Knowledge. Passion. Values.
As creatives, we have an insatiable appetite for creation. We never feel completely fulfilled unless we’re creating something new. I have experienced this for my entire career. Although I may feel fulfilled in my job, I still have a burning desire to create on my own terms.
But how do we know what to create? Sometimes creating for ourselves isn’t fulfilling enough. Instead, we are compelled to create value for others.
This type of creation can come in many forms, including products, articles, podcasts, videos, courses, apps, books, or social content.
But how do we know that we’re creating the correct type of content? Over the years, I’ve found myself creating simply to fill what I call the desire/creation void. The desire/creation void is when we create with no larger goal in mind. In the desire/creation void, we create simply to fulfill our short-term creative desires. The problem with this approach is that we may not be creating for the right reasons. We concept ideas to fill the void but don’t stop to ask ourselves if this type of creation has a higher purpose.
I’ve gone down this road many times. I’ve created apps, products, and businesses only to realize that I don’t have the passion to continue. At this stage, I end up quitting or selling before I even give the idea an opportunity to flourish.
So, how can we ensure we’re creating for the right reasons and guarantee we won’t give up a few months down the road? I’ve developed a simple framework that has helped me solve this problem.
I call this the Knowledge, Passion, Values Framework. I’ll explain more below.
At its core, this framework is quite simple. When approaching creation, stick to your core values, passions, and what you know. If you align all three, you’ll find your sweet spot.
A simple way to do this is to ask yourself three questions and create a shortlist of your answers:
- What are my core values? (What is important to me)
- What are my passions? (What gets me fired up)
- What do I know? (What do I get paid for, or what have I learned that has value)
Write down your core values, passions, and knowledge in a grid-based format. The final section will focus on what to create, drawing answers from the previous three. Try to limit your responses to no more than 12 within each area.
I’ve used this approach with my writing and have included an example below.
Using this simple framework, I was able to identify what to create and ensure that I was doing this for the right reasons. This exercise was essential as I needed to ensure that I would stick with it for the long term and not lose steam. I’ve heard many times that the key to success is consistency. To maintain consistency, we must ensure that we don’t lose passion for what we’re creating. It’s much easier to give up than to continue on the days we lack creative energy. The only reason I’ve been able to push through the hard times is because I’m able to look back at my Knowledge, Passion, Values Framework and remember why I started in the first place.
Through this exercise, it will become clear what you should create to bring fulfillment to your work. Once you’ve completed this exercise, you should choose an item under the final section with the lowest entry barrier. For example, if you decide to start writing articles, you can start with no upfront cost. In contrast, if you were to begin by developing an app, this has a higher entry barrier and higher upfront cost. The key is to ensure that you start in a place with the least number of obstacles. The more roadblocks you place in front of yourself, the higher the risk of never even starting.
Whenever you’re feeling lost or unmotivated, look back at this framework and remember why you began.
I’ve created a free download of the KPV Framework template here. Please feel free to share this with other creatives.
