In this episode, I continue with the basics of mindful content creation, exploring first what mindful content creation can look like for us as the creators, in comparison to what it might look like if we strictly follow outside rules or formulas. (If you found your way here via my Insight Timer course, this info will be familiar to you, though I have added more background and commentary since I have the space to do so in a podcast format.)This episode ends with a visualization exercise to help you see yourself creating from a mindful place.
Did any of this resonate with you? Are there any other rules or formulas that have created friction for you in the past? I invite you to share your experiences in the comments below! Enjoy the episode.
Below is a transcript of the episode for your reference—please excuse grammatical errors!
Hello everyone and welcome back. Thanks for joining me for episode two of the Mindful Content Creator Podcast. In this episode, I'm focusing on the overall content creation experience for the creator and how we can improve upon it with mindful content creation. I'll talk about what it might look like for you when you follow the traditional methods of content creation, which is likely what you're doing now or have done in the past, and what it could look like when you create mindfully or in a way that is aligned with who you are and how you create best.
I'll speak here from my personal experience as well as what I've seen my clients experience in the time that I've been helping them with their content creation.
So some of the most common pieces of advice, or some of the most common rules that I've seen and tried out myself, typically center around what times to share and how often to share. This also influences how often we create.
Rules around timing and how much to share can feel a bit stifling at times. Even for those of us who start out really, really excited about creating content. It can end up feeling like homework when we're on such a schedule. It can also start to feel a little bit like a competition, who can get their content out first and fast, just who can speak the loudest.
And I've tried what the experts have recommended, so have my clients. For the most part, these suggested times haven't really given me or my clients any big time results, or maybe it got better results one time or a couple times, and then it sort of tapered off. For me, this mostly resulted in following a recommended schedule that lasted maybe a week, and then I completely fell off of it because I honestly just felt like I was forcing it.
It didn't fit into my natural flow, my actual schedule, so I wasn't really able to sustain it.
And I've watched my clients try to stick to a consistent schedule themselves. I've, I've helped many of them create content calendars, and while writing it all out looks great, it can look pretty, sticking to it in practice can be a little bit tough, even with a calendar that tells you what to create and when you might not feel particularly inspired that day to create that post or that email or that video.
And basically, it's really hard to keep up when you're forcing yourself into a flow rather than just going with the flow, right?
You might also find yourself rushing out content to meet your sharing or posting goals. And that rushed content isn't always well thought out. It might even be like of a little bit lower quality. Certainly we don't want to overthink or overwork our content cuz you know, it's easy to do that too, but we don't wanna just throw it out there without being mindful of the message and the energy behind it.
That said, there are some people who really embrace having a well written plan, and maybe that's you. Maybe that does work for you. But I still encourage you to define your own plan rather than follow someone else's because I think you're that much more likely to stick with it, if you actually come up with a plan that works for you and how you flow through your day.
Another favorite piece of advice I see out there is to use all the features a platform has. So if you're focusing on Instagram, use, all of Instagram's features. Most often this results in people forcing themselves to use tools that they aren't really ready for or don't know how to fully embrace, so when it doesn't work, they then give up on posting entirely.
And I've been in this position before myself. Some features just don't align with a person's strengths. Generally, I think if it's a feature you aren't familiar with and don't enjoy engaging with on other people's accounts, it might not be for you. Or try engaging with other people who are using it first to get a better feel for it.
We are also told to watch all the trends and the various platforms we use so that we can ride on the train of what's popular. This takes a lot of time and can be exhausting in and of itself. It also puts you in a cycle of mimicry that can feel uninspiring or a bit inauthentic.
When it comes to web writing, I feel like people go through this phase of being really obsessed with SEO, which is another one that doesn't always stick for people. And yes, SEO is absolutely important. If you want your website to be found, definitely incorporate it when and where you can fill out the SEO details on your webpages.
Sometimes though, when it goes too far, at least from my perspective or what I've seen, is when the quality of the content starts to go down, because you're forcing words into your copy. It starts to get hard to squeeze that one word in yet another time. And the result is your page sounding a little bit more like a robot wrote it.
And if your goal is real connection, if your goal isn't purely revenue driven, I th. Think this isn't going to be the most fulfilling strategy for you or your community. So that's one where you really have to find the the right balance rather than just trying to stick really hard to the rules that people set out about seo.
