Are you a photographer, or a shopper? Are you an artist, or a dilettante? Do you really want to make pictures, or are you following the crowd? Are you into photography for the right reasons?

I’m going to go down a rabbit hole here – or possibly open a can of worms – whichever analogy works best for you. What do we think about the use and misuse of the word “creator.”

First, I think “creator” is being very generous. It implies that making content for the internet involves being “creative.” Yet most content is substantively the act of expressing opinions (think about a YouTube video with a title like, “My top five lures for bass fishing.”) Much of the rest of content is centered around following a formula aimed at retaining viewers and monetizing everything. We all know this kind of content – it is essentially a 25-second idea padded to fill 10 minutes, because the “algorithm ” says your video needs to be 10 minutes long.

I’m not kidding. I looked it up. “Key Monetization Length Guidelines: 8–12 Minutes: the “sweet spot” for most creators to balance engagement and maximize ad opportunities.”

Neither “engagement” nor “maximizing ad opportunities” are genuinely creative endeavors.

It’s boring. It’s tiresome. And too much of the time, it’s not creative at all.

Consider this dangerous idea: create something you think is truly inspired – a photo, a poem, a painting, a story – then don’t share it.

Yes, you feel that tugging at your gut, don’t you? Must. Share. Picture. With. World!

There it is, the real essence of creativity: something you create just to be creating.