Every morning and evening, I read.
Not just some smart books, no, but whatever feeds my curiosity. Right now, it's "Anthropocene Reviewed" by John Green, before that it was a book on the Gucci family (and business) by Sarah Gay Forden, and even before that β a fantasy series called "The Atlas Six" by Olivie Blake. No genre is a limit; no story is useless.
Every evening, I watch TV.
Not just some smart documentaries, no, but whatever amuses me. Be it "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City", or "House of Dragon" β there's always something that makes my mind wonder about human beings and stories.
Until I got to voice my musings and think out loud about books and TV series I consume, I thought we all β readers and viewers β perceived the same thing, the same message.
I never realised that just because our attention is pulled one way, the cause of it might be different.
This is to say, the reason we find something valuable to ourselves is subjective. (I know, it's not groundbreaking but wherever my feet stand is fluid.)
Value is perceived. For some, it's in practical shit. For some, it's woven into gripping stories.
Who am I to tell you what is the ultimate message of a piece?
As creators, we can narrow it down for ourselves and focus on what we want to write about (as I'm doing it now, keeping a one-liner to guide me). As creators, we can engineer it and match to whatever the audience responds best.
Yet, the value is in the eye of a reader. In whatever they β your audience, your people β catch their "ohh wait-" moment. Is it in stories? Is it in messy musings? Is it in easy-to-understand info?
The value is in what YOU (or I, or any other creator) choose to pay attention to. Whatever resonates for us in the works of others, in the world around us β is something that matters to us and what we pass into our work. It's what we can lace with our perspectives and share β for others to feel a pang in their heart and direct their attention to us, our content and ideas.
Like calls to like β and value is in the meaning we gain. Like a beacon for lost souls who seek refuge and find it there, within the world you create, the thoughts you choose to share.
It sounds romantic and shit, but the point is: Choose whatever works for YOU. Drop whatever they (ironically, myself included) tell you must or should do with your ideas and content.
Iterate until it resonates to you, until it meets whatever you're seeking.
(Not just success but a sense of accomplishment.)
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