Content creators are performing a national service
Don't @ me
Morning all,
I hope you are staying busy and safe in these strange times.
The boredom is real.
Anyone else stuck in a neverending loop of feeling crappy, followed by a sense of guilt for feeling crappy while being healthy and safe at home… but still, feeling crappy?
The outbreak of COVID-19 has truly sorted the wheat from the chaff. In previous weeks, I’ve focused on the good and evil of the corporate world. Can we really promise to never have a burger and a pint again in efforts to boycott ‘spoons? Who knows.
This week, I want to talk about other heroes who have emerged from this global crisis: the content creators.
Pick your poison
Beauty YouTubers, true crime podcasts, free ebooks, the endless churn of Netflix series… or indulge on a combination of them all like I am.
With the newsreel resembling something out of a horror film right now, it’s only right that we resort to the sweet comfort and relief of great TV shows, podcasts, books, blogs, videos and more.
I want to say a big thank you to anyone who has continued to create content for us to consume in spite of the general shittiness right now. While I’m not comparing content creators to frontline workers, I still think they are performing a national service in entertaining, informing and engaging us - while we wile away every evening in front of the TV, battered by truly horrific headlines… not to mention the nagging fear that our grandparents are practising their collective “Blitz Spirit” and “going outside anyway”.
Exhibit A: this total nutter.
Anyway, I want to hear about the content that’s making you feel better right now. Which voices do you find comfort in? And what do you switch to after the evening’s inevitable torrent of crap on the news?
Let me know over on Twitter @ContentByTheSea
Things I’m enjoying this week
A new section in the newsletter where I gas on about stuff I’ve liked doing this week. Not always relevant to marketing, but I believe it’s more important than ever that we embrace our favourite home comforts.
I’ve been struggling with headaches again recently. They are typically brought on by too long spent staring at the screen and not resting my eyes, so while I’d love to be reading more books, I’ve been struggling to do much other than lie in the dark.
As a result of my poorly eyes, I’ve revived my Audible account and listening to two amazing books: Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, both by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Both fantastic reads, but I’d highly recommend the latter - what an incredible story, made better by the incredible narration from Julia Whelan on Audible.
I always track my reading progress on Goodreads so please add me as a friend, if you haven’t already!
In an efforts to rest my eyes more, I’ve embraced the Pomodoro Technique of working. 25 minutes on and five minutes off, it’s only been a couple of days but it’s definitely improved my symptoms, while not negatively affecting my output. Do you follow any working methods like this?
To say that I’ve struggled to motivate myself to keep fit through lockdown would be an understatement. If it weren’t for walking dogs, I’d barely do any physical exercise at all. This week, Craig introduced me to BoxVR for the PS4. A virtual reality boxing game aimed to keep you fit and moving at home, a little like Beatsaber but much harder work. 30 minutes on this bad boy and I’m sweating - it’s great! How are you keeping fit through lockdown? Are you finding it hard to get motivated?
Other words by me
If you enjoy my monthly ramblings, don’t forget to check out my weekly blog post. I’m part of Ed Callow’s #Write52 community. This week, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek article about marketing lessons we could learn from The Tiger King.
Another fellow freelancer Matt Drzymała of Indelible Ink wrote a fantastic piece highlighting self-employed copywriters who will be missing out from the Chancellor’s financial support pledge, I’m in there along with some other amazing writers.
And finally, I popped up on Creative Boom giving a snapshot into what I’m going to change when this is all over. The piece by Katy Cowan is full of thought-provoking insights from creative freelancers in a variety of fields.
Hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter - see ya next Wednesday!
Stay safe,
Ellen x