Just last month, Timehop reminded me that it had been exactly one year since I started focussing on building an audience online by producing creative, artistic content.
In just one year, I've been amazed at the growth I've seen. The fact that my silly little artistic side projects not only receive engagement online, but actually have people who would consider themselves "fans" is utterly humbling and simultaneously humorous to me.
Of course, just like any good thing, this is a two-sided coin. Though, comparatively, my audience is small (but awesome) I still receive between 50 and 100 messages per day between email, Facebook, and Twitter. Admittedly, this can become overwhelming, especially in times when life all of a sudden gets very busy.
I know I sound terrible, but when I sit down to answer 20 emails and I only have 10 minutes, it's very tempting to just skim through everything and give impersonal, stock responses. That way I can get a move on to more creative work like writing a blog post or filming a video.
BUT
I so quickly forget that each and every message is chalk full of inspiration for blog posts, videos, and other projects that I could have never thought of on my own. Sometimes our audience can be our most fertile pasture for coming up with future content. But we have to be willing to listen to them. The questions they ask and the thoughts they share could very well lead us to our next breakthrough.
"But I don't have an audience".
This is completely understandable, but not insurmountable. Many of us are just starting out, but that is no excuse for not listening to those who are around you right where you are. Your family, co-workers, and friends at the Basket Weavers Association (the BWA) are just waiting to inspire your next project.
Oftentimes, we want to get rid of the distractions created by others so that we can focus on getting inspired. But what if the inspiration actually lived within the distraction. What if it was right in front of you?
In just one year, I've been amazed at the growth I've seen. The fact that my silly little artistic side projects not only receive engagement online, but actually have people who would consider themselves "fans" is utterly humbling and simultaneously humorous to me.
Of course, just like any good thing, this is a two-sided coin. Though, comparatively, my audience is small (but awesome) I still receive between 50 and 100 messages per day between email, Facebook, and Twitter. Admittedly, this can become overwhelming, especially in times when life all of a sudden gets very busy.
I know I sound terrible, but when I sit down to answer 20 emails and I only have 10 minutes, it's very tempting to just skim through everything and give impersonal, stock responses. That way I can get a move on to more creative work like writing a blog post or filming a video.
BUT
I so quickly forget that each and every message is chalk full of inspiration for blog posts, videos, and other projects that I could have never thought of on my own. Sometimes our audience can be our most fertile pasture for coming up with future content. But we have to be willing to listen to them. The questions they ask and the thoughts they share could very well lead us to our next breakthrough.
"But I don't have an audience".
This is completely understandable, but not insurmountable. Many of us are just starting out, but that is no excuse for not listening to those who are around you right where you are. Your family, co-workers, and friends at the Basket Weavers Association (the BWA) are just waiting to inspire your next project.
Oftentimes, we want to get rid of the distractions created by others so that we can focus on getting inspired. But what if the inspiration actually lived within the distraction. What if it was right in front of you?
