Member-only story
The Fourth Mode of Creative Work
The different reasons why we create things, and the possibility of an idyllic place where they all converge
Over my time creating things, I’ve heard three conflicting messages about the reasons why a person should create. Let’s call them the 3 modes. And the longer I continued to create things, the less sure I became about which message was the one to take to heart. They all make sense in their own way. So what to do?
You should create for your own sake.
Create and put in the work because you’re expressing yourself. Don’t concern yourself with market testing, or polling your audience. Do what you feel, and do it to express what you feel. Do what makes you proud, and what you believe in — period.
Do that consistently, and you’ll have no regrets. Whether you cash in or not, whether you achieve notoriety or not — you were true to yourself.
You should create to serve your audience.
Serve people. Provide value. Give to others what they want and need (if the two happen to converge — which they unfortunately often don’t). Do the work because there’s a need out there, and check in consistently to make sure what you’re doing is serving that need. Be…
