion

8 years has passed since that interview and Renell no longer posts as much as she used to. I know because I’ve been a fan for some years. To me, it seems like:

• IF you are already “on” aka established within your field, THEN you have more of a cushion when it comes to using social media networks to promote your work.

• IF you want to be more established, and DON’T want to use social media to do so, THEN you need to be doing a myriad of other things such as pitching, networking in person, going to events, and collaborating with others.

• IF you want to be more established, expand your reach, elevate your clientele, and work with brands*, then you need to post content on social media.

Thanks so much for reading To Whom it May Concern. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you would like to support me and keep this a free resource, feel free to :

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