🤯Unknown Unknowns #86 - Liminal Creators

There was a tremor in the podcast world recently as Paul Millerd and Michelle Varghoose hosted each other on their podcasts.  Cécile Martin and Michelle’s sister Sammie Varghoose were also along for the ride.

The podcasts were on the topics of leaving the default path and sabbaticals.  The conversations made me think of the struggles that I went through leaving my career, which continue to this day.  

Liminality is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete. - Wikipedia

I've noticed that there is a liminal stage in the transition from a corporate life to a creator life.  This period extends from the first stirrings of discontent with a corporate life to deciding to never go back to that lifestyle.  The biggest concern in this stage is, "How do I make money?"  And in response, Liminal Creators focus their attention on building an audience and monetizing.  But this is a distraction which, if it fails, convinces a Liminal Creator to return to the corporate world, perhaps permanently.

Obviously the question, "How do I make money?" must be addressed, but the real question is "How will I survive?"  Replacing the exact income isn't necessary and is a distracting goal.  Your lifestyle will change, you will require a different amount of money than you think to live.  Your previous salary may actually be a target that causes you to fall short of what you can earn.

There are four strategies to answer this question.  

1. First, save enough for the transition.  

2. Second, reduce spending to extend your runway.  

3. Third, change your mindset to be open to a variable income.  

4. And finally, stay at your job while you explore.  

There are upsides and downsides to each strategy, but the question itself is a red herring.  Money isn't the point of a creator lifestyle.

So what should Liminal Creators focus on?  Liminal Creators need to focus on experimentation.  They can't be cowed by failure and need to find the energy and resolve to continuously iterate.  They also need to self-reflect and introspect constantly.  A third necessary mindset is independence.  Liminal Creators are not dependent on an employer, client, or customer.

Liminal Creators also need to differentiate themselves.  They need a niche, a wellspring of ideas, and skills.

Finally, Liminal Creators need a tribe.  They need a group of similarly-minded people for support and mutual aid.

In order to fulfill these intentions, there are methods that Liminal Creators can undertake.  Writing is the most powerful.  Through writing, you can find your niche, introspect, source ideas, and find a tribe.  There are different types of writing, including journaling, writing a newsletter, and sharing on social media and blogs.  Other methods are Doing Something 100 Times, Taking a Course, and Make $1.

But the most important of all is to take action.

I realize you have more questions than I’ve given answers to. I’m going to explore these concepts and more in the weeks to come.  Further questions are, “What is creativity?” and “What is a creator?”  “Are they defined by mindsets or actions or something else?”  This is a deep rabbit hole I’m going down, and I hope you come along for the ride.

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Discoveries:

As usual, when I find an idea I start seeing it all over.  Here are some shares about finding yourself.

1️⃣

Tinkered Thinking is an anonymous account that writes short parables about the optimistic side of technology.  If you’ve seen Black Mirror, he’s the exact opposite.  He actually won Infinite Loops “White Mirror” challenge.

🔗 A LUCILIUS PARABLE: HIDDEN LEVERAGE

2️⃣

Two great essays from Seán Barry about leaving his job and realizing what makes him happy.

“Quitting the rat race… means making choices that maximise happiness, instead of making choices that maximise income.”

🔗 Quitting the Rat Race
🔗 What does Quitting the Rat Race Mean to Me?

3️⃣

Chad Johnson (OchoCinco) was a star wide receiver in the NFL about fifteen years ago. He was noted as a free spirit during his career.  He talks about how image and value are intertwined in perception, but in reality are unrelated.  He wore fake jewelry because that’s what people were looking for.  But since he didn’t value it, he didn’t spend money on it. He rendered unto Caesar what was Caesar’s, but kept his values true to himself.

shannon sharpe @ShannonSharpe

.@ochocinco saved 83% of his salary by flying Spirit & wearing fake jewelry

4️⃣

This last share isn’t related to the concept of leaving jobs and defying expectations, but it was too interesting to keep in my pocket.

Josh B @JhbMedia

It’s funny how everyone wants to use Ai to write content but no one wants to read content written by Ai! Make sure to use Chat GPT and other Ai softwares with a pinch of salt and add your own twist to their writing.

The hype of AI writing is overblown.  Everyone is looking for a shortcut but no one values what the shortcut produces.

Ethan Mollick, however, brings up an interesting use case for AI.  Students act as a teacher trying to get an AI to write something good.  I was stunned by how this flip takes all the weaknesses of AI and makes them strengths in the learning process.

🔗 All my classes suddenly became AI classes - Using AI to improve learning

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Quote of the Week:

“The longer you stay in a path that isn't yours, the longer it takes to move to a path that might feel like something that's yours.” - Paul Millerd

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You can find more of my writing at chr.iswong.com.

Questions, suggestions, complaints?  Email me at [email protected].  Feedback welcome.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend or two.  And feel free to send anything you find interesting to me!

Leaving you in peace,

Chris