everything i do is content and i sometimes hate it

the problem with being the creator I've always wanted

Last night, I decided to bake a banana bread.

I put my phone away in the bedroom, poured myself a glass of rosé (my very first one since I stopped breastfeeding), put on Grey's Anatomy in the background, and started baking.

This was my way of shutting my brain off.

But halfway through the baking, I had this strong urge to get my phone, take a photo, and post it on my Instagram story.

At first, I was like, "No, this is my break. I'm taking a break from content creation. So no filming, no content creation."

But the impulsive side of me won, and I ended up taking my phone and snapping a photo.

But after taking these photos, I thought, "Yeah, this can't be my life. I need to do something about this." I didn’t end up posting the photo.

For the last 4 years, all I've ever wanted was to become a niche-less creator. Someone who could talk about anything and everything.

As a multipassionate, I hate being put into a box. So, I decided to become a lifestyle creator.

I thought that being a lifestyle creator was the ultimate solution to my problem: you can post whatever you want, and people will accept it.

But I didn't realize the biggest challenge that came with this desire.

Everything I do is content.

And most days, I love it. But some days, I hate it.

I hate it because I struggle to draw the line between my life and the content I put out there. My day-to-day life is my content. My thoughts are my content. Everything I do can be content.

This is both a privilege and a curse.

It's a privilege because it's amazing that we live in a time where we can express ourselves fully and get paid for it. It's a curse because if you're not careful, your entire life can be content, and that's not fun either.

As I embrace the lifestyle brand I'm creating on social media, I realize I don't want to share anything and everything.

Yes, I can be multipassionate online. But no, I don't have to share absolutely everything I'm doing in my life. In fact, I don't want to (although that didn't use to be the case).

I'm learning there are things I want to do purely just for myself, like baking. Or even washing the dishes.

So, how do we create this line between what gets shared online vs. what doesn't?

This is an ongoing problem, but here are some things that have been helping:

1. Having an 'absolutely not' list.

A list of things you absolutely don't want to share online. I'm in the middle of creating this list, but so far these are: relationship issues, unnecessary baby stuff, personal hobbies like baking or playing the guitar, etc.

Not only do I want these things to be sacred, but it also saves time when deciding whether it gets shared or not.

2. Focus on the messaging you're putting out there

My whole mantra online nowadays is to inspire you to build a life you love while juggling being a mom.

This is general enough that it explores a variety of topics related to health, self-growth, wellness, motherhood, and career, but it's also narrow enough that I'm not completely all over the place.

Most of my content looks through this lens of ‘building a life you love’, no matter what topic I'm talking about.

This can be challenging because I can convert any topic through this lens, but most times, it helps.

3. Leaning into your natural content buckets

Most creators teach you to have content pillars or buckets when creating online, even before you start creating.

Personally, that strategy didn't work for me. What I did was I created what I liked first, and then I decided which bucket that would fall into.

After creating consistently for more than 6 months now, I naturally create content that falls into these 7 buckets.

Content buckets I use in my Notion template

What's good about this is that I didn't force these buckets.

I followed my intuition when creating. When I film within these buckets, it doesn't feel like work.

And for me, that's the goal. To do work that feels like play.

If what I'm about to film doesn't naturally fall into the 7 buckets I created for myself, it probably doesn't need to be shared online.

I've been dreaming of having a "lifestyle" brand for the longest time, and now that it's coming to fruition, it's more challenging than I thought.

I remember thinking, "I just wanna share everything. I wanna share whatever I want."

But no, you don't want that.

It gets tiring mentally, physically, and emotionally. Pick the 3 - 7 things you're most excited to share and stick to those.

This way, you can still have a life even if your life is your content.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Until next time,

J 💌