So now let me paint a picture of what it could look like instead, if we create mindfully, rather than with a formula or strategy someone else gave us that we feel like we have to follow. So first to me, mindful content creation focuses on creating content that you are excited to make and share that you feel inspired by, that truly taps into your creativity and that you would wanna read if you were on the other side. You're not forcing yourself to create the content, but you're letting it flow.
And along those lines, it's content that's created in a way that supports you and how you work or create best. Meaning you aren't churning out content using a method someone else gave you, as I was saying, or told you was the right way, and that ultimately makes you miserable and hate creating content. You work in a way that actually feels fun and comfortable for you.
Next, it's creating content that is aligned with your voice and your values, which means that it's true and unique to you. It's not an exact replica of something you saw that's trendy or that you are told to do. This is not to say you're not inspired by other sources. That's certainly welcome and something we all need.
We definitely need to have inspiration to, to get the creative juices flowing, but this is more about not creating from a place of I should or I need to do this in order to be seen or make money. And so what you're creating is ultimately reflective of your truth and who you are as an individual and as a creator.
When we follow other people's formulas, we often end up not sharing our unique voice or stifling it a bit.
Mindful content is content that's created thoughtfully, and it's not reactionary, meaning you take the time you need to create and share it rather than rushing it out because you feel that you need to get content out on a certain schedule, every single day within this certain timeframe, or you feel like you have to be the first to say something.
You're taking the time to fully form your thoughts and ensure that your message will resonate. Mindful content creation is you creating content with the community in mind, so you're considering the impact that you want to have, there is a why behind what you're sharing.
You aren't creating just to create because your schedule says you'd have to create today. And by the way, we're going to explore what that why is and what that message is in a future episode.
The why is important because your content ultimately flows into a full, greater body of work that is in its own way the legacy that you leave behind. It is the wisdom and teachings you have to share, and therefore, it's important to handle it with thought and care. In its own way, it's sacred.
A simple way to sum all of this up is that mindful content creation for you as the creator is creating and sharing in a way that aligns with who you are and what you value. You're able to tap into your creativity so the process of creating is enjoyable. You flow and channel your messages with confidence and ease.
And I also wanna point out, mindful content creation for you might include finding bits and pieces of those strategies out there that you hear about and putting them to work in a way that actually suits you rather than following the rule perfectly. I think a lot of the friction we experience with traditional rules and formulas is because we all try to be the good student, right? And follow these rules perfectly rather than taking only what applies and then leaving the rest. And honestly taking what applies and leaving the rest applies to anything I'm sharing with you in these podcasts too.
Mindful content creation will look a little different for each of us because it's about embracing and embodying who we each uniquely are as creators. And we also have our own unique communities with their own specific needs.
We'll end today's episode with a short visualization so you can see what mindful content creation could look like for you in your life. Let's begin.
Let's start by taking a moment to ground. Feel free to close your eyes or find a fixed gazing point. Draw your awareness to your breath. Release. Any breath you might be holding in. And then take a nice slow inhale. Open mouth, exhale side out. Let's do that one more time. Inhale. Exhale, side out.
Return to your normal breathing pattern, in and out of the nose. Focus on the inhale and bringing in a new way, a new joyful way of creating. And on your exhales, releasing any blocks you have to creating with ease.
I invite you now to picture a future version of yourself creating content you're truly excited about. It could be a written piece, a video, audio, an image, or some combination of these. Maybe you know what that content is, or it hasn't been revealed to you yet. It's not important to know exactly what it is right now.
Focus more on how it feels. Sit with this feeling for a moment as you observe yourself creating,
What does creating with joy look like for you? What is around you? Are there certain tools or people present?
What environment puts you into this place of flow?
How does it feel in your body to create with joy? How are you carrying yourself? What is the expression on your face?
See yourself completing this piece of content and putting it out into the world, whatever that looks like for you.
How does it feel to complete something you created with joy in full alignment with yourself?
Imagine this was how it was for you every time you created content.
As we wrap up this visualization assess now, what would it take to get me to this place with my current creation process? What would need to change? What would stay the same or be amplified?
These could be actual actions that you could take or simply changes in your state of mind.
You can choose to stay with this visualization now. Maybe even take some time to journal on it, or you can slowly come back to your physical body, to the space around you. Blink your eyes a few times to reset and let the space you're in now come back into focus.
With much love and gratitude, I close our time together today. Thank you so much, and I'll see you for our next episode where we'll focus on the community and how mindful content creation impacts the communities that we create for. And we'll also cover some of the principles of mindful content creation.
See you for episode three.
