Kickstarting Your Creative Journey with Curation 📝

Introduction

• Content consumption vs. content creation.
  • Consuming content like social media, books, videos, games can't be listed on your resume.
  • Projectionists (people paid to watch movies) as an exception.
• 991 Rule: Internet Content Creation
  • 90% are lurkers.
  • 9% interact.
  • 1% actively create new content.

The Curation Method

• Personal Perspective on Creating:
  • Creativity and art are timeless and universal, transcending the Internet.
  • Digital tools and online networks make art more accessible.
• Three Reasons to Pursue Content Creation:
  1. Deepens Understanding:
     • Teaching exposes gaps in your knowledge.
     • Creating content forces organization and presentation of your thoughts.
  2. Builds Personal Brand:
     • Online presence is your resume.
     • Sharing ideas/stories creates a narrative about who you are.
  3. Opens New Opportunities:
     • Sharing initiates conversations leading to collaborations, job opportunities, new clients, friendships.
     • Example: Collaboration with David Perell on a writing course.

Starting Your Content Creation Journey

• From Collecting to Curating:
  • Start by collecting good content.
  • Move to curating by selecting and organizing interesting content to share.
  • Curation involves active engagement, annotation, and personal narrative.

Six Ways to Curate Content

1. Curated Newsletters:
   • Be a go-to source for niche news.
   • Curate important items for time-constrained readers.
2. Infographics and Diagrams:
   • Visual explanations of tools, websites, people, companies.
3. Comparison Tables:
   • Research and evaluate options, offering guidance to others.
4. Toolkits:
   • Collect and recommend valuable tools/resources for specific skills or niches.
5. Guides:
   • Create comprehensive guides for newcomers in a specific field/industry.
6. Reviews:
   • Offer opinions on products, works of art, concepts, trends; add personal commentary.

Tips for Effective Content Curation

1. Build a Second Brain:
   • Use note-taking apps (Evernote, Notion, Apple Notes) to store collected content.
2. Learn in Public:
   • Document your learning journey using various media.
3. Combine Personal and Objective:
   • Blend practical, useful content with personal insights and commentary.
4. Always Pitch Something:
   • Pitch valuable content to capture attention.
   • With practice, develop a knack for effective pitches.
5. Feed and Tune Your Network:
   • Share what you love and value to attract like-minded individuals.

Overcoming Common Myths

• Myth: Need to be an expert before sharing ideas.
  • Reality: Experts might not always be current; peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is powerful.
  • Your journey and insights hold value for those behind you.

Conclusion

• Discover joy in the process of creating content and building a community.
• Think of content creation as a dialogue with your future self.
• Ask yourself what sparks joy and how you can share that joy with others.
• Engage with a community by commenting, liking, and subscribing for more insights.

Remember: Creating content is about sharing joy and building community from the inside out! 🌟