Always be creating…

Always. Be. Creating.

Scene from Glengarry Glen Ross — image source

I’ve used this movie before on this blog (at least once, if not twice), but I don’t reckon there’s a better way to make this point — suggestions for alternatives are always welcome, though…

If you’re a recent subscriber, and this movie scene is new to you, Alec Baldwin’s fire and brimstone sermon to a sales team who’ve been given useless leads is actually ‘always be closing.’ He’s set them a near impossible task — close on sales of undesirable land to people who don’t want it, or they lose their jobs.

Casey Neistat loves it — he sees it as motivation to create. Others might find it daunting. I certainly would have not too long ago.

And that’s the thing… This scene from Glengarry Glen Ross speaks to the paradox of the creator generation — always be creating because if you don’t, you’re done.

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Here’s what’s in the full post this week:

• Content, content, content (free to all)

• Looking for creative alchemy — how do I turn content into gold? (for paid subscribers)

• Giving it a red hot go! (for Top 20 Club members)

Not yet a paid subscriber? Click the link at the paywall below for a 7-day free trial, or smash this button for a 20% discount on an annual plan for your first 12 months:

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Content, content, content

Document everything! It sounds easy, right? I don’t think it’s as simple as it sounds though — at least, it’s not for a Gen X-er like me.

Getting your phone out, flicking the video camera on and pressing record, is so normal now, but it doesn’t always come naturally to me. I’m trying though.

As a photographer, I don’t actually make heaps of images. I like to think my practice is a considered one. What that means though is that sometimes there are scenes I miss.

And being used to seeing things as still images (usually black and white ones), making videos isn’t necessarily new but a quite different experience.

It’s fun though. I’ve been enjoying experimenting with my iPhone, and now with the new Osmo Pocket 3 — it’s pretty awesome [not a paid promotion]. But, as I say, I’ve not always been capturing everything.

Thankfully though, when I arrived to record this week’s podcast episode with Stefan aCampo he was already getting set up — he’d already seen an opportunity for a Timelapse. With very little effort using software most of us have at our disposal, Stefan made some content while we talked, and later shared it with me — for the win! Now we each have more new content to work with and share. Here it is — pretty cool, huh?!

So, I learned a lesson from Stefan — don’t hesitate, just make. After all, what we need is content, content and more content, right?!

And by the way, we had a really interesting chat. Stefan’s story is truly inspiring. he takes us through the highs and lows of life, and how art helps him work through them.

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Looking for creative alchemy — how do I turn content into gold?

Making heaps and heaps of content is all well and good, but how do we turn it into the bangers that get all the likes — the internet gold that generates the ad revenue and seals the brand deals? After all, that’s the holy grail, right?! Or is it?

This is what I’m ruminating on a lot right now…