Content Queen Mariah

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238: My own creative process and how I create for multiple businesses and my own

Mariah MacInnes

Hands up if you have ever said these words “I am not creative”... 

I have. Many times. And now, this doesn’t make any sense to me. We are all creative. And just because you don’t think you can paint or draw doesn't mean you aren’t creative. 

If you have started your own business, if you post to social media, cook, write, exist - you are creative. 

Creativity just looks different in many different ways. 

So let me share with you how I try to be creative in my own content (my creative process), and for the many other businesses I do content for right now… 

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @contentqueenmariah. ⁠⁠⁠

✨⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Work out what channel is best for you - take our QUIZ⁠⁠✨⁠

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 👇

  • My own creative process 

  • How I get creative to work for many different businesses

  • How you can create your own creative process 

SHOW RESOURCES 👇 

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

This is episode  238 and I'm talking all about my own creative process as a content marketing agency owner who creates content for multiple different businesses, including my own. Welcome to the Content Queen podcast. I'm your host, Mariah, entrepreneur, storyteller, digital nomad, creator of Content Bootcamp and founder of Content Queen.

I'm here to teach you how to share your unique story, create content and market your business with strategy through the channels that work for you. Each week I'll deliver a story to help you connect to a powerful strategy around marketing, business and content creation. I'll also be joined by amazing souls and entrepreneurs who are here to share their own journey along with actual steps to help you take your business to a whole new level through amazing storytelling, powerful and marketing and content strategy.

Let's do it.  Hello gang, how are we? Hope you're having the most amazing week so far. Before we jump into the show, I do want to let you know that Content Bootcamp, which is our signature program, is launching a live round starting August 20. So if you would like to join the live round, of course, whenever you buy Bootcamp, you always get access to a live round.

But if you would like to join this live round, you can absolutely do so. Click the link in the show notes to join us. Basically, Content Bootcamp is really helping you get your own content marketing strategy. But with the live component, we have a call every, for over six weeks, we have three calls. So one every second week and accountability to do the work.

So it's not a course that you just sits and does nothing. In your emails, waiting for you to log in. It's one that you actually do.  So if you'd like to join us, make sure you click the link in the show notes and yeah, join content bootcamp and let's get you a content marketing strategy. And of course you have access to me to answer any questions, review your strategy, all of things.

But today we're talking about creativity. A lot of us, not necessarily you, but a lot of us always say, you know, I'm not creative. This is something I told myself a lot, which was crazy. When was, when I was a kid, I actually really loved creating things.  And I loved all things creativity. I had what I called a making box.

Um, and basically it was a box where you have things to make things.  It sounds crazy, but that's what I called it. I think I've seen TikToks of, you know, parents over the years being like, kids need to name things because they're just so literal. Basically, yes, it was a making box. It was all my things to make stuff.

Right. And I loved, you know, when then obviously I got older and upgraded to having a, you old computer, um, which now are like massive box things. And I would write on, and the only thing basically to do was use Microsoft Word or paint. And I would write stories and I just, I loved all of that. I loved all that sort of arts and all everything, but I wasn't necessarily very good at art.

And this is what happens is a lot of us don't think we're good at drawing or good at art. We think we're not creative.  But basically I see this a lot. Um, and then it's very interesting when I start working with clients and, you know, start empowering them with ideas, how creative they actually are. So if you're a person that says, I'm not creative, then this episode is definitely for you.

But I really want to share with you what I use to help myself get into this creative process. Because since I have really, stepped into this. I am a creative person. Oh my God. I've seen so many changes in how I create what I do. And as I said, in the start of this episode, I create a lot of content for clients.

So  being creative is part of my job. Um, but when you have a creative process,  then you can create content from a space that you have all that energy that is intended to connect with your audience. And I think. There's a really, a lot of power in being energetically connected to what you're creating. And this can be across, like, this isn't just for content creation.

This can be when you want to create a new offer in your business. When you want to create a program that's going to help your clients. When you want to create a new physical product, when you want to create a new workshop or masterclass, which is actually content. But basically what I really want to share is, how I step into my own creative process to be able to create this content for lots of different clients.

And I've broken this up into physical, mental, and spiritual.  It's sort of three areas. So the first thing is I have dedicated days for content. I don't just do all the content for one client on one day or myself  because I found that hasn't worked for me. Now that might not work for you. You know, you might have.

If you're a service-based provider, different days for like one day for this client, one day for that. But I actually found when you need approvals and communication, like, anyway, it just didn't work, but I work on certain types of creation on certain days. So for example, if I went from my Monday to Friday, Mondays is not really a day for me  to be very, um,  You know, physically doing the content.

So that's like a really high level day. It's actually more of my own business development day, because I think it's important to have a day where it's not super client heavy,  but basically like Tuesdays is where I create and write. Like I'll think of the ideas and I'll start writing. Wednesdays is really good for doing video content, recording podcasts, things like that.

