White belt and the black belt

“Producer vs Consumer” was going to be the title of this post. Been thinking a lot lately about the dichotomy of those who produce and those who consume but I’m going to elevate the post and address the ability to tell a story or “storytelling” as it’s now known.

For a business to succeed, especially in bootstrapped mode, it needs to be able to create a narrative. It doesn’t need to be about the product (look at Basecamp) but it needs something to capture the attention of a specific audience. In the case of Basecamp, they talk about their values, how they hire, develop software, work schedule, communication and so on but first let me address the creation or consumption of content.

Content consumer - someone who reads, listens or watches something created by a person, group or organisation.

Content producer - well… someone who makes stuff for the person above.

When I actually stop and think about how much I consume, it’s insane. No wonder days fly by and I don’t get done what I’d like to. Just scrolling through twitter and I get surf clips, code screenshots, amazing illustrations, find an interesting person to follow, great articles, threads. The list is endless. I get it. Too much stimulation for my brain paired with unknown of next tweet will be about.

The goal is not remove myself completely from consuming. There’s value in it. The scale just shouldn’t be too tilted one way. I am making a conscious effort to be a producer.

Now, why do I want that?

It comes back to telling a story to an audience. I have no clue of how to write well or create a captivating story. That needs to change and the way to get there is through practice.

If you’re reading this I appreciate immensely that you’re able to put up with it. I know it’s not good but I need time.

In martial arts, there is a saying “a black belt is a white belt that never gave up”.

I’m a white belt in writing.