Elisa Doucette’s 10+ Year Creative Journey

For Creators Unlocked, Elisa Doucette provides us a glimpse on the tales, processes, and classes from her 10+ 12 months journey as a web-based creator. She shares how she discovered her area of interest, catering to pushed writers, and her method to mixing private pursuits inside her content material.

Elisa additionally provides us an unique behind-the-scenes have a look at what it takes to run a profitable inventive enterprise. Spoiler: it’s the invaluable staff members at Craft Your Content material, her editorial company, who assist convey her imaginative and prescient to life.

Elisa, the writers’ author

If Elisa Doucette is thought for something, it’s writing. That’s the main focus of all her on-line content material in all its codecs, from the workshops and programs she runs to her publication. It’s additionally the main focus of her company, Craft Your Content material. Her viewers is usually writers, and she or he describes them particularly as “pushed writers who’re keen about writing and dedicated to pursuing it intensively.” This is applicable to each author, from hobbyists to these in search of a profession in writing.

When requested about increasing exterior writing, Elisa mentions that she’s tried different codecs. “We used to have a podcast on Craft Your Content material referred to as “Writers’ Tough Drafts,” however she discovered podcasting to be surprisingly labor-intensive. “It was difficult to get individuals, particularly marginalized voices, to come back on the present and share their experiences. Typically, they felt uncertain of their value or had been nervous about taking part, which made it troublesome for me to persuade them to affix,” she shares.

One other vital issue that Elisa highlights as a barrier to experimenting with different types of content material creation is a persistent sickness, fibromyalgia. It causes fixed fatigue and ache, which makes it difficult for Elisa to take part in actions that demand excessive vitality ranges or prolonged durations of being “on.” Whereas she will handle interviews or visitor appearances on podcasts, taking up the accountability of manufacturing her personal podcast or video content material can be too bodily exhausting.

She mentions exploring different content material codecs, corresponding to Reels and TikTok, which require shorter commitments. Nonetheless, Elisa primarily sticks to writing, which she says “…permits me to work at my very own tempo and accommodate my bodily limitations.”

Choose a distinct segment, however don’t lose the soul of your content material to it

Whereas Elisa appears to have landed on her area of interest fairly seamlessly, she’ll be the primary to let you know it wasn’t that easy. “I have been doing this since round 2008, beginning on this planet of non-public essays and private running a blog when it was extra prevalent on the Web.” Time and self-discovery have all contributed to the Elisa we all know at present.

Elisa creates for writers, sure, however she’s additionally extra than simply her experience and curiosity in writing. “I even have numerous pursuits as a geek and mental who enjoys exploring obscure subjects.” So niches are nice, but in addition regarding to Elisa, who says, “My concern with niching down and sticking to a selected lane arises in terms of private sharing on social media or in additional private content material like publication essays.”

She doubles down on the instance of her publication, describing a bit highlighting untranslatable however lovely phrases from different languages. Whereas it’s not essentially related to the publication, she finds it attention-grabbing and has used it to construct rapport together with her viewers. “When Merriam-Webster put out a name for distinctive phrases in followers’ native languages, I had three readers ship me the link the primary day!”

By permitting house for private pursuits past the area of interest, Elisa has made connections and found distinctive alternatives. So, whereas having a spotlight is essential, being too inflexible with a distinct segment can trigger you to overlook out on useful alternatives and connections. Elisa describes her method as “sitting on the fence,” mixing area of interest focus whereas sustaining private touches in her content material.

Combine analog and digital for max creativity

Because of Elisa’s daytime identification as a enterprise proprietor working content material company Craft Your Content material, she operates an intensive software stack. Some on-line instruments she highlights embody:

• Google Preserve for jotting concepts or notes at random occasions
• Trello, which serves as her content material editorial board, the place she will create playing cards for concepts, add hyperlinks and analysis, and let the concepts incubate and develop till she’s prepared to put in writing about them
• Google Docs for writing and collaborative enhancing together with her staff
• WordPress for publishing
• Thrive Themes and Thrive Architect for her web site (particularly the Bookwise theme, which is particularly focused towards writers)

Elisa additionally loves working offline, utilizing numerous analog “instruments” to arrange and course of her ideas. She mentions:

• A traditional whiteboard for the tactile expertise of organizing concepts visually
• Submit-it notes for group
• Pen and paper for taking notes, hand-writing gross sales letters, and creating outlines for articles. “Writing by hand permits me to decelerate and assume extra deeply about what I am making an attempt to precise,” she provides.

