Create Something Awesome
How Creators Are Profiting from Their Passion in the Creator Economy
Roberto Blake
Create Awesome Media
Copyright 2022 Roberto Blake
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 9798985633108
This is dedicated to my family, whom without none of this would be possible, as they have been my motivation to work unreasonably hard, stay the course, and whether the storm.
This book is also dedicated to my community, for the acceptance, support and love they have shown me over the years.
Thank you all.
Contents
CHAPTER 1
THE CREATOR ECONOMY
CHAPTER 2
BUILD A POWERFUL PERSONAL BRAND
CHAPTER 3
NO MORE STARVING ARTISTS
CHAPTER 4
MONETIZING YOUR CREATIVITY
CHAPTER 5
VALUE FIRST CONTENT
CHAPTER 6
AUTHENTICITY AND BOUNDARIES
CHAPTER 7
CREATING A COMMUNITY
Chapter 8
HOW TO STAND OUT AND BE NOTICED
Chapter 9
Picking A Platform
CHAPTER 10
FEELING OVERWHELMED AND OVERWORKED
CHAPTER 11
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
CHAPTER 12
CONSISTENCY IS KING
CHAPTER 13
BUILDING A MILLION DOLLAR CREATOR BUSINESS
CHAPTER 14
COLLABORATING AND NETWORKING
CHAPTER 15
HOW TO PIVOT AND ADAPT
CHAPTER 16
BECOME KNOWN
CHAPTER 17
HOW TO DEAL WITH CRITICISM
CHAPTER 18
STAYING MOTIVATED AND THE CREATOR MINDSET
CHAPTER 19
HOW TO DEAL WITH FAILURE
CHAPTER 20
REVEALING MY SECRETS AS A FULL-TIME CREATOR
PREFACE
There are times when I cant seem to sleep at night and quiet the ideas bouncing around in my head. Yet, every day I wake up grateful that those ideas dont have to live in my head; I was born in an era where almost anyone can take the vision in their mind and bring them into the world.
The modern internet and the technology that sits in our pockets give any creative person almost god-like power that people have never held; the ability to create, publish, and broadcast, mainly for free, is right at our fingertips at all times.
And because of the growing Creator Economy, we can monetize that creativity. As a result, the age of starving artists is coming to a close.
Ten years ago, I was an employee making just over $30,000 a year, and with little more than a blog, and access to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, I was able to build a profitable personal brand from my passion and my creative skills. Today I have a multiple 6-figure business, and in 2020, I found myself making $300,000 a year (as of 2020); my story will become more and more common, I promise you.
Websites like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch are helping ordinary people gain the ability to make a living doing things that they love and are genuinely passionate about and excited about.
These creators are no longer living for their nights and weekends.
The Creator Economy is paying people to share the things they are passionate about for a living on the largest online platforms in the world. Individuals are now becoming media companies and publishers without the gatekeepers of television, music labels, and the old world holding them back and telling them they arent allowed.
Everyone who has access to these platforms has the opportunity to be seen and heard, and the audience decides who they want to support with their attention and with their wallets.
Throughout this book, youll learn how people just like you and me are building powerful online brands and businesses from their bedrooms, using free tools and platforms. Youll learn about the origins of this industry, how it impacted the internet you use every day, and what is coming next.
What I also hope to share with you is the most actionable advice I possibly can to help you navigate a career as a content creator if you want to pursue it or if you already are but have found yourself struggling to find an audience or monetize your content.
Youll learn how I and many of the creators you know and love made our money, built our businesses, and how we grew our audiences from nothing.
People were very skeptical when I started talking about this vocally in 2015. Many people still do not respect the Creator Economy and think that only outliers can be a success story. But I promise you they said the same thing about the early internet over 20 years ago.
When I graduated from high school in 2002, I remember that being a web designer, which was my goal, was not considered a stable profession, and very few businesses felt the need to have a website. Now, people don't take you seriously if your business doesnt have a website. Entire companies are built now that exist exclusively online.
My, how the tables have turned.
The hope I have for every one of you reading this book (thank you for that, by the way) is you will embrace the growing Creator Economy and start to build and monetize your personal brand. This is very practical, and I dont want people to leave a good steady job to chase a fantasy.
For many of you, this will be your first step into building multiple income streams and can provide you with a way to express yourself.
I sincerely hope you will realize there is more opportunity today than your parents and grandparents had and that there is even more to come.
You are not limited by the technology of your time in the way people were just a decade ago, and I hope you will make the most of it; I want to help enable you to do that.
To help you on your way, you will be learning a bit more about me and my own story and efficient examples of what you can do with what you have right now.
This book is actionable.
There are chapters dedicated to granular details on monetizing your content, earning from it, and producing quality content to the point of everything but telling you what camera settings to dial in or what microphone to buy.
This book was written to introduce beginners to new opportunities and help people execute on those opportunities or help those already active refine their ideas and execution.
I also want to impart a history lesson on the evolution of the modern internet and how it has removed much of the gatekeeping that has forced creative people to be starving artists for generations. I believe if people know better, they can do better.
Being able to do what you love for a living may be the exception, but I believe it can be the rule for those who embrace our creativity and God-given gifts.
It just might require a decade of discipline. Its not easy, but for most, its worth it.
CHAPTER 1
THE CREATOR ECONOMY
What is the Creator Economy?
This is a fair question for anyone who might be reading this book on a whim or is unfamiliar with my content. Lets start with a straightforward explanation of what it means to work as a content creator and how creators make their living.
A content creator uses online platforms to create content through video, audio, images, or writing, typically hoping to earn money from sharing that content.
Generally, these creators use popular online platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or Twitch to create content and grow an audience that will support them. They earn money through various means, including revenue sharing with the platforms, direct donations from their fans, selling products such as merchandise or digital downloads, or promoting brands in exchange for payment.