Rob Hardy wrote a lengthy manifesto on the tradeoffs creators make between publishing low-quality content that gets shares and makes money versus creating meaningful content we are proud of.
“In the summer of 2014, I found myself grappling with an unshakeable sense of boredom. After writing “7 unexpected lighting hacks to make your videos more cinematic” or “This new 6K camera will revolutionize cinematography” for the six hundredth time, I felt an intuitive desire to write things that were a bit more thoughtful and interesting. I wanted to go deeper into the craft of cinematography, and into the psychology of creativity. So I tried a few times. But the lesson I learned, again and again, was that thoughtful, long-form content rarely drives traffic as well as lazily-aggregated clickbait.”
Big Idea: Even though low-quality content often gets better results, creators still need to invest time in creating more meaningful content.
“That means tossing aside the formulas and Best Practices, and striving to produce creative work no one else but you could. It means choosing to play long, infinite games with your marketing and business. It means making friends and building positive-sum relationships. It means trusting your intuition, telling the truth, and trusting others. It means walking your own path, even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular. But most of all, it means doing whatever it takes to nourish that inner voice, and keep your creative spark alive.”