Your True North as a Content Creator

The content space has changed so much since 2016 when monetizing was taking shape. I’m Catherine, a content creator based in NY right now, but I have lived in Chicago & Los Angeles. I have 14+ years experience in the fashion industry both in Los Angeles & NY. I have been privileged enough to have had my first paid social media collaboration at around 1,000 followers only. I say this right off the bat to say that you can carve out your own path regardless of the numbers. I am not your numbers person. If you are looking for analytical advice, there are hundreds of resources online that can steer you that direction. I have a slow burn & authentic mindset when it comes to growth, strategy, collaborations, content. I have consumed content on all the numbers, why this matters, why you should pick a niche, how to do this the fastest way, etc There are a million people selling a million ways online. I am driving the point here that this free resource is not what this is for, & I want to save you time if that’s what is pulling you. Nothing wrong with any of that, but personally I believe in staying true to myself while still enjoying creating content, & while I am on a daily basis, lucky enough to have to sift through brand emails. This isn’t a humble brag moment. I also want you to know that I’m basing these free resources off of real life experience as someone who has created successfully, magnetized global brands to reach out, & I feel really just getting started as we speak on this day in 2025 because the platform has & will continue to evolve each month & year.

Welcome. I see you. There is no strict form I’m following as I write this. I’m writing as my heart calls & whatever comes out, will be written as fast as I can from my heart to my laptop. I am always going to drive the point that AUTHENTICITY should be your #1 priority. I do not care what is pulling you to create about, but I believe you have to be truly authentic. The industry is saturated now, & there are so many people creating about your very same topic. What is going to make YOU truly unique is YOUR STORY, your point of view, your voice. So take deep breaths & please trust that your true north really is the old cliché, it is YOU. I don’t think I have done anything all of these years but first & foremost move from a place of joy. That is what comes through when I do post. I’m not going to get into posting schedules in this intro resource. I feel a pull to just let you know that it SHOULD BE about your own authentic point of view. DO NOT DO IT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. SAY IT FROM YOUR OWN VOICE.

I also want to emphasize that creating should bring you joy. If it is not, I’m going to guess that you might have fallen into the traps of comparison, analytics rabbit hole, obsessive need for more & more followers, & the need to brag about collab after collab. I am your biggest fan believe me, but I truly believe that if you get to a point where your energy is being dictated by any of these that I listed, then you are going down a fast lane to burnout which will lead to resentment & most likely sucking out any & all of the fun from creation in the first place. There are checks & balances to everything. Some people will tell you if you don’t care about any of these things then you are not going to make any money. I always think of the analogy of “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” If fast success & viral moments are what you are after, I am not the free resource for you because I want you to feel like yourself at the end of the day no matter what. PERIOD.

Look we all want certain things…this is true for any creator. I believe, however, that if your core intentions are not in the right place to begin with, that these things always catch up to your mind, body, & soul & end up eventually hurting you. I don’t think anything will ever be enough if your intentions involve a more-more-more mentality.

I have personally taken yearlong breaks from social media, & I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that I don’t look at numbers, analytics, etc. It is important to see what is translating to your audience, but I think there is a danger if you don’t know how to separate it from your personal life. By this I mean that if you wake up & are scratching your head about followers before you even allow yourself to say a moment of gratitude for your life in real time, then I think you may need to take a step back & reassess why this actually matters to you enough on an obsessive level. I’m seeing so many quick fast lane traps now that is being sold & so many things are being siphoned energetically & masked. I don’t blame anyone believe me because we are all doing the best we can with so many different circumstances, but I do sense a frequency now that is looking solely to capitalize on quick money grabs without having true merit. I think there is a fair way to approach selling anything & that’s another topic in itself.

This “light” intro is here to simply tell you that I do hope you are in it for the right reasons at your core. Maybe you genuinely want to uplift people. Maybe you genuinely want to show your joy with mom life. Maybe you want to show travel from your own unique view point. I love this for you because they are genuine & shows a true intention. Guess what? Your content will come off just as genuine. What is deemed valuable in social media changes so much! One minute it’s about likes & comments, next thing they tell you that it is about watch time & shares, who knows what it will be next…

Please remember your true north. Authentic joy as a creator. This frequency keeps things genuine & your content unique. Soak in all of the advice from whoever pulls you, but you have to also really lean in on yourself. Just like real life, most of which isn’t shown on our highlight reels, we have to learn to take what resonates & drop what doesn’t…

I am going to follow this with some free email templates I’ve actually sent out to brands who have emailed me once, twice or even 3x sometimes! Remember your true power is your story & your audience. Brands are wanting access to an audience that you have cultivated! This is jumping ahead of the game, but keep in mind that whatever is driving you from the beginning will make its way throughout everything you do & everyone you collaborate with so make it joyfully YOU!

Rooting for you,

Catherine