Welcome back to another entry of creator reflection.

For context, I’m doing this 3 weeks later than expected, it really slipped in priority. I’ve had an excellent start to Q3, but I won’t be covering that. Just the stuff that happened in Q3.

In this edition, we talk about why I took a step backward in content production this quarter to release the underlying resistance that stops me, overcoming my resistance to filming my life casually again & getting back to basics.

Let’s get into it.

How did I move forward?

Took a step backwards in content production to release what was holding me back.¹Ain’t no way this man just said moving backwards for the first point of moving forwards lmfaoooo I decided to allow myself to slow down and take a step back from content production to really work on what’s getting in the way of consistent creation and expression. As you all know, I’ve struggled with consistency and I wanted to get to the root of what was causing that instead of trying to push it off and jump into more work (as that doesn’t fix the underlying challenge, it just perpetuates it). So, in mid-April, I used a newly discovered technique called the Sedona Method to release resistance, attachments and aversions to all sorts of things around content, creativity, perfectionism, etc. You’ve seen me mention peace process before in past reflections, but the difference is that this is faster and I actually enjoy doing it. I’m interested and engaged during it, it’s fire. And as a result, I’ve obsessed over this process this quarter (both as a student and as a practitioner, in preparation to integrate it into consulting). While I still have much to release (see: the rest of reflection) and will continue to do so, what I’ve released so far has been game-changing for all areas of my life, but most notably getting unstuck where I was blocked within creative projects. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, that’s okay. You’ll see the manifestations of this going forward, as the root cause has been majorly dealt with, so the behaviour naturally fixes itself upstream.

Filming. One of my most notable releases for Q2 was everything around filming. I found myself plagued by picking up a camera and filming things casually. The overthinking and resistance went hard. But after releasing on this, I found filming just naturally occurring. It was fun again. I really enjoyed it. I also acquired a DJI Pocket 3 and while it came with its own set of challenges, it really helped my vlogging process. It’s also been so much fun learning about how to use gimbals,²For those of you who remember me trying a gimbal back in 2021… I used that thing maybe once more and quit because it was too much of a grind to get it to balance it lmao. Way too much work for a point-and-shoot., as it’s a very different style than a normal handheld camera. So throughout the 2nd half of the quarter, I found myself filming frequently. Not forcing myself to pick up a camera and press record, but rather, it was just what was happening. You’ll see this footage in vlogs on the second channel as well as b-roll for the main channel. There are some similarities to my original vlogging style from the weekly vlogs in 2020-2021, but it’s evolved — things are way faster & shorter now. It’s fun. I’m excited to show you this.

Reworked content systems for simplicity. After 5 years of being a Notion power user, I decided to leave Notion due to speed, privacy and lack of ownership (more on this soon). This gave me an opportunity to rebuild my “Life OS” within Obsidian (note-taking) & Todoist (task manager). While doing this, I had the opportunity to really lean into simplicity and really get back to the basics and what matters in the creative process instead of getting lost in busy work.

A full quarter of consistent calls within consulting. While I’ve since temporarily paused these calls to focus on building out the consulting library and stabilizing my personal brand, it was great growth doing 3 calls a month and really grew my confidence. It’ll be great to get back to these when everything else is more stable.

X. Found myself very active on this platform. I was very consistent in the replies to popular posts, but I need to improve consistency for standard posts. I also had some breakthroughs with posting more freely on X and I’ve gotten much more comfortable handling criticism and just plain dickheads on the platform lol. Absolutely love the free speech of X though. Thank God for Elon and X.

Converted locals to free. It was really stressing me out having it paid because I wasn’t being active with it. So, I switched it to free and now use it here and there to show BTS and deleted scenes.

New background and setup for filming. I upgraded my desk, got a new key light, got new speakers, swapped the layout of my desk, set up the mic to be always on at my desk, put my camera and key light off to the side — and I’m finally pleased (for now, that is lol). This new setup is all around being able to work and film at this desk, without needing to move it when changing actions. You’ll see a lot more of this soon. Side note, I also released around having shots with imperfect backgrounds, which really helped me with vlogging in my ever-imperfect apartment, but it also indirectly helped with this too.

Moved to Skool. Group consulting is now on a whole new platform now.

What needs improvement?

Consistency. This is the #1 thing I need to improve. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. The real answer though is not to “just do it”, but rather, to continue working at an even deeper level. Because the more I release, the more consistent I become. Remove the attachments, aversions, and resistance— creation just naturally happens. There are of course other variables and tweaks that are useful, but this is the most important thing I do on a day-to-day basis right now to improve my content.