So I find Wednesdays is really good. It's also really good for me to have meetings, like just how my brain works. And then Thursdays is more when I'm continuing that process, putting things together, kind of finalizing. And then Friday is more of an admin scheduling type day. But knowing that Tuesdays to Thursdays is where I'm most creative really has helped me use those days to dedicate to content creation and it allows me to, yeah, just be like, okay, that's fine.

These are the days that I'm more creative.  The second thing is having a creative outlet that isn't just work. So, um,  I think it's really important to work on your creativity in different ways. And this is something that Joe spoke about in the previous episode. If you haven't listened to it, check it out.

It's really about how to tap into consistent creative flow.  But basically right now I am, yeah, trying to find different ways to be creative that isn't just working. So I am creating a blanket. Well, not creating the blanket, the blanket's been done, but I'm sewing our travel patches. So Mitch and I doing that together as a really mindful practice that really helps you like step out of your, you know, body in a way and just not be so in your head.

I also have an iPad, which has a lot of like drawing and coloring apps. So I'm always trying to do that and I'm learning a language. So I'm just really trying to step out of just always being in like content creation, marketing mode and finding creative outlets. And I think it's for any business owner to do that.

A client. mentioned that to me recently when we were working on her content. She always has a creative outlet and we did a post on that and I thought that was really cool. And yeah, so true when dealing with, you know, running a business, which is a really creative thing. Like you're always going to be creative.

The third one is exercise. Now, exercise has been something that I probably don't have an amazing, like consistent flow with, but I always find when I go to the gym, I have the best ideas. It's like,  I'll have to quickly write them down or message a client with that idea because I have such good ideas.

It's like the same as like coming out of the shower, you know, like, um, one of those, you know, moments if, if I'm feeling really stuck, like having a shower, it's the same like going to the gym, like all those creative ideas come and having something consistent that's not, you know, work is always good. And that's kind of the key message.

in this episode as well. The fourth one is travel. Now, whilst I'm not consistently traveling, we do try to do two to four adventures per month. So if it's like one a week, that's amazing to just like see things that are happening around our local area, Victoria in Australia, where we currently are. But when we travel, oh my God, it helps me so much with my creativity because it's just, You know, you're just seeing the world from a different lens.

You're seeing different things. You're learning about different cultures. You're learning about different spaces and places. And it like really helps with that creativity and  people that get stuck and just sit at their desk and are trying to think of ideas.  it's not  really that sustainable. Like when you actually go outside and explore and see different things or whatever makes you happy and excited.

Like travel makes me happy and excited. It might not be that for you. Might be reading books. It might be listening to podcasts. It might be, yeah, going on a hike. Like whatever it is, it's just finding that thing  that is going to allow you to just have space.  Uh, the fifth one, which is physically setting up my space.

So getting comfortable when I want to like step into content creation, I really want to be comfortable. Um, I don't have any specific ritual like I've, you know, heard people, you know, they light a candle or they do this, which  is not something I do with a space because obviously I'm traveling. I don't have my own like desk at the moment.

It's just kind of working from wherever, but I think some things like going to the library is really helpful for me when I want to get in the zone.  Stuff like that. But even as simple as like making myself a tea, having some water and getting comfortable, like, you know, setting up some pillows, propping myself up and just getting ready for that.

And I think there's a lot of power in just setting up a space, even if it doesn't have to be like this really aesthetic desk and this really like, you know, all the things, lighting a candle, doing a little meditation. Which I think is awesome, but just intentionally setting up your space, but like, okay, I'm comfortable.

I'm ready to go. The sixth one. And the last one in like the physical element is research. So I always have dedicated time for researching ideas. So that could be like scrolling, TikTok, scrolling, Instagram, which I love to do, but like the actual research to then go, okay. I'm just going to like, have a look.

Nothing has to actually come to my mind right now. And then later, like, Oh yeah, I saw that thing the other day. Let's do that. So if I'm not actively like researching and looking at the platforms and seeing content ideas and consuming podcasts  and, you know,  reading books and all that, like ideas don't necessarily come out of nowhere.

So that really helps me if not in that exact moment, but later  that really helps me, like,  just physically doing the thing, looking at stuff, seeing what is like, you know, out there, what's currently people are doing, what's in the market, what are trends. And that can happen like anything in business, not just content and marketing, but dedicated time for research is really important.

The second element is the mental.  So this is just, just being mentally ready to be creative. The next one, which is technically the seventh thing is space. So if I don't have any ideas, and I mentioned this before, I don't.  Just sit at my computer and wait for something to come. I go and do something else and leave it and give it space.

