It's been a couple of weeks on Steemit for me. I've come across more features of the platform, glimpsed into niche communities and have seen content from a range of different content creators on the platform; and I'm delighted to be here.
My start on Steemit could have gone a little better. Following my #introduceyourself post, I dropped the ball and got caught up in overthinking; many of the reasons I touched on in my last post.
However, today I'm taking a look at some of the inspiring content I've come across, and talking more about getting passed this creative anxiety. As much as it is stopping me from creating, I am given the opportunity to identify something within myself which needs work, I'll get to that later.
What have you discovered so far?
What I've come across is a range of different content creators, each differing in what they create and how they create it; and all of which have inspired me differently.
From @dedicatedguy, who demonstrates quite beautiful formatting of his posts, solid flow to his ideas and questions to engage his community.
To @indigoocean, who's writing of physiological habits alongside astrology and nature really strikes a chord with my curiosities. She has a confidence to her writing that I hope to embody myself.
To @ADSactly, which stands for Autonomous Decentralized Society Acting Cooperatively to Leverage You. A powerhouse community with a powerful name and mission that I've only begun grasping.
To @aka-alias, who gave me some handy html tips for my intro post. And to @darkfemme, who voiced the difficulties in overcoming language barriers in English, yet provided relevant (and finely written) feedback in her comment to my previous post.
Truthfully, Steemit does have some issues, but it isn't difficult to get passed them; don't let them stop you from creating. Put in some time and you'll find some solid content creators and communities.
No matter who you find, you'll see that each creator has unique value which they provide to their following. After all, this is what the platform is about, right?
Personally, I'd love to know how to consistently provide value to my audience. There are so many questions I have, which I mention in my last post.
What do I want to write about?
What message do I want to push?
Is what I want to write about okay for the platform? Is my understanding enough?
Should I be learning more before I talk about this?
What do my audience want to see?
Who are my audience?
What do I want them to take from my writing?
How do I want to engage with them?
Although sharing my experiences is good, at what point do I stop providing value and am just validating myself?
The questions can go on and on and on and on - and if you really want to deal with them, you can't let anyone else answer them for you. We can go forever if we like; and never really get anywhere.
So the question begs,
What can we do to combat these never ending doubts and uncertainties?
Should we go through and handle them one-by-one? This is a reasonable approach - but it seems very tiring; I guess it's one solution.
Let's suggest another approach.. Eckhart Tolle in his book, "The Power of Now," talks about how we can't solve the minds issues with the mind itself.
The ego can not be transcended by the ego.
Let's look at this idea with an analogy of an underperforming worker - Someone who is doing poorly in many aspects of their job and lacks drive to improve on their own. Rather than going through each aspect and tackling their bad habits one by one, could we tackle the underlying problem?
What if we could use inspiration to create drive within them? This could be done through changing their perspective on their work; and depending on the individual, this can be done through incentives, or showing them their impact - there are many ways to go about this.
So now taking this idea to Creative Anxiety, and perhaps other forms of anxiety - Keeping in mind that thoughts will never cease coming in,
What can we do to re-program the way we handle these thoughts, so that it aligns with what we want to create?
Aside from handling them one-by-one.
The power of Intention
Despite the many factors which determine our thoughts and how we react to them; I believe our underlying intentions (both short-term and long-term), play a huge role in having us create what we want to create.
My understanding of intentions is growing at an incredible pace right now and if you're eager to learn more, I highly recommend @tressareid's post. However, if you're looking to test it yourself; just try setting one.
"Tomorrow, I intend to get straight into the day as soon as I wake up."
Just keep in mind, you're trying to convince your subconscious here, so if you do this half-assed, it's not gonna work. Envision a version of yourself which you would listen to; and really pay attention to and believe. That's the self your subconscious needs to experience when you set your intention.
Alternatively, you can watch mine come to life through what I do here - It's been a bit of a rocky/cloudy start, but hey; it'll all come together.
Have you ever practiced setting intentions? What was the result?
Thank you everyone for reading. If any of this has connected with you at all, please reach out, follow, comment or resteem. I look forward to seeing you around.
Help shape my next piece by commenting below!