A monthly advice column where we source “dumb questions” from the creator community and help answer them. In the process showing that there really is no such thing as a dumb question.
Welcome to the first of a monthly question and answer series called “Dumb Questions Allowed”. I’m your host, JPA, CEO and co-founder of Stir.
The idea of a “dumb question” has always made me laugh — There are no dumb questions! Ironically, the dumb ones are usually what’s on everyones mind but we’re all just too afraid to ask. In the creator world, there are a lot of questions like that and we’re supposed to just assume everyone has figured out the answers.
That’s not really the case and this series is part of my personal quest to help our community become more informed in a safe and fun way. So, with that, on to the dumb questions!
Dumb Question 01 — Is it normal to hate your voice and feel like you sound annoying?
Written by u/Shade__YT on Reddit
Yes — It’s normal and you’re not alone in feeling this way. Our voice comprises so much of what makes us feel like ourselves and when you hear it distorted in a way that alters your perception it can mess with your confidence. The science behind this can help us better understand it. Recorded audio of our voices is transmitted differently to our brains than when we speak it which is why it sounds so different to us.
Opening up here a bit myself, I personally really struggle listening to any recorded interviews I’ve done because the sound of my voice messes with me more than it’s worth. I’ve grown to get used to it but I can admit the discomfort is there.
So to answer your “dumb question”, yes it’s normal and no, you don’t sound annoying. You just sound like you! Your inner voice is always more important than your outer one. Focus on that one and the other won’t matter as much.
Dumb Question 02 — How do you stay motivated and avoid any distractions as new creator?
Written by u/PineappleRaita on Reddit
There are many ways to answer this question and everyone has their own method. In my view, it all boils down to focus. Focus on the surface seems like a measure of what you’re doing the ability stay on top of those things. You can create to-do lists, write out plans, stay organized, etc all in the vain of staying focused. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work out that way. Things come up. The thing you’re working on evolves and changes. We see up’s and down’s.
What I’ve learned is that focus is actually a method of what you say no to, not yes. The discipline to determine whether something is a distraction or not and push it out of sight. When we’re creating, everything can feel exciting and important, and sometimes they are! Yet, to stay motivated and avoid distraction, we have to practice the method of telling ourselves that yes, this matters, but not as much as the thing I’m doing now. It can and should wait.
If you want more, I recommend this short video by Steve Jobs.
Dumb Question 03 — Is 2022 too late to start YouTube?
Written by u/celestialgirl13 on Reddit
Certainly not! The best time to start was yesterday but today works just as well. In all seriousness though, it can seem like starting on YouTube in 2022 is an uphill battle not worth climbing. Questions like “hasn’t everything been tried already?” are natural and hard to ignore. Fret not however!
The beauty of creativity is that its infinite. Yes, lots of things have been tried on YouTube but if you haven’t tried than everything hasn’t been tried. Every creator is capable of creating something that showcases their uniqueness. The tricks to growing will evolve and you should inform yourself on those but don’t think just because you haven’t started that it’s too late.
Dumb Question 04 — How often do you check analytics?
Written by u/retiredcheerleader on Reddit
Analytics are a great method of helping us understand what people think about a certain thing. They can tell a good story but not the complete story. It’s very possible to be over-invested in the short-term sugar high of checking analytics directly after publishing or launching a new thing.
You can check analytics as often as you’d like but your perspective of what that story is telling you should map to the time and your goals. Here’s an example. I check Stir’s metrics nearly everyday. It’s one of the first things I do when I start my work day. On the daily check, I’m not assessing whether or not Stir is a smash hit or not, i’m mostly just checking to understand from a high-level what we did the previous day.
At the end of the month, is when I do a deeper dive and start to understand what’s changed over time. From there, I can start to see what micro-events happened that I should and can learn from. I’ll then take those metrics and start to map them to our goals and the progress we’re making towards them. This difference in perspective helps me keep sane brain while also ensuring that I have a strong sense of how things are going.
So, in short — Check them however often that works for you. That could be daily. It could be monthly. Whichever cadence you choose, keep perspective.
Send Me Your Dumb Questions
That’s it for the first series in “Dumb Questions Allowed”. I hope these were useful for you and your journey. I’m looking for questions for next month. Have one in mind? Send me a email with the (Dumb Question) in the subject line.
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