Make stuff

This entire film was make with an iPhone 11.

And yes, it was done by Hollywood director David Leitch with a full crew of professionals, but still… it was made with an iPhone 11. A phone that millions of Americans already have in their pockets.

The barrier to entry in the film world has been leveled. So, too, has the barrier to most creative endeavors. You can professionally record music today at very little expense. You can design and draw digitally just like the greatest digital artists today. You can record radio shows at your dining room table.

And the platforms for distribution are free.

Want people to see your film? Post it to YouTube. If it’s great, people will watch.

Write and record a great song? Post to Soundcloud or the dozens of other places where musicians are posting their music today. If it’s great, people will find it and listen.

Want to publish a book but can’t find an agent or publisher? Publish online. Or partner with a self-publishing company to print and bind your book, complete with cover art. If it’s great, it will sell.

Want to host a talk show but can’t find a radio station that will let you in the door? Record a podcast. If you’re doing something that people love, they will listen in droves.

The list goes on.

My point is this:

Whether you are 16 or 60, if you want to make something, you have no more excuses. You can make stuff on shoestring budgets these days - sometimes no budgets at all - and if it’s good, it will be seen.

So just make stuff. Instead of being a content consumer, find a way to become a content creator.

I promise you:

It’s eminently more satisfying to make stuff than it is to consume stuff.