4 ways I'm improving my content creation this summer

Sharing my story and educating others about holistic living online has been quite a journey. I often find content I created years ago that I barely recognize. I've learned that transformation is going to happen no matter what, so I should use intention to create what I want. Here are a few ways I'm intentionally improving the content I create.

Using my own voice. It's easy for me to pick of phrases and writing styles from others. I read a lot, so this can get pretty messy! In order to stay true to my own voice, it helps to read everything I write out loud. If it sounds natural, it stays. If it sounds forced or awkward, that's a good indicator that I'm not really using my own voice.

Improving my photography skills. I like to think I have a good eye for design and beautiful photos, but I've never really taken the time to improve my own photography. I would love to create great photos, so in April I invested in a camera and some photography books that my sister-in-law, a professional newborn and family photographer, recommended to me. I've also been watching some helpful videos on YouTube about everything from how my camera works to photo composition. I'm especially trying to get better at nature photography and lifestyle images, but I can't help but take pictures of my kids, too, of course.

Putting the reader first. Instead of focusing on how to best express myself, I try to organize my content in a way that's most helpful for the person consuming it. Not only is it much easier to write this way, it makes the content I'm sharing way more valuable. It feels good to be creating when the goal is to help other people.

Creating first, strategizing later. I used to worry a lot more about whether I should write about certain topics or not. I would stress over where I might publish an article, how to monetize it, and on and on. Now, I simply create whatever I feel like creating and worry about what to do with it later. I might publish it on my blog, here on steemit, on LinkedIn, or I might even sell it to someone else as a ghostwritten piece. This perspective has allowed me to create a lot more content in short periods of time and feel great about creating whatever I'm inspired to.

Fellow content creators, I'd love to hear from you! What have you learned along the way and how are you hoping to improve?