9–5 to Content Creation, What i learned so far

If you love what you do, it's difficult to set boundaries. I do podcasts on YouTube and audio platforms, make short-form content for Instagram and TikTok, and also run my company (underscore media), where I offer video production, editing, and motion design services.

1. Job to Full-Time Content Creation: In the past, I was doing a full-time job that came with defined responsibilities, and I would grow incrementally. Then I used to work on my personal content after fulfilling those responsibilities. I left the job after three years to work solo and mainly focus on becoming a full-time content creator. I left the job in early 2023 and struggled a bit because it was very difficult to switch from a constant income flow to the uncertainty of getting anything this month (considering I have all the responsibilities of my home). But I was confident. I remember when I resigned, I told my ami that it might get tough for a couple of months, but that's how you grow and achieve more. Alhamdulillah, I was able to manage for the family. It was a bit rough for the first 3-4 months for me, but it was fine afterward.
2. Started a Podcast called ‘All over the Place’ and Brand Deals: Khair, I started a podcast and was loving every second of it. I was making content, and I was pretty happy because I was working towards what I want to become. Fast forward to the end of 2023, and I started getting brand deals. I was happy that I had another income source as well, and in the first month, it was fine. But then the revisions, the communication, and shooting and editing. I wanted to one-up my every video. I was excited and forgot why I quit my job. I did that so that I could focus on my organic content, but because of my first brand deals, people were loving the content and so did brands, and in that influx of brand deals, I became lost.
3. Struggling with Authenticity: I started hating the process. In the past, I always made content when I was feeling fine inside; if I am lost, it's difficult to put up a smiling face and act. It's the most challenging thing for me to do, but I kept doing it for two more months until I realized I am doing it for brands, but for my own content, I have stopped. I was lost, and I was questioning why it's happening; now I started getting payoff from four years of work, why am I feeling lost and demotivated?
4. Realization: Then I zoomed out and realized, oh. So the drug of brand deals took over. I can perform well in crunch time; pressure doesn't take away the best from me. But every brand was coming with a one-day or two-day deadline. At first, it was okay, but then I wanted to one-up myself. I can’t even make the same quality anymore, and it's not about delivering the best quality to the brand; it's about feeling that I am growing and putting effort into my content to give maximum value to my audience. There was a time in this process before my trip to Russia, which I took in March (1-18th), I was physically unwell, and I had some problems in the family too.
5. Some Adjustments: I shared with everyone who reached out to me and I said before accepting anything that they should expect delays. But they pushed me a lot, and that made me question myself. It was so much that at the end of last month, I was like, I have to stop right here. I have to zoom out and I have to write my goals. I sat down, wrote my goals and realized that doing specific types of brand deals and fewer brand deals will help me grow faster and will make me more confident than the other way. I am already not feeling like making content, so I have to see who I am working with.
6. Focus on Self-Authenticity and Perspective shift: So now, I am trying to complete the existing brand deals so that I can focus on my organic content and try to integrate brand deals into my organic content because I cannot leave the deals altogether as well. One thing I realized in this 5-6 month journey so far in brand deals, I wasn’t being myself. I can show up however I want to on my social platforms in my organic content, but for brand deals, I have to have certain energy and certain expectations. That forceful appearance was affecting my life in general. I started working overtime in my company work; I already work a lot. My normal work hours are 12-15 hours for the company and organic content both, and that’s why I took the decision to pursue my company and establish it in a way that it doesn't require my face presence.
7. Conclusion and Reflections: If I am making enough money to sustain everything from my company, I will happily negotiate the terms with the brands I love, confidently because now money is not what I am looking for in brand deals; it's collaboration. I don’t have to forcefully appear anywhere. After that decision last month, I am pretty happy. It's mentally liberating as well. I’ll take my company to the next level inshaAllah so that I don’t make desperate decisions in terms of my content in my life. Being a content creator looks very easy from the outside, but it isn’t at all, and then having a business with that as well. It's even harder. Remember I talked about boundaries; as I said, I work a lot. Now my game plan is tailored to get my routine fixed, my sleep cycle too. I will join the gym, start taking out time for reading books (which I already started and reading "Outliers") and also take out time to play games which I wished for all my life. I feel so happy whenever I play games. I hired two people as well for my client work. Managing them is also a difficult part, and looking forward to hiring some interns as well. But that's a discussion for some other day. I thought to document these things for myself, and maybe someone else can learn from this too if there is anything for them. Because there is no written and final path for becoming a successful content creator. Everybody has their journey and understanding. This is my game plan; I’ll keep updating here and there. I just want content creation to feel fun, which I feel always!