ISSUE EIGHT: Gatekeeping is cool again.
It’s been a minute since I threw some musings out into the world. These last five months have beennnnnnn, well... destabilizing. Confusing. Disconcerting. But also strangely business as usual—life goes on, I guess? It all makes sense if I remind myself that we all live in a society built upon exploitation, extraction, addiction. Capitalism.
What can I say? My youthful optimism and naiveté are giving way. I’m maturing, damn it!
SooOOOOOoOoOo—I’m sharing my deep feels about how fucking complicated yet clarifying I’m finding this moment to be, operating in that oh-so-vulnerable slice of commerce we call discretionary spend. Every business that relies on discretionary spend—mine included—is playing a rather intense game of chicken right now: even though less is coming in, if I don’t keep spending (on marketing, promotion, development, whatever) will my livelihood just quietly fade away?
I've been thinking about something lately that I hope might be helpful in this crowded creative landscape we're all navigating—marketplaces, media platforms, you name it. I've noticed something missing: earnest, discerning voices. Shit just feels like we’ve jumped the shark. Trying to meet impossible standards and demands, based on tech bros and massive corporate business models (which, if I’m being honest, we all played a part in making the standard—e.g., free shipping, black Friday sales, discount percentages, etc.) has diluted every and all industries. Blegh.
What I’ve been mulling over is, like, a sincere need/appetite for strong opinions, tightly held. Know what I mean? I'm talking about the kind of people willing to confidently articulate a point of view. And let me be clear: I'm not talking about amateur political punditry, but rather trend forecasters, futurists… highly inspiring perspectives that ooze cool authentically. These folks are cultural gatekeepers. Powerful, intuitive, capricious—not married to bottom lines, yet certainly influential. They can pop in and out of your world, telling you when your brilliant creative idea might not have legs financially. Or maybe they hold a business accountable when playing it safe might snuff out the sparks that make the work special.
Because Reasons -As someone who works from the outside looking in, I don't have to dance around office politics or worry about stepping on toes. It's surprisingly freeing, and it means I can focus entirely on what matters: helping your creative work survive and thrive in the real world. A world that is absolutely absurd, volatile, and oversaturated. Not being an in-house employee, coming in hot with all the insights I gather through my broader client work and the salons I host and 20+ hours a week of research affords me the ability to pop into your world from time to time and bring impactful perspective. Not being of your world makes this kind of influence possible, which is counterintuitive at first, but wait ‘til you try it. Make sense?
Finding the sweet spot
Standing out now requires daring creative choices and smart business—a balance that's incredibly hard to strike when you're deep in the day-to-day of your work. Especially when you’re alone—other people see us differently than we see ourselves, and it’s hard to have perspective on your own decisions, and all that.
I’ve been thinking about it this way: your creative ideas need to work financially so you can keep making them. And not evey fucking idea can/should be monetized. Personal, profitable sustainability is what I’m all about, right now. Art without commerce is a hobby, which is fine, but it don’t pay the bills. Commerce without art is forgettable—I’m seeing a shitton of that too, right now.
It's time to understand this tension. Maybe even embrace it. Navigating it is like walking a tightrope that never ends—constant rebalancing, two steps forward, one step back, all that. Steady, balanced forward motion, that’s the sweet spot. We need to be investing in spending more time there, if we want to avoid fading away—you can’t stand still on a tightrope! Times are a changin’, and we have to show up or shut down.
That’s the moment we’re in. Discernment is back, baby. So are boundaries—saying no to unsustainable standards, or bland consumerism that give you the icks. Just say no to mundanity for gawds sake!
Why I value gatekeeping (yes, really)
Which brings us back to gatekeeping. The word's gotten a bad rap, but I see value in it—embracing curated exclusivity. Look out the window—if there was ever a time to say fuck social standards and lean in to who you really are and who you’re really for, it’s now. I’m a not-everyone’s-cup-of-tea-kinda gal, and I think that’s a good thing. Leave being for everyone to the big box stores and pop stars. That shit ain't cool and it certainly aint culturallyprescient. When anyone can produce, sell, publish anything, there's renewed value in discernment and expertise. Damned be the days of Jills of all trades—that leads to milquetoast snoozefests. That’s not what this moment is calling for.
If you've managed to build an audience, or customer base that genuinely connects with your work, that's something to celebrate. But how do you expand that connection without diluting what made it special in the first place? And then do it again, and again, and again…?
Sometimes, or maybe all this time, it's about being as fucking creative as you can, and then bringing that shit back down to earth. That's where insightful outsiders can become your silver bullet. Dedicating yourself to focusing your energy where it matters most (what’s profitable and personally rewarding), and having the courage to say no to opportunities that don't align with your strengths or leads you away from your strategic plan[s] may mean bringing in an outsiders perspective.
Bringing in a strong outside POV should add value, not take it away. There I said it.
So now I wanna talk about the digital ‘thing’ for a second?
Here's something I've observed again and again: digital strategy only works if you're actually playing the digital game. And not everyone should be. Shit, not everyone wants to, or has it in them even.
I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with creative folks who are exhausting themselves trying to maintain a presence on platforms that don't actually serve them. TikTok, Instagram, Google Ads—they're tools, not obligations. Yet… the pressure to be everywhere all the time in all the ways reigns supreme. Zuck needs another yacht yo! Make sure you’re doing all the things so he and to Alphabet bro’s can acquire more - at the cost of your sanity/security/stability/etc.
If your ideal client or customer isn't meaningfully engaging with you on those platforms… if your not good at, or lack skill or interest in engaging in a platform - why are you pouring your limited energy there? Your digital presence should amplify what you're already great at, not spread you thin chasing algorithms—and trends—that change every other week.
We legitimately have to be reflecting on how and where we communicate (i.e. promote) and make some decisions that may feel really disruptive personally. Because if you aint gonna go all in on these platforms, and marketing strategy, you aint gonna win at them.
What else could you be doing with that precious time? How might that serve to draw folks into your brand? Just shit I'm thinkin about given that so many of my clients, along with myself, are struggling to keep up with this relentless, VC-or-Corp mode of marketing more More MORE is hard to sustain man.
WHAT I’M REALLY TRYIN TO SAY IS
Succinctly - gatekeepers help you see your blind spots, push back when needed, connect those brilliant creative impulses to actual business outcomes. They have a natural gift for identifying hot shit, asking the uncomfortable questions and sparking inspiration that ultimately lead to better decisions.
If any of this resonates with you, I'd love to hear what you're working on. My summer calendar has a few openings for new conversations, and I'm particularly interested in connecting with creative folks who are resonate with all the above and want to fuck shit up. Consistency in what you do best will always outperform mediocrity across too many channels/initiatives/products/services.
Do what speaks authentically to you and your audience. The rest is just noise.
#getwithit
gJ
