Should You Work for Someone’s Publication?
Or just create your own?
A publication, whether online or in print, is a work of art, filled with the passion and overall message of its creators, and combined into purpose. This is what endears a person to participate and to collaborate with that publication, especially when that message resonates and the passion runs deep. If these qualities are enough, then that publication is for you.
However, in a time when social media technology has evolved to the point that it easily allows us our indulgences, a person may rethink their commitments and perhaps begin to dream.
In the times before these, the creation of a magazine or a media company would require that a person was well-connected, well-supported, and well-funded. With today’s opportunities, all it takes is that the project is well-impassioned. Distribution to a wide audience, as well as the availability of greater content, are just a few words, links, and clicks away.
From a consumer perspective, we now have the ability, thanks to platforms like Medium, Flipboard, WordPress, YouTube, and a whole host of others, to create our own personalized publications, magazines, articles, and entertainment hubs, automatically filled with specifically chosen content, produced by others from all over the world, and conveniently delivered into the palms of our hands.
Competition for a person’s time is tough.
It could very well be a good idea to go in full-collaboration with a larger group. It could amplify your market penetration and provide unique knowledge and opportunities that you just couldn’t gain on your own.
However, if you decide to work for a publication, then your day is spent crafting a message that not only connects with your readers, but also must be approved by, and adheres to the views of the owners, creators, and editors of that publication. You may feel that you have no choice but to align yourself with those views for various reasons. In some cases it may even be true, especially if you’ve chosen to cold-storage your personal dreams for a regular pay day.
But, then again, you may be naturally gifted with a specialized talent or skill that can be put to great use in someone else’s publication, and thereby giving you the chance to earn compensation.
The benefit in this situation is that you get to do something at which you are skilled, such as writer or editor, and you don’t have the additional burdens of responsibility for an entire publication.
Corporations and large organizations take advantage of this method of work and skill separation, to leverage the efforts of large groups of people. Everyone compartmentalized for the greater good — of the organization.
As you toil away using your one skill, you don’t get much practice with other skills. So, over time you become dependent on the organization for your personal success, and the organization is just fine with that. How about you?
The perspective to have here is that every opportunity is a stepping stone to a greater one. And never accepting that you’ve peaked.
If you want to own a small publication one day, then work or volunteer in a small publication. Learn what you can, then start your own. After that, start another one, better than the last. And keep doing that until you’ve set your mind on a new vision. Then pursue that vision using everything you’ve learned that is applicable.
Your decisions today don’t have to equal the last decisions you will ever make. You can change your mind. You can change your direction. You can choose to pursue your heart’s desire to impact the world in a way that only you can.
So what is the answer to the question I asked in the title?
It’s simple. Do both.
In fact, do it all. Soak up the knowledge. Soak up the opportunity and the experience. Learn from others as much as you can. Yes, you will feel exhausted, and yet unbelievably fulfilled, and it will only make your next endeavor all the better for it. Keep dreaming. Keep learning. Keep striving.