How to Tell You’re Creating for the Wrong Reasons (Vibe Test Checklist)
Get Paid to Play Series
We’re back with a 5-part FREE training series designed to help you become a professional who gets paid to play.
This will be an ongoing theme each week where you can take what you’ve learned to the next level in the upcoming 3-Week Group Coaching Boot Camp which opens for enrollment Wednesday, August 9th, 12 PM CST. 🗓
In 21 days, you’ll learn how to curate, execute, and leverage the intentional work you love to create.
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Creating for the Wrong Reasons?
Real talk...
Are you even creating work you vibe to?
Or are you catering to what you think people and/or an algorithm want to see?
Social media is an important tool to grow your creative biz + brand pursuits...
But it can also be toxic when you become the product of the tool.
I've driven myself bat shit crazy in the past trying to keep up with the never-ended changes to social media...
Yet failing in that game taught me these valuable questions to always ask myself:
If I’m not vibin’ to what I’m creating, how can others vibe to it?
If I’m not connected to what I’m creating, how can I expect others to connect?
Easier said than done, so let's get objective with playing the game on our own terms.
Vibe Test Checklist
I get it, you not only want to be liked, but you want to stand out with your work.
However, before obsessing over how to rise above the noise, I want to make sure the students I work with are:
Creating for the right reasons that are fueled by purposeful play (learn more about this here).
Vibin’ to what they're pouring their finite energy, time, and soul into.
Creating intentional work that’ll help them get paid to play like a pro. (learn more about this here)
If not, you may experience the toxic effects of tying your self-worth to volatile social media metrics out of your control.
(This was me years ago and I paid both the mental + physical price of not staying true to myself.)
My students and I now keep things measurable moving forward with the Vibe Test Checklist.
Before you create + share, can you check the majority of these boxes?
✅ You dig what you're creating (versus hoping someone else digs this).
✅ It truly comes from an authentic place within YOU.
✅ You had FUN creating it (the most important box to check IMO).
✅ It’s something you care about.
✅ It’s an area you're interested in/passionate about.
✅ It’s an area you want to improve in and/or driven to be great at.
In a perfect world, you'd be able to check everything on the list...
But I realize that's not always the case.
The Goal = Check Most of the Boxes
Maybe you're a perfectionist and you're not always in love with the final product.
At the same time, this creative game is subjective—I believe you gotta show to grow.
For example, when I share a piece I feel is a B+, someone else feels it's my best work. 🤷🏻♂️
Other times it may be client work that you may not be passionate about OR may not have your full authenticity baked into the project...
But ideally, you've been creating the type of work you love to get hired to do more of it!
If you find yourself only checking a few boxes, it's extremely revealing that maybe you're creating for the wrong reasons.
By checking the majority of these boxes before you create + share with the world…
You'll rewire your mind to enjoy the parts of the process you can control while not letting "poor post-performance" phase you.
It'll allow you to truly connect with your work and be in a position to adjust to whatever changes a social platform throws at you.
It'll help you attract new customers, collectors, or clients that feel invested in who you are and what you're building.
NEXT STEPS: SELF-PROMO + SCALING
By adding this checklist to your toolbox, YOU TAKE CONTROL.
Social media will only serve as platforms for you to enjoy showcasing your work, building authority/credibility, curating relationships, and growing your biz/brand.
When students have mastered the art of checking these boxes within a season...
We start to set our sights on marketing tactics like:
Monitoring your insights/analytics to do more of what works.
Paying attention to where the demand and opportunity are.
Listening + executing more of what your engaged community wants/needs.
Pursuing the early stages of profitability.
Going deeper and scaling from within (versus spreading yourself too thin in distraction areas).
Don't worry about these steps yet—I'm solely foreshadowing what the next season could look like for you.
My job is to help you gain clarity on the path and season you're currently in—and what it could lead to!
ACTION ITEMS
Spend 15-30 minutes responding to each checklist question by writing:
What type of work do you do that allows you to check each box?
What type of work do you want to do that would check each box?
(Look for the overlapping answers!)
As well as list which checkboxes you've been avoiding and what's the cost of skipping these.
It doesn't have to be perfect—bonus points if you email scotty@perspective-collective.com your answers with me!
Let’s Work Together 🤝
Looking for some extra guidance and accountability on how to get paid to play like a professional?
If so, you'll love the upcoming 3-Week Boot Camp that focuses on Purposeful Play (8/21 - 9/10).
In 21 days, you’ll learn how to curate, execute, and leverage the intentional work you love to create.
Consider learning more below about how to join an upcoming 3-Week Boot Camp. 👇🏻
Note: Missed this Boot Camp? Joining the Waitlist below will still keep you updated on the next session!
JOIN THE BOOT CAMP WAITLIST
The Side Hustler's Boot Camps are quarterly 3-Week Group Coaching Workshops to help grow your creative biz + brand.
Soak up a year’s worth of measurable growth, support, and accountability, or take one-off sessions to tackle your current biggest struggle.
Expect challenging exercises, a private community, 3 weekly live calls, and more.
Join the Waitlist for updates + 1st dibs at enrollment.