No main channel videos all quarter. Took a step back for the aforementioned reasons + trying to do too much across too many projects. The main channel will be a big priority in Q3, as it’s my bread and butter and it’s time to make. Simplified systems I set up in the final days of the quarter will help a lot with production. That, and just some game-changing releases lol. (Foreshadowing for next quarter)

The consulting system. Within consulting, I’ve been working on a system for reverse engineering one’s reality. Something where people can choose whatever goal they’re looking to accomplish, and this system will help guide them there. This will be optimized of course for the niches I’m targeting (entrepreneurs and creators) and the areas we focus on in the program, but also gives them the ability to use in other areas beyond the areas I service clients in, too. This is the structure for the program that I’ve been looking for, but in all honestly, it hasn’t been an easy path at all. While I’ve had some insights and progress, I’ve been very blocked on it so I’ll need to release that because that’s what’s preventing the additional downloads and clarity that I’m looking for. That, and I’m mind-fucking myself around the topic hardcore so flow on this has been basically non-existent and all up-hill to date. Lol. I specifically need to release on my expectations for how this should look, my need/attachment to it and the pedestal I place it on.

Content within consulting. I’ve posted some written content, but it’s nowhere close to what I want it to be — the library needs a ton more work. So, I’ve decided to add way more video content of me just yapping on camera. I have a big outline of potential topics to cover that I haven’t yet, which I need to improve too. But ultimately, it’s time to just get on camera, surrender, channel source as I do with consulting calls, check out what’s next on the outline and just film. Gold can be created like this, and I forget that sometimes. Additionally, approach things with more of a brick-by-brick mindset instead of the expectation that I either need to do it all at once or not at all. Just a bit more releasing on this and I’m sure I’ll be off the races like I’ve been with vlogging.

Editing the vlogs. As fun as it’s been to film them, it hasn’t been a priority at all to edit, so I haven’t done fuck all lmfao. Release anything stopping me around this (including avoiding vlogging footage, cringing at the shit that doesn’t go as planned, attachment to file management being a certain way before editing) then get on it and let some fun things be cooked up.

The underlying resistance I’ve had around visibility and growing my audience. I’ve noticed limiting beliefs and false identities related to my content being seen (what if I get exposed, cancelled, etc? And it’s even worse when I’m being vulnerable or covering controversy), resistance to having great performing content (more visibility? I’m good) and experiencing audience growth (why are these people subscribing to me? Am I qualified? Am I good enough?). All of this and more has kept my audience smaller. Release on attachment to being small & hidden, resistance to being big and visible and the upsides and downsides that come with both, and magic will follow.

Instagram. Posted once there the entire quarter lmao. I have been seriously plagued by this app. I feel like a deer in the headlights constantly. Honestly, it’s because I have tons of resistance around the way I’m perceived by people who I either know in real life or are in my past. For whatever reason, their potential judgement and disapproval (even if completely silent) has been crippling to me. This requires serious releasing ASAP. Additionally, I also had resistance to putting out just a fuck ton of text posts exclusively, but in the next quarter as I create more video content this becomes simple as variety will be present.

Repurposing. It’s hilarious — somehow long form is actually easier for me than short form. For whatever reason, when I’ve tried to isolate the gold from a newsletter, podcast or video in short form, my mind goes into such hardcore overthinking that it’s been paralyzing. I suspect it’s around authority, imposter syndrome and perceiving the thought, moment and/or myself as being “not good enough”, no matter how “good” it might be. Release on whatever’s going on here because it’s fucking things up hard dawg.

Resistance to sharing the gold. I’ve had general resistance to just cooking, trying to bring value as much value as possible in the timeline. For much of the quarter (and prior) my mind chattered like a motherfucker and the overthinking went crazy. Again, release.

Resistance to visual post-production. Meaning, my resistance to creating, collecting, organizing and editing when visuals are involved. The story edit is what I like about editing. The extra stuff, less so. Release on this, because not only does it make the whole process really hard and unfun, but I also subconsciously avoid it so much and it makes content take much longer than it could if I let it all go. It’s crazy that I could be a handful of releases away from visual editing being something I actively flock towards, love and the process becomes fun, simple & easy.

File management. This is multiple-fold. Firstly, I don’t love how I store files and folders right now for footage + backups. Secondly, I don’t have a system for storing b-roll and visuals that I can easily and effectively use on. My systems overall are meh. I am too attached to having a perfect file management system and it blinds me big time. Let go, simplify, profit.

Podcast/3 channel strategy. Since I’m releasing this 3 weeks late, you’ll notice that things have already changed with this but let’s put it here anyway lol. I found myself overthinking the podcast strategy tremendously, most notably with this simple challenge: “should I put podcasts, clips and shorts on the main channel or separate channels?” Zero clarity on that question combined with the podcast being high enough of a priority, experiencing imposter syndrome, confusion on the overlap at times with the main channel, and a whole host of other resistance points, resulted in fuck all being done with the podcast after I posted the one episode. It turns out, this triple-channel strategy wasn’t the simplicity I imagined. So, after I do some game-changing releases in the first weeks of Q3, there will magically be a new strategy that changes a lot for me lol.³These predictions don’t hit the same after they’ve already happened hahahaha

Resistance to going all-in on spirituality and releasing within consulting. I know this is ultimately the move; baking it into everything, because that is the reality of this life and neglecting it would be foolish. But I find myself at times defaulting back into topics people are more comfortable with. I believe it’s approval-related. And the answer is — you guessed it — to release on it.

