When to Break Format – How Creators Reinvent Themselves
Creativity and being new it’s how a lot of people become who they are. But what about those creators who have already found a style, a niche, a sound? When do we tell them it’s okay to change? When does it make sense for an artist to throw away all those pre-established fan expectations and start something that’s maybe completely different? The answers, unsurprisingly, are messy.
Finding Comfort While Stagnating
A whole lot of creators get caught doing the same thing over and over again. When artists finally decide to quit the things that made them and start something new, their fans often end up turning into haters. It sounds like it never works, but that’s obviously not always the case; this is the complicated nature of being a content creator.
Some of those creators are the ones that end up changing into super famous ones. Some will experiment and fail, and some will just disappear completely. Each creator should be aware of the potential outcomes once deciding to break format and change what they are known for.
Watching Audience Disappear Quickly
One very important thing to think about is the audience. The hard truth is that most people like it when things stay the same. If you have a cooking show, they want you to show cooking things. They will leave in an instant when some kind of weird music video starts playing.
Don’t suddenly do something in complete contrast to the general brand because this will potentially kill the reputation that has been built up to that point. When wanting to start something new, the audience should always be kept in consideration.
Knowing When the Time’s Right
A lot of this thing comes down to feeling, the sense of figuring out when a new creation needs to come to life. Here are a few possible clues for knowing a good time is when:
- Boredom Strikes: If the artists themselves feel like they are getting tired of what they are doing, people will notice; change needs to happen.
- Culture Shift: What people liked five years ago and what they like today is very different; creators need to stay up for this.
- Opportunity Knocks: Getting a chance to work with someone new or in a new place could mean it’s a good time to try.
Watching an audience shift away after a format change can be disheartening, especially when creators see engagement metrics, like likes and comments, dip. Some creators feeling that pressure might be tempted to buy Instagram followers to artificially inflate their numbers and regain a sense of momentum. Moreover, focusing on creating content that resonates authentically is always a great strategy.
Examining Motivation Really Closely
Why a creator wants to reinvent is important, very important. Running away from a style just because it’s not making money? That’s a bad reason. Authenticity really actually matters to people a lot these days.
Trying something new only because of fame? Also, a bad reason. Do you want to explore more, grow as an individual, and leave safe territory to try more, explore other genres, and see what happens? Now, those are the kinds of reasons that can lead to doing great work. The best thing is to never do it for money or the recognition of something new; this would probably cause the endeavor to fail sooner or later.
Trying Incremental New Formats
Big changes can scare fans, as we know. So, try small stuff first! If all a creator does is paintings, it’s a good idea to suddenly not start doing sculptures. The best move would be first to try drawing more landscapes or portrait-focused. This would probably receive much better reviews than starting something completely different.
The audience might love the smaller stuff that leads to bigger changes. Maybe fans will even start asking artists to change even more. Testing small things out tends to lead to bigger things eventually. Testing is an important step, and it would be a much better option than jumping right into something new.
Conclusion
Changing as a creator could be great; it could be a mess; it really just depends. If it’s time for a bold move, then don’t let fear stop you. If everything you do is just becoming one big copy of old stuff, then it’s definitely time to start doing something new.
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