And that's why it's also powerful to not that you have to batch content, but try and be a little bit ahead of the game so that if something doesn't necessarily come up for you, you've got time to just step away from it. When I used to do my university assignments, I'd have say like the month.  And I would like block it, like have chunks that I would do it.

So like chunks for research, chunks for writing, just like getting it down, shitty draft, as they call it. And then like the editing time. And then I would actually leave it and then edit it again. Obviously we don't have that much time in like content creation process, but having, you know, a little bit of space for also, yeah, like the editing and things like that, but to give yourself time to think of the ideas and for them to come to you and for you to actually have the time to sit down and do it.

So that is, of course, why having some kind of strategy or plan so that you're kind of always ahead of the game. Even if, you know, at the start of the month or, you know, midway through the month before, you're like, at least getting the main ideas that you want to talk about ahead. And then, you know, dedicated time to sit down.

Now, to be fair, as I said, I don't think you should batch months and months, but like, even if you're like 7, 10, 14 days ahead, I think that really helps. Helps, but at the moment, if you're like three days ahead, if you're doing it on the day, I do recommend you get a strategy. But you know, as I said, it allows for space that you can just go away,  go away and do something else and do something in those physical things that I said, you know, exercise, having a creative outlet, travel, um, and taking a shower.

Sometimes I find just to have a reset, I need to have a shower or go and do something else and come back, go for a walk, get some air, whatever that looks like. But space is very important.  Now, the second one, which is the eighth  sort of thing I do in my creative process, but it's the second one in mental, is dedicated time for strategic thinking.

Now this isn't research, but it's similar. So it's time in my week to think about ideas. So I have learned this from a client.  that I'm working with at the moment that works in sort of the not for profit social sector in strategy. And he has written a book on strategic thinking and he's come up with like these 25, you know, different types of strategic thinking that can help you because basically what he says is you can have a strategy, but if you're not always strategically thinking, then that strategy can kind of like be great and, and, you know, work.

But strategic thinking is really like, he says, stands on the shoulders.  of, sorry, strategic planning stands on the shoulders of strategic thinking. So basically having dedicated time to just think. And I think this is good for business, but like for me marketing, I have one for each client, like a dedicated day.

And I just kind of like, even if it's 15 minutes just to go, okay, what are some things that are happening at the moment? You know, what's going on? And then of course, if I'd, you know, think back to that research that I'd done, I talked about like dedicated research, then I go, Oh yeah, that idea or this idea.

And I think this is really powerful. And then of course, like having meetings with my clients is a dedicated time for strategic thinking. But I think Always strategically thinking about things that are happening can really allow you to have those creative ideas and less, like, all the time because you've dedicated that time for thinking.

Dedicated time for thinking. It's like dedicated time for worry. Like, I think it's super important.  Now the next, the third final type of my creative process is the spiritual. Now, then the ninth. element, which is the first in spiritual, but the ninth overall is being present. So when I'm working on one task for one client, I immerse myself in it.

I'll be present. I enjoy it. And I think that's the best way you can do something is just like, be present with it, enjoy it, like have fun with the process, because if you're not having fun with it and you're not enjoying it, then you know, you're not doing it. What's the point? So being present, I think is really powerful and it's hard though.

Right? So what will happen in this time is, yeah, you'll get emails that will come in and you'll get messages that come in, but like trying to shut them out and just being really present to what you're working on, it'll mean that you don't multitask. And we've come to learn that multitasking is just really bad use of time because you just, your brain,  task switching is really bad for your brain.

It can take like 20 minutes to task switch. So if you're being present. You're being more efficient, but I think you can really immerse yourself in it, enjoy it, and give it all your love. Like, I think that's a really important part of anything you do, but like, with that content, if you want the energy to come across to your audience, you want to be present when you're doing it, you want to kind of, infuse your energy into it, right?

And the last one in spiritual and the last one overall, which is the 10th thing that I do to help with my own creative process is self belief,  trusting myself that what I do and what I create is going to be magical and it's going to be enough and it's going to be exactly what my audience needs. And that's sort of an energetic thing, but I work across quite a few different businesses.

And I need to believe in,  of course, what they're doing, but I need to believe in my own expertise, my own level of creativity, and I need to believe in myself,  because self belief is so powerful, and I think that is actually like the backbone of all of this, is just really believing in, and of course, believing in what you're teaching and what you're saying and all that, like really, Buy into your own vision and I buy into my client's visions and I really see that and really get immersed in that but I think having that self belief that you know what you're talking about, you know what you're doing  and You  are creative as well.

Like believing yourself like yeah, I'm creative I'm just creative in my own unique way  Because who determines what is quote unquote good like if it resonates with your audience or if your business is unique Running well and getting clients like that is enough. Right. And this is another topic of like interest around engagement and it's something I want to talk about.

is, you know, just because someone might not be liking your content doesn't mean they're necessarily not seeing it or acting on it. And I think that's where like metrics can be really disheartening and be like, Oh, well, you know, got no likes or no comments. That means it's like not a good piece of content.