Regardless of all the flowery instruments and gadgets obtainable, generally reverting to pen and paper could be one of the best ways to create content material.

Going from no content material to content material, or Elisa’s inventive course of

It’s common to see a multi-step inventive course of (aka something extra than simply writing down an concept and executing it). However Elisa’s is especially attention-grabbing given her lengthy historical past as a author and creator. She’s refined her course of over a number of years, and it reveals within the thoughtfulness of her clarification. In its direct type, right here’s her reply: “What does your inventive course of seem like?”

“My inventive course of entails numerous steps and instruments, beginning with gathering the seed of an concept. These concepts could possibly be observations, ideas, or content material wanted for an upcoming deadline. I exploit Google Preserve to jot down concepts on the go or Trello to retailer them for incubation. On this incubation section, I acquire hyperlinks, conduct analysis, and construct out the article idea.

I prefer to assume issues by way of as a lot as attainable. A method I discovered from the Sherlock Holmes books referred to as the “Thoughts Palace” helps me visualize and manage my concepts. I exploit boards, wood desks, or notebooks to put out my ideas and transfer them round to determine the article construction.

As soon as I’ve a tough define, which is extra of a twister of concepts and marginalia reasonably than a strict bullet-point construction, I sit down with Google Docs to put in writing the article. By the point I begin writing, I’ve already found out about 80% of the content material, so the final 20% is simply discovering the precise phrases. This pre-thinking course of permits me to put in writing hundreds of phrases per hour, just like Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg technique.

After writing, my content material goes by way of edits and revisions earlier than being revealed. For social media content material, I not less than have them proofread, particularly since I run an enhancing company, and it is important to keep up a excessive commonplace. For longer items like LinkedIn posts, they might undergo content material edits as properly.”

TL;DR, Elisa’s inventive course of is about nurturing the seed of an concept and giving it the time and house to develop right into a fully-fledged piece of content material. Then, she combines digital and analog instruments to create the content material, from capturing concepts to incubation, outlining, and writing.

Balancing administration with creativity

Nobody understands the battle to discover a steadiness between sensible, mundane duties and the necessity for creativity than Elisa. As a enterprise proprietor, she typically has to deal with administrative duties and networking, however she at all times needs to nurture her inventive aspect for advertising and marketing and private success.

She acknowledges the necessity to discover steadiness saying, “I am not motivated purely by cash; I take pleasure in creating content material to begin discussions, share concepts, educate, and assist individuals. I consider that if you happen to put out nice concepts and content material, the return will comply with. Constructing connections and fascinating in discussions have been key to my success.”

A number of her skill to maintain up together with her huge to-do record is due to her staff at Craft Your Content material. They deal with day-to-day duties, permitting her to be a creator. She additionally has an government assistant that helps shield her time, enabling her to time block for numerous duties, like writing, researching, and consumer calls.

It is essential for creators to acknowledge that there is additionally administrative work concerned past the frenzy of making and executing nice content material. Whether or not you may have a staff otherwise you’re a solopreneur, you’ll possible want to dam out time for duties like bookkeeping and invoicing. Defending each admin and creator time is crucial to create steadiness and forestall them from mixing collectively and resulting in burnout.

Administration isn’t the one factor that may put a damper in your creativity. Strain comes while you hit crucial moments of development, like a sudden inflow of subscribers or having a video go viral. The stress could be from feeling the urge to monetize your content material (if you happen to haven’t already) or work with everybody who approaches you to collaborate. Nonetheless, Elisa emphasizes that giving in to the stress can battle along with your creativity.

