What I’ve Learned As a Newbie Content Creator in the Time of COVID
These lettering artists have had it right all along.
She glances at the clock. It’s about that time when the majority of her followers are online and she’ll get the most engagement. She taps the plus button, selects her media and pastes the caption with corresponding tags. Letting out a sigh of relief as the first, then second, then fifty-third like flashes across her screen, she smiles as her thumb caresses the face of her phone, scrolling further and further down the rabbit hole…all warm and gooey inside with the knowledge that she has, yet again, reaffirmed her place in the global tribe for the day.
You know this girl. She posts everyday from a wealth of content she has developed for years on the platforms. She hasn’t missed a beat since 2012. This magical, unicorn of a content creator that produces 3 minute videos that look for all the world like Steven Spielberg shot them, writes deep, reflective captions like Rumi, and inspires in some annoying, Opraesque way you know is happening to you, but can’t put your finger on why exactly it has drawn you.
How does she do it?
If I could ransack her room for you and deliver her coveted playbook, I would. I’d probably keep it…But, I digress. What I can share is what I’ve learned in the short amount of time I’ve had to create content that lives online.
It’s no secret traditional education hadn’t kept up with the times as evidenced by the number of educators scrambling to find new ways to connect with their audience of pupils since March. But, they needn’t have looked very far at all. Lettering artists (as well as other online content creators) already had the answers. Therefore, this post is brought to you by the letter ‘L’ for ‘lettering artists’ since most of these tips, I took from the lettering community in some way.
Content Creation for Newbs:
Setup. Have your setup down to a science. It’s much easier to create visual content like videos and such when your gear is easy to set up, easy to set aside/take down. Make it stupid simple or you won’t do much of it.
Show up. Show up every day to play. Or at least 2-3 times a week. Practice makes progress. Where others make excuses, make content. Even taking the time to quickly make a 30-second video sharpens content creation skills and the problem-solving skills it takes to go with them. Any sliver of imagery you can squeeze out of life, do it like relish (er…with relish). If you can make it part of the process of whatever it is you’re sharing, all the better. Say it with me, “Create. Post. Rinse. Repeat.”
Collection. Have a range of ways to collect content at your fingertips. As a teacher, I use everything from screencasting, to recording a demo, to editing tools and creating downloadable content. Most of that I learned from observing and just having fun following my faves in the lettering community. Then, I try to use that in some way for my students. When I’m comfortable, I share my newfound abilities on my lettering accounts. It’s like a circle of life! The takeaway is, whether you teach, or just create for fun, put yourself up on software game. Having versatility makes for great flexibility in collecting content. This way you can choose a method to suit the topic and the time you have on hand. It also staves off boredom…for you and those who are consuming your content, be it followers or students. Flex on ‘em!
Recycle. Reuse old content in new ways. If you can link to an old post that relates to new material or repost a throwback, you can breathe new life into old content like a seasoned pro. These days, I have enough content created for my class that I can refer my students to a former, posted lesson to help remember a technique they need for a new lesson. I also have accumulated quite a few posts, videos, and other items I can link to when I’m sharing within the lettering community. It’s a win-win!
Below is a video I made for my elementary students that closely follows this download (shown in the photo above) I created for them. I posted these materials after doing a live demo in our virtual classroom. Not only did the demo, the download, and the post give them multiple ways to see and digest the content, but it also gave me more time in the creator’s seat. Since I push myself a little each time, I decided to annotate this tutorial in screencasting software and even learned how to Zoom in!
Get out there and create some content. The more you share, the more you learn. Don’t forget to come back and share it with me. 😉