And then your self belief in like what you're creating, what you're marketing, what you're doing, you know, declines, which is not what you want. When you're,  you know, you're creating content, you're marketing your business, you're trying to sell something because if you don't believe in yourself, because you've, you know,  Seeing like, Oh, well, there's not that much engagement.

That's not this. So it's probably not good. And dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. And you're saying all these things to yourself. Then of course, like when you go to create it, you're not gonna have any energy in it. And it's just a ripple effect. But I saw this email a couple of weeks ago from this guy. It was like, you know, engagement isn't everything.

And basically he said that he had a post that had three likes, but he got two clients from it.  And it's like, well, that's kind of the aim of it. We're not influencers.  We're not getting paid based on the amount of likes we get or the reach we get on our content. We get paid based on the people that resonate with it or paid by the people that want to work with us.

So  it's an interesting concept. I want to talk about more, but that last one is just really having belief in what I'm doing because, you know, it's not ideal. If I don't, there's energy in that content and people can feel it, you know, through a video, through a piece of writing, through all of that.  So  they're my 10  ways of how I.

You know, get into my own creative flow. Um, of course the one that, what Joe mentioned in last week's episode around aligning it with the energy and the moon cycle, something I'm really working on and implementing into my creative process. And I definitely recommend you check it out. So  at the moment,  I don't even know how many pieces of content we create over a week.

I mentioned to my mentor how many channels I'm on myself because she said something like, Oh, you know, let's help you outsource more,  get more support. So then you can like market your own business too, right? Like you need to be creating content. I'm like,  I do though. Like these are all the channels I'm on.

And she's like, Oh, well, okay. I didn't realize that you need to share that. So yeah, like across, you know, currently at the moment we're serving around 10 clients.  They all have multiple different channels, not just one. So there is a quite a lot of pieces of content that go out on any given week. And this process that I mentioned, something I'm always working on, um, always trying to refine and get better because creativity is a big part of content creation and marketing, but it's also a big part of my own business.

And just like, you know, if something's not working, how can I turn on that creative, you know, tap to get new ideas and spark new energy. But I think it's something that I've really been very intentional with and very mindful of because  has helped my business grow so much this year. And that self belief has been huge, a huge part of that because yeah, the content queen has grown  quite a lot in the last, you know, four or five months.

And  we have, you know, and it's interesting cause I've talked about this, like that five year mark. And I remember having an interview with someone on Instagram live years ago.  And she sort of said to me, like, you know, once you get to that five year mark, you really do see that, like, next evolution of your business, you have, like, inquiries without, you know, asking for them, like, you don't do as much, like,  you get more for the work that you currently do, you don't have to keep doing as much.

And I really have felt that in my own business, and I think, You know, for anyone listening, it's like, Oh, it feels like such a slog. And I'm only in the early days. Like it definitely does get a lot easier and that's where your content and your marketing can really work for you because you're doing all this stuff consistently over the years and it builds up this digital footprint and it's just so much easier for people to find you.

So that's like another little tidbit that I wanted to add, like really focus on,  you know, showing up as best as you can, trying to build that consistency. Consistency doesn't mean every day. But building on your own creative process so you can enjoy it because it's not something that's going to go away.

And the more that you build your digital footprint, the easier it does get, but it doesn't mean it ever stops. So if you can create a creative process for yourself, really enjoy the content marketing, the marketing of your business. It's just going to be a nicer ride for you.  So that's my, my hearting notes.

And if you are really struggling to kind of find what channel is for you and you're not really, you're a bit lost and you're not really sure where to begin and you kind of want to like clean slate and maybe not start again, but just see where you're at. Check out our quiz. Um, It's the link is in the show notes, but basically this quiz, we'll ask you a couple of questions and really share with you a channel that might resonate with you a lot more.

And then we'll give you a little bit of a process on how to get started. But if you're just completely like, Oh my God, I just need something joined bootcamp because we have the live round starting and you can get. My ideas and my perspective and my guidance along your content marketing journey. So be a content queen or king.

And remember that developing your strategy and story develops your business. Thank you so much for joining me today. And please don't forget to share this with all your business and entrepreneurial friends. To do this by adding it to your Insta Stories and tagging me at contentqueenmariah or just simply tell them about it.

If you rate and review on whatever platform you listen to this on, it does help me get this podcast out there, but also have amazing guests on because they pitch me when they see my content in the charts and it just allows us to continue to create amazing content for you guys. So follow me on Instagram, connect with me on TikTok and let me know if there's any questions  Topics you want me to cover any guests you'd like me to get on.

I'd love to hear from you, but have the most amazing week. And I hope to hear from you on your quiz result or see you in bootcamp. Bye. 

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