Lessons I’ve learned

Releasing is the #1 thing you can do to improve your creative flow. If you’re experiencing resistance to creating something, if something isn’t working the way you expected it to, if you’re noticing yourself struggling with, avoiding or disliking the goal or process, try releasing on it. Using a technique like the Sedona Method you can release resistance relatively quickly (and the more you release, the faster you release. IYKYK). However long it takes though, it’s worth it. Because not only is it something you need to repeatedly work on — once it’s gone, it’s gone. But by the time it’s released, you won’t be avoiding the process or the work, and it’ll be so much more enjoyable. You’ll find yourself in flow. And then when you experience more resistance, you can either pause and quickly release it, or wait until after your work session to release. This is how you can be an artist without the suffering or internal hell when you’re deep in a creative project.

If you’re truly struggling, throwing yourself into more work is a creative trap. What’s more “productive” — staring at a blank page for an hour, followed by a rationalization of doing another activity that sabotages you, or spending a full hour letting go of what’s stopping you from creating what you want to create, then spending the rest of your day creating that and enjoying it? The answer is always to work at a deeper level.

If all else fails when trying to put together some informational content, if I just sit down with an outline and film, something pretty good will come together. It won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. If it was bad enough, I can rework it in the future. It was good, I can revisit in the future and make it great. With rare exception, this isn’t the final time I’ll be talking about this. A great manifestation of this was in consulting calls. If I had no shows (lol, this happened a few times), I’d put together an outline and just cook, bringing as much value as I can and it gave me an opportunity to cover things I’d meant to cover, but hadn’t yet.

Having a gimbal-based camera that genuinely fits in your pocket and films in very good quality is a game-changer. You can have stable, crisp footage wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, without the baggage of carrying around a huge camera & gimbal. Pocket 3 is OP.⁴quite literally actually, as it’s technically called the Osmo Pocket lol

Getting a camera that doesn’t look like a traditional camera allows you to easily finesse “no filming” rules.

Having a “creative constraint” single prime lens doesn’t reduce creativity, it enhances it. It forces you to move your body and the camera in ways you don’t by either switching lenses or having a zoom lens.

You genuinely don’t need a top-of-the-line camera to make what you want to make. You have enough with the camera you have right now. And sometimes, getting the best gear can completely complicate the process in a way that stops you from creating altogether, so create where you have, with what you have, right now. While I knew this conceptually, doing some deeper releases on the potential of getting more gear really showed the truth — I don’t need it. I have enough. Some day yes, I’m sure it’ll be fun to have. But right now, in this moment, I have enough.

Be cautious of the simplest things becoming huge bottlenecks and rationalizations for not posting.⁵Looking at you “where do I put podcast clips”. Smh my head

You don’t need to be an authority to create content. Positioning yourself as someone on the path to mastery, a humble student and practitioner, who is exploring topics and sharing ideas as they go — can be just as valuable despite being in a different light.

Film all sorts of moments in your life. It doesn’t need to be high production value or super polished. It doesn’t need to make sense. It doesn’t even need to be part of a story yet. But having these visuals is a wonderful thing as a filmmaker/content creator because it gives you the ability to cut to visuals that reference said thing and if you choose to, you get the opportunity to craft a story out of the seemingly random moments later in post-production through retrospective storytelling, writing, voice-overs and talking head footage.

Filming in 48 FPS is a great way to vlog. It allows you to drop real-time moments in a 24 fps timeline without any choppiness and frame skipping you’d normally get from 30/60 fps footage in a 24 fps timeline. And at any moment, if it looks better in slow motion or needs better stabilization (as the z-axis is rarely stabilized in gimbals), it’s easily extended to half the speed. The only downside is the file sizes are twice the size.

ND filters are essential for advanced work. If you want to capture at your desired exposure (shutter speed, aperture & ISO), having a solid ND filter allows you to compromise less in specific situations. I thought I was trapped due to the ZV-1’s lack of threading, but I found a workaround of adding threading on the built-in lens that allowed me to mount an external ND filter on it. So far, this has been massive for me in both shooting standard A-roll where I’d otherwise lose the 180-degree rule and shooting my first extremely blurry timelapse shots and long exposure photos that wouldn’t be achievable otherwise.

The #1 filter for what ends up on the consulting library vs. the main channel is if it serves the system. If it directly serves the system, it goes in the consulting library. If it doesn’t, it goes on the main channel. For you, if you have multiple platforms — especially those that can overlap in certain ways — having guidelines and rules really helps to clarify what goes here and what goes there. The less thinking and more objectivity there is, the easier categorization becomes.