She emphasizes being selective with who you’re employed, saying, “It is essential to work with purchasers who align along with your values and inventive imaginative and prescient. Previously, I’ve mentioned sure to initiatives that I did not have the bandwidth for, resulting in burnt bridges and broken relationships. Consequently, I’ve needed to be taught to set boundaries and be extra cautious concerning the initiatives I decide to.”

Elisa mentions, “In my expertise, I’ve discovered it helpful to have a “voice and imaginative and prescient” framework for each my company and private content material, guaranteeing that what I create is constant and aligns with my values. This is identical course of we use with our purchasers for his or her writing.” This framework permits Elisa and her staff to face agency on their values and supply constant, high quality providers to their purchasers.

Establishing boundaries and being upfront about who you want working with may also help steadiness making a residing and staying true to your inventive imaginative and prescient. As a creator, clearly understanding your values and desired voice may also help information your content material creation.

Social media has at all times skilled waves of recognition and decline, and having been an energetic participant for over a decade, Elisa has some ideas on how creators can keep afloat.

“[Social media’s] development has resulted in waves of individuals coming into the house and experimenting with numerous platforms. Over time, nonetheless, many might notice they’re unwilling to place within the work required to achieve success,” says Elisa. Regardless of this, she highlights that there’s an abundance of alternatives for creators with numerous area of interest audiences in search of content material that caters to their distinctive pursuits.

The important thing problem for creators lies in committing to their craft, whether or not that’s writing, creating movies, or producing podcasts. If you wish to do one thing properly, make it an space of focus and turn out to be recognized for it. Sure, it is advisable to interact with numerous platforms and channels, however having a powerful basis in your chosen craft will assist you stand out and climate the modifications in social media developments.

Elisa additionally highlights that by dedicating themselves to their craft, creators can keep a powerful core and a way of dedication that may allow them to journey out the fluctuations within the social media panorama. For instance, issues about AI writers changing human content material creators are just like historic issues about new writing instruments changing earlier strategies. Nonetheless, creators who’re devoted to producing lasting and useful content material will at all times discover a solution to adapt and survive.

Some recommendation for creators on the identical journey

Essentially the most essential piece of recommendation that Elisa gives is to commit wholeheartedly to your chosen craft. Concentrate on creating your expertise in that space reasonably than solely concentrating on the medium, platform, or area of interest. Being devoted to your craft will allow you to create content material that resonates along with your viewers and displays your distinctive voice.

Along with committing to your craft, Elisa provides that it’s important to keep up a way of curiosity and be open to exploring new prospects. Keep away from narrowing your focus an excessive amount of, as this may result in inflexibility and hinder your creativity. Keep open to experimenting with completely different platforms and content material codecs to find what resonates with you and your viewers.

Lastly, try to be the very best in your chosen area and prioritize creating content material you might be proud to place your identify on. Keep away from focusing solely on gaining views and clicks, and as a substitute, make investments effort and time in producing high-quality content material that genuinely displays your ardour and experience.

Key Takeaways

Listed here are a number of the key takeaways from Elisa Doucette’s inventive journey:

• Embrace private pursuits: Whilst you area of interest down, do not be afraid to include private pursuits and distinctive parts into your content material. You can also make significant connections and uncover new alternatives by sustaining a private contact past your area of interest.
• Nurturing the inventive course of: Develop an intensive inventive course of that enables concepts to incubate and develop. Seize seeds of concepts utilizing digital instruments, conduct analysis, and construct out ideas. Think about using methods just like the “Thoughts Palace” to visually manage your ideas and create a tough define earlier than diving into writing.
• Balancing administration and creativity: The steadiness is a nice line of maintaining with the sensible duties whereas leaving room for creativity. Set boundaries, be selective with initiatives and purchasers, and shield devoted time for each. Set up the values that may information your content material creation and keep consistency.
• Set up an space of focus as a creator: Decide to your craft and deal with turning into recognized in your experience. Whereas partaking with numerous platforms is critical, prioritize your chosen craft and create content material that resonates along with your viewers.