The story matters

It’s a struggle for me to share quick tips and tricks.

I know they’re helpful and are a faster way to grow my own personal brand.

It’s just that my heart burns to share mindset-related content.

Why? Because the story matters.

We are all interpreting our lives through an assumed narrative. We filter our experiences through our understanding of the world.

Our perception of what is happening and the story we tell ourselves determines our choices. The narrative we tell ourselves dictates how we will react and respond to life.

The story we believe is foundational.

For example, I can give five tips for marketing your creative work, but the extent to which those tips are helpful to you is entirely based on how you interpret the world.

• If you live within a narrative that believes making a lot of money is crucial, and you can’t make much money doing creative work - then you’ll probably ignore my tips.

• If you live within a narrative that believes that true fulfillment in creative work comes from reaching for self-actualization and significance through fame, awards, renown, etc. - then the degree to which you’ll trust my tips will be determined by how successful you think I’ve been.

• If you live within a narrative that believes that God is the Giver of all good things and has given you the gifts and talent you have, a narrative that believes it’s vitally important for us to use and share our gifts and talents no matter what kind of personal gain they might or might not bring, simply because God told us to use them - then you might see my tips as an opportunity to grow, cultivate, and develop the gifts God has given you. You might see them as one exciting way to lean into obedience.

I’m not saying I’ll never share tips and tricks. I have done so before, and I will again. They’re fun and helpful. If I sat with a friend who asked me how to do something I’ve done, I’d happily and enthusiastically tell them.

But here on the internet, I know we are coming to this table with various narratives.

And despite what culture might say about “your truth” and “my truth,” the actual truth is that some narratives are closer to reality than others.

As a creative person, I’ve found that God’s perception of things is incredibly freeing, dignifying, inspiring, and motivating. More than anything, I want to help fellow creatives discover and live within that narrative.