When I started this website, along with writing my book and exploring photography, people kept giving me the same advice: use templates.
They sent me links recommended creators with large followings, and told me to follow proven formulas. “This works,” they said. “Do it like this and you’ll get engagement.”
I didn’t follow that advice.
Even now, this website might not have any engagement. There’s a good chance no one is reading this article at all. And strangely, I’m okay with that. Because what I wanted wasn’t just attention. I wanted to create something original. Something that reflects my creativity, my imagination, and my experiences. This space is mine.
A place where I can think out loud, document my life, and create without asking for permission.
Maybe someone will stumble across it one day and connect with it.
Maybe not. But I realized something important: chasing popularity was draining me.
There was a time when I created things just because they were trending. I made what people told me would perform well. And yes, those posts got engagement. They brought attention.
But they also slowly drained my energy. I wasn’t creating because I felt inspired, or because an idea came to me while listening to music or sitting in silence. I was creating because I saw something online and thought, this will get likes.
And that difference matters more than it seems.
So if you’re creating something right now and it’s not getting attention, don’t let that push you into becoming someone else. Don’t copy ideas just because they work for others. That path might bring short-term results, but it will cost you your enjoyment, your energy, and eventually your passion.
Feedback is important, yes. But it shouldn’t reshape your work into something unrecognizable. It should refine your voice, not replace it.
What you’re creating today, even if no one sees it, is not waste. It’s practice. It’s growth. It’s experience.