This Simple Adjustment Can Help You Became a Significantly Better Creative

The creator space is quietly getting choked

The rise in small and medium-scale enterprises is fueling the rise of freelancers globally, and platforms like Upwork and Fiver are the fertile grounds breeding many of these freelancers.

While this rise in freelancing doesn’t mean the traditional ways of building and running businesses are dead, it sure means many people are comfortable with quietly building their thing in a small corner of their room.

And the trend is only set to continue, as 24% of American workers plan to start a side business in 2021. The story may not be too different elsewhere.

That’s good and bad news.

The good news is that some of those side businesses may get bigger; the downside is that for now at least, the competition will only get rifer.

To separate yourself from the competition, you may have to take the unconventional route of treating your craft as a consultancy, and not just a freelance side hustle.

It’s not all about splashing titles in your Twitter bio and Instagram stories or hanging an LED-lit nameplate in front of your home office to showcase your new role.

You only need to treat your craft as a traditional consultancy.

Yes, copy a few traits from the traditional consultants. It starts in your mind, and then it leaked into your attitude. Here’s how it will help you become a better creator.

You’ll develop an insatiable hunger to learn

Because many creators feel they can fall on their passion, they see little need to learn new stuff. But it’s not enough to have raw passion pulsating through your veins and steaming through your nostrils.

Passion can’t push you past others high on knowledge.

I know many creators who don’t exude buckets of passion, but they’re touchstones for knowledge. And guess what, people sometimes pay them more for their knowledge than passion.

When you see yourself as a consultant, you’ll force yourself to learn a little more about other aspects of your craft than you’re comfortable with. You’ll break the box and look around for more information.

You’ll recognize the need to always be on top of your game and goings-on in your industry that could affect your business. You’ll learn about the evolution of your craft, the cycles, the trends that come and go.

And that could help you make informed predictions on when to pivot or keep going.

One of my colleague photographers seems to know all about the history of black and white photography, film, and now digital photography. He also knows all about studio lights, converters, adaptors, reflectors, triggers, receivers, lenses, and camera bodies.

Report any challenges you’re facing with your gear, and in five minutes, he’s got some solutions.

Many colleagues who have benefited from his ingenuity often invite him to speak at seminars and teach in-person courses. And they pay him a good fortune.

Make it your goal to be a creator that is also very well-read in your industry. You’ll soon become an untouchable two-headed monster of passion and knowledge.

You’ll value your time, your worth, and your network more

I don’t know too many consultants who disregard their time and devalue their worth. Rather, they guard their time by their actions and defend their worth with their words.

No, it’s not about setting your alarm to stop the hand of time mid-meeting because time’s up. Nor does it mean you throw your weight around like an auditor who has gotten wind of an underhand transaction.

But it means having firm boundaries you wouldn’t let anyone cross — even in golden shoes — without written permission from you. It means you know what your services are worth and the lowest you’ll stoop to sweeten the deal for clients.

It also means knowing when to shake hands confidently over a deal, when to walk away from a deal with your head held high, and when to flee from questionable offers.

Also, consultants are a connected bunch, constantly bouncing ideas off of one another. Too many creators are working in the dark, underutilizing the power behind building connections with like-minded peers in the light.

Mentors and secret admirers are often a few DMs away. Find them and build bridges that connect you. Flood their DMs if the first few hellos go unanswered. If one mentor blocks you, move on to the next.

Making the mental shift from side-hustler to the consultant will help you value yourself right, find your league and play ball on those pitches. At least that’s better than having random clients put you in some dark pigeonhole.

It will give you a more professional edge

There’s more to being a successful content creator than being a talented writer, photographer, designer, or illustrator. Even having the DNA isn’t quite enough.

You’ve first got to see yourself as a talented professional. Consultants act professionally. Or at least the good ones do. Seeing yourself as a consultant will push you to become more professional and force you to up the ante on your game.

You’ll play like a pro.

No, you don’t need a 400sqm office space downtown with all the bells and whistles to play like a pro.

You only need to have a handle on some basic moves that will help you smoothen some rough edges and cast you in a brighter light than others.

It all starts with you. You’ll be realistic about your strengths; you’ll keep a proper inventory of your vulnerabilities; you’ll have your values always blinking in your mind; you’ll find a path you want to follow to the top. Or chart one.

It also means you’ll learn to exude positive vibes, to keep your word, go the extra mile, see things from clients’ viewpoints, put clients front and center, and leave clients on a high.

Seeing yourself as a consultant and not just a creator running a side business will open your eyes to some of the little things everyone else is too busy to notice because, well, they’re only focused on creating.

The new age calls for subtle shifts in how we approach the content creation game. Some have traded their jobs for a one-way ticket aboard the side hustle train.

Others are shifting from the quit your nine-to-five and go-all-in advice to a more gradual system.

Whichever mode you take, you still have to make the best of the opportunity. One way is by seeing yourself as a consultant. No, it doesn’t mean wearing a different $10,000 suit and silk tie for every Zoom call.

It simply means learning to act like one in your dealings. When you do that, you’ll force yourself to become more professional. You’ll also teach yourself to be abreast of industry trends and train yourself to value your time and worth.

You can quietly hate the consultants in the shiny towers downtown for many reasons, but you can always copy some of their ways of handling business. That could help you build a better system and set yourself apart from the crowd.

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