There Are Two Types of Creatives: The Artist and the Content Generator

Which one are you?

There’s a creative inside all of us.

You might not realize it, but you express your creativity in different ways. In the way you organize your files, in the way you choose pictures to be printed and pasted on the wall, in the flowers you plant on your balcony garden, and in the music you hum to go along with the songs playing in your head.

In these and infinite other ways, you’re a creative.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” — Albert Einstein

But did you know there are two kinds of creative people in the world?

• The artists. They create from the heart. Whether it’s writing a book, decorating a room, or composing a song, they pour out their soul into their work. Creating something new is like breathing for them. They can’t live without it.
• The content generators. They create based on what they think is “cool.” They’re up-to-date with all the recent trends and mimic their art to look like the most popular, and hence socially accepted, version of it.

So, which one are you?

The Artists

The artists create for themselves. Sure, they crave approval, but at its core, their art is an expression of the turmoil going on inside their soul.

They have favorites, but these probably aren’t the most popular in their field. They pick their next books or movies based on a whim. They rarely care about what’s popular or what’s “doing well.”

The artists create art because this is the only form of expression they know. It’s a physical craving, an urge to pour out all that fire burning bright inside them.

If you make fun of their art, they will probably sit alone and cry for ages, and yet, validation isn’t even among the top ten reasons why they create.

Artists create because they know of no other alternative.

“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Content Generators

These are the creatives who look at their art and call it ‘content.’

They create for the purpose of being famous, of making a living, of dominating all the rest, and building their tribe.

More than creators, they are the entrepreneurs, who go on a mission of world domination. They know all the rules of the game. They know what it takes to make big money.

They analyze their past sales or stats like they are obsessed. They base their new creations on what they know the audience wants. They follow a formula that keeps generating them big money over and over again.

Content generators create because it’s a game to them and they want to win it.

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook

How Are They Different?

As a consumer, how do you know if someone is an artist or a content generator?

You’ll feel the love when you read or admire the work of an artist. You’ll feel their pain through their words. You’ll see them bleed and feel goosebumps erupting on your skin.

When you face the work of a content generator, you’ll enjoy it, get some valuable information, maybe even some inspiration. But your heart won’t dance and your breath won’t catch in your throat. After a while, maybe all their posts would start feeling like the same dish served with new garnishing.

You might want to print out the words of a content generator and paste them into your journal. But when you read the work of an artist, you’ll want to print them out and tattoo them on your skin.

A content generator inspires you.

An artist touches you. Their work changes you.

So which one would you rather be?

I create content in different forms related to self-improvement, body-positivity, and feminism on YouTube and other platforms. Join my email list to make sure you don’t miss out on anything new.