2021 New Year's Resolutions For Growing Content Creators

My Dearest Self,

2020 was wrought with obstacles that started well before the pandemic. At the beginning of this year, you were officially getting paid to make content. While your friends hailed you for living the dream, you found yourself grasping at straws and praying that hard work, grit, and a tiny bit of talent might be enough to carry you through—that by the end of the year you would still be a freelance writer and not stuffed away at some corporate job because you failed.

Then the world fell apart, and you were certain that your days were numbered.

At the close of 2020, you breathed a sigh of relief. Not just because some of us made it out, or because the nightmarish year was finally over—but because you made it. Despite the odds and the words of a society that does not always see the value in art, you found success.

But, now your business is growing at an exponential rate. New challenges are coming in 2021—but don't worry. We're going to make a plan to prepare for them right now with some New Year's resolutions to keep you on track.

Trust Your Craft

In 2020, you were still new to full-time creative work. You were small, scared, and uncertain of what the future would bring. Freelancing on the side did not prepare you for the gravity of freelancing as a full-time professional. Even as the dollars filled your PayPal account each day, you still lacked confidence in your voice, your brand, and your ability to make content that people truly enjoyed.

We are done with that now.

2021 is a new year. You are not just starting out. Your business is thriving and growing in ways you never could have imagined. Your year began with one uncertain revenue stream and 2021 is beginning with three brand new ones just to start. Even though you could not have predicted this outcome, it is here now.

While there is still so much to learn, you will no longer be afraid of what you are capable of. You will not question whether or not you are a true creator, or worthy of your spot in the creative world. Your creations change lives every single day—and now you will own that.

This year, you will not cower behind ghostwriting. You will not convince yourself that you are not worthy of your own talents and refuse to put your name out there. Instead, you will create. You will make bold works of art that remind you why you set out to achieve this goal in the first place. You will be brave and daring—and you will trust in the outcome of your capabilities.

Use Social Media For Good

We all get stuck in the mind-numbing tunnel of scrolling from one post to the next instead of actually living, and you are no different. Your phone has made it abundantly clear that you are spending plenty of time on social media—and for what?

This year, you will not promise to spend less time on social media like so many do. Social media is a tool—a valuable tool. So, in 2021, you will use this tool for good.

Your social media time will be spent sharing your creations, connecting with other creators, and talking with all of the lovely people in your industry. It will be spent marveling at the talents of those around you, raising up voices that deserve to be heard, and geeking out with people who love the same things that you do.

It will not be pointless or a way to pass the time. It will be a beautiful social experience that will allow you to connect personally and professionally with the people that COVID-19 made seem so far away.

Social media platforms offer community, and you will embrace that.

Continue To Try New Things

You might fancy yourself a writer, but above all else, you are a creator. Though you started out this year working on marketing content and ghostwriting blog posts, new opportunities have found you. When 2020 began, you were a writer—and you weren't even sure about that despite months of success.

Now, in 2021, you are a jack of all trades.

While your freelance writing business has blossomed, your work spreads well beyond that. The growth along your professional path has led you to become many things. Novelist. Blogger. Scriptwriter. Speechwriter—and now, in a few short weeks, podcast host.

Every day that you spend creating and help others to create is a day well spent, but there is always something new out there to try. In 2021, you will widen your lens of creativity. You will explore new trades and hidden talents. Every day, you will seek out new creative mediums and see what else you are capable of.

You've come this far—farther than you ever could have imagined. So, what else is out there?

This year, you will find out.

Run Your Business

Growing up, you marveled over tortured artists—each one tucked away and driven mad by their own muses. You read story after story about people who "made it" completely by chance because of their talents. It was these tales that spurred you to create and dream of your life as a full-time creative—but you know better now.

Creative professionals are not talented people who simply made it. They are driven and hard-working. They are smart and aware of their industries.

Successful art is not made by accident—at least not most of the time. This year, you will create art with purpose—and you will do the busy work too!

Yes, you will write harrowing stories. You will make engaging graphic designs. You will craft blogs on the things that you are passionate about—but you won't stop there.

This year, you will grow your list of talents and learn new skills. Your time will be spent connecting with clients and learning how to best serve them. Your evenings will be used talking with your audience in the comments of your content or chatting on Twitter. Your life will be governed by a schedule—because the future of your business and your brand depend on your accountability.

Making it is hard, so you will work that much harder and rise to the challenges presented to you each and every day.

Make Cool Stuff

With the wreckage of 2020 barely behind us, we all need to embrace 2021 for all of its beautiful possibilities—and you will do this.

Your creativity has only grown with each new year of life and 2021 is guaranteed to be your most creative year yet. Your brand is small, but it is growing. Your audience is big, even if you haven't found them all just yet. But, more importantly, the future is yours.

In the year ahead, you will push to make it your best and most creative year. You will host the podcast, write the blog, and create amazing content for your clients. Let this be the year that you write that book. You know, the one. Welcome this as the year that your name gets added to film credits, that you work with amazing new teams, and that you make art that you are proud to have created.

With a little hard work and a lot of creativity, anything is possible.

There is no better time to make art than during times of adversity and the world needs that light right now. Not just yours, but all of us. May this be the year that you make great art and inspire others to do the same.

Nothing could have prepared us for 2020, but this last year sure prepared us for anything that 2021 might have in store.

Let's do this.