Being consistent is f*ckin’ hard.

Trust me, as this is my 82nd week in a row publishing an issue of this newsletter, staying consistent has been one of the hardest things I’ve faced on this journey.

Not the research, not the writing itself, it’s the motivation to stay consistent.

I don’t say this in vain, though. Knowing that I want to get out an awesome issue to you incredible readers every week has led me to force myself through some heavy creative blocks, allowing me to have a better grasp on my own workflow and creative drive.

Without the deadline to stay consistent every week, I might easily let these issues fall to the wayside (like I have with LinkedIn posting), which in turn would make me feel worse as my creativity builds up with no outlet to turn to.

So creators, if you’re overwhelmed with staying consistent, take a step back and try to see if this schedule has been beneficial or harmful to your workflow and creative process. That daunting deadline might be the thing that keeps your creativity pumping!

Do you readers have any learnings surrounding consistency? I’d love to hear what you folks think about staying consistent in your content! Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email! 😄 

-Luke

The Dodgers Keep Collaborating

The Dodgers have worked with a handful of big names in the creator space over the last few years, and they’re not slowing their role anytime soon. The LA Dodgers have announced that they will have an event dubbed “Hololive Night” which will consist of VTubers being featured in their own game, on exclusive trading cards, and beyond.

• Not sure how I feel about this one but hey, if it gets new fans in seats and new potential audience members for creators, then the collab is for the best in my eyes.

• The July 5th event will showcase three super popular VTubers, Gawr Gura, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Usada Pekora.

• Apparently on top of the trading cards and (virtual?) baseball game, the event will also showcase a drone show, singing, and even life-sized cutouts of the creators.

• While I’ve never gotten into VTubers, it’s worth noting that each of these creators boasts well over 2M followers each, so they’re most definitely bringing an audience with them.

• As the Dodgers see the value of collaborating to bring in new audiences, it’s likely not the last that we’ll see of the MLB and creators working together this year.

While I’m not the biggest baseball guy, I do love to see major brand names working with creators for cross-pollination of audiences. Collabs work, ladies and gents, and that’s why we’re still grinding every single day on building CreatorPad. We can’t wait to find you another creator to collab with in your city. 💪 

Here’s your link of the week! Be warned, it’s one of the most cringe things that one of the Paul brothers has ever done. Seriously, who thought this was a good campaign…?

New York Next to Ban Socials for Kids?

Following their snowbird instincts, New York follows in Florida’s footsteps by passing a bill banning social media platforms from using "addictive" recommendation algorithms for kids. Let’s check out the details:

• The bill is called the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and it will prevent platforms from serving recommended content to users under 18.

• This basically means that these companies will have to take a step back about 10 years, and (presumably) create a feed with chronological content instead of an algorithmic.

• The main concern from lawmakers lies in the effect that these platforms and their addictive feeds have on the mental health of children.

• This bill also has language that prevents platforms from sending push notifications to these users between the hours of 12:00 AM - 6:00 AM (wow a full 6 hours of peace, that’s an insane ask 🙄).

• While this seems like an awesome initiative (I’m wholeheartedly serious. I love the creator space, but kids don’t need to be advertised to and brainwashed 24/7. Let them be kids.), I always question how these laws will be enforced. Well, New York has seemed to think that one through as well, citing penalties up to $5k for each user under 18.

• While 5k is just a drop in the bucket for these tech brands, these fines can add up quickly, especially through a concerted effort between local schools and their students.

While there’s more to come on this front, I definitely think it’s a move in the right direction. No matter how much you love the creator space, you have to understand the concern for mental health safety that these lawmakers have. Being the first generation to be fully consumed by social media, someone needs to be a watchdog for these kids or the bad players will continue to come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the free reign of socials and their algorithms.

With so many states following suit and placing limitations on these platforms, what do you readers think of this move? Do you think this is just going to make kids more sneaky on the internet, or will we see some positive results in the mental health of kids? Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email!

Curating Vibes

Meet Chris Tan AKA Our Block!

Chris is not only an incredible DJ who curates hours of vibes for his fans, but he’s also a builder of creator communities and events to bring creatives together locally, with Ripple. You could say we’re birds of the same feather (why do I have the vocabulary references of a 75-year-old man?).

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris recently and we were nerding out about all things creator economy. From chatting about the OG YouTube days to our backgrounds in the space, speaking with Chris was a treat, and his content was the cherry on top.

I’ve been jamming to Chris’ mixes since he first shared them with me, and they’ve been giving me the much-needed motivation to carry out all of my work. Whether it’s scripting, writing this newsletter, doing housework, or beyond, Our Block has been kicking me the good juju for days.

If you want to support another incredible creator who is not only sharing his craft but also on the mission of building the foundations for connecting creators, look no further than Chris.

I highly recommend starting with his Alt & Indie Rock mix, but you can’t go wrong with any of the earworms that he provides. Keep crushing it, Chris, thank you for the continued vibes, I can’t wait for even more mixes to come. 😎 

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️