Are You Stubbing Your Creative Toe on These 3 Common Mistakes?

21 Oct

Reese Hopper, Author of “What Gives You The Right to Freelance” Shares

One of the few perks of making mistakes is the chance to share them with others—hopefully saving someone else from stubbing their toe on the same creative corners.

Sure, kicking a few toes does seem to be a part of entering the creative or freelance world, but the goal is to make those stumbles a little less painful.

I recently asked Reese Hopper about the biggest mistakes he’s noticed creatives making, as well as his own experiences navigating those challenges.

Reese is a freelancer and author of “What Gives You The Right To Freelance”.

After 9 years of working in the freelance commercial production industry, he started sharing practical tips and hard-earned lessons from his freelance business on Instagram, and has grown his audience to nearly 70,000 people. Here’s what he had to say.

Mistake #1: Not Understanding How the Algorithm Works

“A big mistake that creators make is not understanding the algorithm and how it works,” Reese told me.

Social media platforms today operate very differently from the early days of Instagram, where posts appeared chronologically and the way your feed looked visually was crucial. Back then, a “bad” post could throw off your entire aesthetic, and that was a big deal.

“But now, with the way the algorithm works, often your content isn’t even shown to a majority of your followers,” Reese explained.

Social apps have evolved into algorithm-driven, ever-scrolling platforms that prioritise short-form video content.

“Your content often isn’t being shown to your followers. You might worry like, ‘Is this weird? Is this me? Are my followers really going to like this?’ Don’t think about them, because if they’re not engaging with your content in the first place, they’re not even going to see it.”

So although potentially equally eerie and comforting, the take away is this: Your content gets caught up by [insert platform of choice here]’s algorithm fairly quickly, and it’s pushed out to people who engage with content similar to yours.

Don’t be overly precious about the aesthetic of your profile, especially if it’s limiting your creativity or ability to post- it just matters less now.

Mistake #2: Being Too Precious About Your Content

Reese encourages creatives to create freely without overthinking (easier said than done, I know).

“There’s a lot of power and freedom in that… Even though you have followers who may not be into the new kind of content you’re creating, create it anyway.

There’s not a whole lot of worry about them seeing it—and if they do, they’ll scroll past it immediately, and it doesn’t matter.”

This shift in thinking gives creators the freedom to experiment and focus on creating content that aligns with their passion and niche rather than worrying about pleasing everyone.

He’s right. People consume a lot of content. According to statista, 694,000 Instagram Reels are sent via DM every minute. Users share 1.3 billion images on Instagram every day. It’s ok to try new things or not hit it out of the park every time.

And a side note: Sometimes the more “low effort” content performs best, anyway.

Read: Motion begets motion

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A post shared by Reese Hopper ~ your freelancer friend (@reesehopper.co)

Mistake #3: Trying to Please Everyone

Narrowing your focus is an important concept. Trying to please everyone typically means no one is happy.

“What matters is that you make content and your art for the people who it’s for—for the people who are really in your audience, for your target market, for the people who really want what you create.”

Many creatives fall into the trap of trying to appeal to everyone, but Reese stressed that this approach is counterproductive. “Your work should never be for everybody. It should be for the people that you want to serve and change.”

By concentrating on a specific audience, you can deliver more value to the people who genuinely connect with your work.

Read: Why You Must Publish Your Work (Even If It’s Only For 1 Person)

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A post shared by Reese Hopper ~ your freelancer friend (@reesehopper.co)

The Takeaway: Focus on Creating, Not on Approval

Stop worrying about what everyone will think and start creating consistently for the people who matter.

“Creators are a little too precious with how everything looks or what people are going to think,” he explained.

“It doesn’t matter what people are going to think. What matters is that you put out consistent content for a specific niche and try to reach them.”

If you find yourself hesitating to post, worried about how your content will be received, take a cue from Reese. Focus on serving your niche, embrace the freedom to experiment, and let go of the fear of judgment.

The right people—the ones who need and appreciate your work—will find it.

It takes time to grow an audience, so there is strength in consistency.

Read: Consistency Is An Art Form