Wearing All the Hats
Being a creative used to mean focusing on your craft. Now it feels like you have to be a marketer, a content strategist, a social media manager, a business coach, and a full-time vibe curator just to stay relevant.
Some of this is real. Algorithms favor volume. Platforms reward performance. Visibility breeds opportunity.
But some of it? Manufactured pressure.
There’s a meme that says social media will make you feel bad that only 10 people liked your post, as if 10 people giving a shit isn’t a big deal. Ten real people engaging with your work used to be huge.
What if we stopped chasing mass attention and focused on meaningful attention? As Seth Godin says, what if we aim to serve the minimum viable audience?
Do we need a global reach, or just local roots? Can we build creative lives around our neighborhoods, not our follower counts? It’s a question worth asking before you burn out trying to play every role.