Lessons From Hanging With Content Creators

In her recent piece in The National, journalist Evelyn Lau detailed four truths she learned while traveling with content creators. It's an entertaining and introspective piece, and we thought it may be helpful to recap some of Lau's discoveries while adding our own. 

Four Lessons Learned From Traveling With Social Media Stars

Lau detailed four surprising truths she learned while traveling withs social media stars, including some who have amassed more than nine million followers on Instagram. Her first takeaway? 

You Probably Won't Get Anywhere On Time

Lau says as a journalist she's used to strict deadlines, but it's clear with content creators that time is more of a construct. Or rather, timelines can be pushed in order to get exactly the right thing. Meetings kept getting pushed up earlier and earlier just so they would actually leave on time. The biggest culprits? Needing a few extra minutes to get the right take for a piece of content. A close second? Needing to get their personal look just right. 

Our take? Yeah, sounds about right. Not to speak in generalities, but most creatives either lose track of time or choose not to prioritize punctuality when it comes to "getting it right." There's a reason every creative industry is chock-full of Type A personality manager types who keep the plates spinning. Again, that's not to say creators have no respect for time — just look at the number of actors who also start directing, a job where time management is paramount. But ultimately, creative people often love to take advantage of the moment, even if it means eating in to the time allotted for the next moment.

You Can't Be Afraid To Look Foolish

Lau says that, especially among comedic creators, there's no place for being shy. "Sure, it might look a bit silly, but apparently, it can be serious business," Lau says. "After all, every overly exaggerated facial expression or perfectly timed dance move could mean thousands of extra views, so they’re all in. There’s something almost inspiring about how little they care what others think – even if it means turning heads or attracting a few curious looks."

Our take? There's a lot of truth to this, but it's not like creators — even the most popular ones — all lack some sort of "shame" button in their brain. The truth is, it's a learned skill. You have to put yourself out there, often in public, despite being self conscious, not because you aren't. It's also important to note that sometimes you just know as a content creator that, even if you feel a little exposed making content in public, the results will probably be validating. All that is to say, if you're a content creator who does get really self conscious or feels afraid to make content in public, don't think you can't. Many creators who now make content out in public have felt and sometimes still do feel the way you're feeling. It's just worth it for them in the end when they post the finished product.

You Never Know What's Worthy Of Being Filmed

This is potentially the most percipient observation from Lau's time with influencers. The way she frames it makes a ton of sense from an observational standpoint. "It’s difficult to tell when a moment might go viral, so if that’s the case, everything becomes “content-worthy," Lau says. "A passing comment, a random street scene or even someone’s food choice at lunch – it all becomes potential content – that word again!"

Our Take? Here's another angle, especially from the perspective of creators who often obsess over what they're making. Nothing is ordinary. When you start to look at the world as an infinitely interesting place, you understand how seemingly "mundane" things are actually exquisitely interesting. That's not to say every content creator is a secret philosophical genius whose content is infinitely inspirational. But no matter how many times you think we've seen something or told a story, there's always a desire to see or hear it again in a slightly new way. Everything has been done before, and yet it's never been done by you is a really great way to look at it. This is, at its heart, a very freeing mindset when it comes to creating content.

There Is An Art To Framing

Lau's final observation is also her most technical. "In fact, some of the content creators spent countless minutes making sure they were captured from the right perspective, and I don't just mean angles," she says. "There is an art to presenting life from a particular point of view, making even the most ordinary moment feel special for their followers."

Our Take? Absolutely. Some people speak of content creation in general in slightly disparaging tones. But the reality is, there really are artistic elements to everything. Some creators seemingly have that sense for what looks and feels good naturally, and others develop it over time. But creative people typically end up experiencing the world differently. Most creations are just an attempt to share a small slice of what the world is to that particular creator. And while some things may seem trivial to an outsider, to a particular creator, it may be a critical component to how they view the world. It's all quite beautiful in the end!

Be sure to give Lau's article a read in full and then maybe think about how you experience the world as a creator and if any of those lessons ring true with you.