We are all content creators
By: Kayus Fernander
Tags: Self, Vulnerability, Sharing, Content Creation, Writing

Use this power to build your brand, your story and your connections

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Everyday, you’re creating content, even without you knowing it. That pithy Facebook post, that’s content. That IG story of your latest food-gasm. Yup, content. Your Pinterest pin, Twitter reply, Whatsapp share….it’s all content. And it’s creating an image of who you are, or at the very least, who you want to appear to be.

Oftentimes, we hear the words ‘content creator’ and we think of someone in skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, producing eye-catching, visually and audibly amazing, instantly shareable, bound-to-go-viral material that you could never hope to reproduce or even imagine. And for sure, those people exist and God bless their ability to come up with some amazing stuff.

But each and every one of us is a living, breathing content creator. And the reason I think it’s so important for each of us to create content is because it’s one of the most efficient ways to build connection with another person. It’s attention grabbing in the simplest way.

For example, you’re scrolling through Facebook and come across a post from someone you follow, whether a close connection or not. Something makes you stop that scroll and now you’re thinking about the right words, emojis or GIFs (or a combination of the 3) to leave your thoughts.

What just happened is magical, something that everyone from the individual influencer to the largest conglomerate spends a lot of time and energy (and in some cases, billions of dollars) trying to promote and understand: engagement. I hear this word so much at work, it sometimes makes me nauseous. “What’s the engagement like with so-and-so on this workstream?” “I think we need to increase our client engagement in this area” “We’d like to acknowledge the engagement across teams to get this project across the line”.

We’re obsessed.

And what’s it all for? When you stopped scrolling to leave your comment, two things happened. You were inspired. And you decided to participate. That’s the holy grail of just about any human connection you can think of. When you think about romantic relationships, business partnerships, intellectual pursuits, spiritual encounters — they all centre on people being inspired and getting involved. As a social animal, we crave this. Everything that we do seems to thrive on it.

Photo by Justin Follis on Unsplash

So when you leave your comment, you’re saying “I see you. Now see me”. Isn’t that ultimately what we all want, to be seen, to be heard?

I’m re-reading Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly and I’m at the part where she’s dissecting the reasons why we mostly fear vulnerability, one of which is that we oftentimes equate opening ourselves up with weakness. However, the central argument of her book is that we develop a better understanding of ourselves and deepen our connections with others when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It’s the starting point of any courageous venture, whether it’s a new relationship, a new job, a difficult conversation or pursuing a passion project.

So, what does any of this have to do with content creation, I hear you asking? Well, like anything else that you practice and get good at, content creation puts you in the position to build your capacity for vulnerability — your vulnerability muscle — which can only mean that you’re getting better at doing things that scare and excite you.

For me, I find that when I sit down to write, I’m confronting my fears and building my ability to master them. One of the biggest challenges that I face is trusting that what I have to say is important and matters, that my perspective is good enough to be shared. “Why would anyone want to hear about this?”, I often ask myself. It’s this sense of self-doubt and questioning that often appears when I’m about to create something and share it with the world.

Think about it, how often do you edit and perfect your photos, comments, posts, etc. before sharing? I check and double-check my writing for grammatical errors, for fear that any mistakes would betray some inadequacy on my part. But more importantly, it’s the idea that opening myself up to criticism and potentially negative feedback exposes me to being wounded.

Then I think about my journey as a public speaker, an experience that combines content creation and vulnerability in one of the most extreme ways possible. As a public speaking coach, I usually share with people who are looking to improve their abilities as a public speaker, something that they inherently already know: most people rank public speaking even higher than death as something that strikes fear in their heart. Standing in front of a room of people and conjuring up something interesting enough and also not totally embarrassing, is a scary thing for sure. How will I be judged? What will people think? What if I fail? These were questions that I would ask myself.

But every time I finished a speech, I would be met with applause, nodding heads, appreciation, admiration, respect……connection. People would tell me how they related to my stories, how they connected with my ability to share so much of myself. This response happened almost every time, without fail. As a result, I developed a brand as an exceptional public speaker, someone whose stories would leave a lasting, positive impression. This was an unintended consequence of sharing myself in a way that most people would probably shy away from.

So, what this experience has taught me is that content creation can be a simple act, but also a powerful one: an invitation to let your guard down and invite connection. It has the dual effect of giving you the opportunity to develop your voice and your brand, to get out the things you’ve been longing to say and to share with the world. There is huge self-validation in doing so.

But most importantly, content creation confirms that your story matters. Not so much because you want to receive confirmation from others (even though it is satisfying to know that what you’re sharing might inspire others), but mostly because the act of sharing is a proclamation that you are here, you are visible and you should be seen and heard.

When you’re thinking about writing that blog post, recording that YouTube video or sharing that story, remember that you’re harnessing one of the most accessible of human powers: the act of engagement. Continue to use it and use it often.