Treating Our Time As An Investment
I believe in a fan-first approach – it creates better shows, encourages community building, and can lead to sustainable growth for everyone involved – from listeners to creators to cast and crew.
But it also requires a significant investment of time, something in short supply for most (if not all) creators. And with the pressures of the pandemic, jobs, family and the dumpster-on-fire-that-is-the-world, we are in a never-ending dance with burnout and mental health impacts. Myself included.
So let me be clear about what fan-first is not.
Fan-first does not mean we have to commit to a grueling social media posting schedule. It does not mean a forever growing list of impossible content creation tasks. Nor does it mean we have to book an endless list of hangouts and events until we spiral out into burnout or worse.
What if, instead, putting fans first meant looking to create meaningful and healthy relationships with our listeners and supporters? What would this mean for each of us? What would this mean for our listeners and fans? What conversations would we need to start having and with whom?
At Fable and Folly, our Discord has become one of the most beautiful and supportive places on the Internet. It is no longer something we control, nor is it defined by our inputs. And spending time in it actually gives us energy back.
Please don't add "start Discord" to that endless list of to-do notes. Instead, think about where you are just shouting into the void and where it would feel good to invest your time. And then stop with the to-do list of posts, updates and escalating content creation, at least for a few weeks.
Burnout doesn't help anyone.
Our time is a finite resource. It's too easy to find ourselves over-committed, on the edge of despair, and feeling like there is no way out. But there is and it starts with recognizing that we can't do it all. Or rather, we can't do it alone.
I urge each of us to look for ways to connect with and invest in our community, because together we can build something amazing.
Sean
