I had a great conversation today about content creation, and all of the various forms that takes on. Sometimes I forget that I had a previous career where writing, audio and video creation were my primary function. If I were to put a date on my flip to software developer, I'd probably put it in 1999, so I've been at that for 20 years. Since the flip, I have to remind myself that I wrote a book, a technical book, which is really hard and few people do that. Writing a book is like getting a tattoo. It'll always be there, and you'll always have a tattoo, er, be an author. I did over 200 podcast shows before podcasting was cool. I've squeezed out short documentary video pieces. I think my total spend on gear since 2006 has been nearly $15k (yikes, expensive hobby). I've written thousands of blog posts. I've also published a ton of stuff on that Internet, amateur design and what not.
All this to say that most of this content creation has come naturally, with joy and without any real planning, outside of the book. Recently, I've really enjoyed researching and writing the CoasterBuzz 20 pieces, seeing how much things have changed in that time, and how silly a kid I was. (Now I'm a silly middle-aged guy!) I've been watching documentaries and various Masterclasses from movie and writing people, and that has me energized. I actually opened Photoshop in the last two weeks, though I can't remember how to use it as effectively as I used to.
The act of creation has always been at the core of what I do, and I've come to realize that it's a core attribute of who I am. It's an intrinsic motivator. It's on a short list of things where I have to ask myself, "Is that I'm doing feeding this thing?" It applies to so many aspects of life, including parenting and professional endeavors like writing code and helping others develop their careers. Creation leads to outcomes.
There's something satisfying about realizing that I never truly left that previous career. I mean, I have a Discovery Channel credit for video!
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