Just because you created it doesn't mean you should publish it.
Oof. That statement would have shaken up 20-year-old Jordan.
My only focus was on shipping. And that was needed at that time.
Because when I first started creating content, I had great taste but limited skill. Most of us are like that. This taste-talent gap paradox is prevalent in musicians.
When someone begins making music, they have an established taste of "good music" but no skill to make that kind of music. So, the music they produce early on does not pass their taste test. It sucks.
This results in two options for their future:
- They stop making music because they feel that they will never increase their skill to match their taste
- They focus on creating (shipping) to get their skill level parallel with their taste and then shift into a quality > quantity mindset
When I began creating content, I realized how horrible it was. This was discouraging. But how I overcame that was by choosing option 2.
I began pumping out content like Gary mother*cking Vee. This significantly increased my skill as my taste continued to grow as I consumed new and leading-edge content.
The issue is switching production pace once you get "good enough" (skill = taste). Now that you have the talent to produce great content, you can stop shipping so much. Instead, you should get more anal with what topics you pursue and the content that gets nixed.
This looks like more creating for a smaller output. But that output will be higher in quality and more representative of your skill level.
But, this is only done after you hone your skill to your taste level. Doing it in the opposite order is trying to live on a doctor's budget before you even graduate with your bachelor's.
So, for now, most of what you create is shipped. The same is currently true for me. But at some point, I and you will need to pivot.
We will need to begin nixing more content and putting focus and energy into more considerable content assets.
Call it the evolution of content creation. Call it the taste-talent gap paradox. I don't care about the name; I only care that it's true.
Where are you in this evolution?
What do you need to focus on: shipping more to increase skill or shipping less with higher quality content?
🧠 + ❤️ // JO