What You’re Not Supposed to Talk About: The Lows
On July 30th I will be celebrating 8 years of blogging and as I have written a few times, I have certainly learned a lot and grown into the Sex positive soul that I am today. But there is one key point that we, as content creators are not allowed to talk about, and that is the low’s of building a brand. And that is just what my writing has become. It has evolved past my own words, and into an identity all of it’s own. It is a blog, a website, a coaching business, a podcast, and a place that has grown far beyond what I ever could have imagined at its conception. And the reality is that it was incredibly hard, and I have shed countless tears over it. And yeah, here I go again tackling another taboo subject, building a brand and what you’re not supposed to talk about, it sucks and is hard.
Social Media Skews Reality
For whatever reason our society has decided that social media is a place where you can freely share all the joys, highs, and amazing points in your life. By extension, the same is true of starting your own business or brand. We want to build this illusion that we are successful right from the onset. Fake it till you make it is the rally cry we here. If you want to get funding, support, accolades, or any sort of exposure you need to be unique, successful, and solve people’s pain in a way no one else can. And yes, these factors definitely play into building a brand and are important for growth and success. But, this is only a very teeny tiny fraction of the truth behind any creation, company, product, or in this case a brand. The truth is, it is 99% percent blood, sweat, and so many tears in the beginning, and very few ever find success from all that hardship, and yet, we keep up with this smoke and mirror anyways because we cannot let go of our dream, or our what if.
But you see, I am not supposed to talk about this. By sharing with you that blogging about my first open relationship, all the trials and errors of non-monogamy, and all the hardships I have faced by publicly sharing nude photos will give you doubt about my abilities as a writer. It will make you question why you follow me, interact with me, or share my work. If I go out, into the world showing the entire picture, I will be showing the truth behind the magic. And then, what am I? Just another hack, pushing and prodding, waiting for my next big break.
The Creators Myth
I am supposed to tell you that I blog for fun. It’s my hobby and if I ever make it great, but if I don’t that’s fine too. I love what I do. And I will be completely honest with you, this statement is true. I adore what I do. And I am the entire embodiment of this brand I have built. It has been worth almost every second I have put into it, and it is my passion. That my friends though, is not the entire story. The passion is the fuel that allows me to write a little more every day, and create engaging content, or photos. But, you cannot feed yourself on passion alone, actually you cannot feed yourself at all. And that my dear friends, is what we are not supposed to talk about.
I have a very dear friend who has created an incredible product, and has received awards, accolades, and international exposure for his invention. People are constantly telling him that they love what he does, he is on the cutting edge of something big, and that they will support him any way that they can. So he tells them that he needs funding to build the next prototype. Guess what happens when the investors hear this…? You guessed it, crickets! Now again, I am not supposed to share this, and he is not supposed to share this pain. Instead, we are all supposed to keep fighting the good fighting, wishing and praying that one day our ship will come in. Hard work always pays off we tell ourselves. And yes, someday it will. However, when you are in the thick of things, treading water, desperately hungry, and trying to fuel yourself with dreams, it gets…. disheartening.
Why am I sharing this with you? Are you going to see a huge Go Fund Me link at this end of the post because I have guilted you into paying for the content that I offer? Nope, that would feel weird, coercive, and honestly challenge my whole identity and belief of free flowing information. While there will always be an affiliate link and a Patreon offer with each post, your interaction with those offers will not change the content I love producing. This post is more directed at the other content creators, inventors, entrepreneurs, etc. I want you to know I hear you pain, I feel the loneliness of hearing nothing but crickets post after post, and I acknowledge you wanting to throw in the towel and say screw it this isn’t worth all the shit, and abuse we get online daily. We aren’t supposed to talk about the pain of building a brand, so I say screw it, let’s talk about it!
Sharing is Caring!
I want to hear your stories, so please write a post and link it in the comments, or link it to my twitter feed (with a note it’s OK to share) and I will add it to this post! It’s OK to talk about the bad. It’s human, and we need to feel safe to do more of it!
It’s really good to read this honest account of the trials and hardships. As a newbie blogger, and someone who would dearly love to be able to write full-time, I’m very intrigued by the stories of other bloggers, and to learn about the pitfalls and the realities of trying to build a brand and an audience for your work. Thank you ?
Thank you for saying that. I wasn’t sure how a post like this would be received, but I personally would have found it helpful when I was starting out to see that not everyone was succeeding. It’s a struggle, and I think there is value in talking about that. It cannot all be sunshine and roses.