Ashton
Is that lipstick new?
Jordan
No.
Ashton
It looks so good with that shirt.
Jordan
Thank you. It's just a lip pencil and then I put it on and I... What's the word I'm looking for? I smudge it and then I put some chapstick on top of it. Oh my god. So that my lips are not dry. I love that. Thank you.
Ashton
It looks so purple. Thank you. I love this. Okay, let's bring it to a realistic level. Realistic level for the legacy creator. For real, we're coming in hot, hot, hot, hot.
Jordan
Because we can't use that because of copyright, we just sing it.
Ashton
After every episode. This is stupid. Oh my god. I'm Ashton Smith. And I'm Jordan Long. And we're coming in hot. We're seventh generation entrepreneurs with a passion for fusing creative expression and business fundamentals to help entrepreneurs powerfully expand their companies.
Jordan
Legacy Creator is a show for creatives, big thinkers, and visionaries who are doing business differently. Together, we unpack topics to help you embody your creative identity, develop as a leader, and powerfully grow your business.
Ashton
In a nutshell, we're calling you out and calling you higher. All right, you guys, welcome to Legacy Creator, episode two of season two. We're so excited to have you here with us. Today is gonna be so good.
Jordan
So good.
Ashton
You know, we were really reflecting on this last year and the shift that we feel happening going into the new year, not only for us, but just as a collective, as we look at our community, as we look at like, what are people craving? What are people desiring? What are people wanting? And we feel like things are shifting, things are changing, and there is a new wave of entrepreneurship that's here. And we're really excited to speak to that today. So not only do we feel like things are going to be done differently this year, and that's been reflected in our latest project, how we're operating in our business, but we really feel like you guys, this community, you're claiming the same thing. Things are going to be done differently. Like I'm running my business differently. I'm operating day over day differently because I want to feel differently. Like I actually want to not only go for greater success and growth and expansion and abundance and all of the incredible things that we're focused on in our businesses, but we want to feel good in our work. We actually want to feel aligned. We want to feel alive in our work. We want to feel connected to what we're doing. And I shared about this previously, but for me at the start of 2023, I had like a weird disconnect going. And I think a lot of people experienced that last year, a lot of creative burnout, a lot of burnout in general, because we've almost subconsciously been trying to fit ourself into molds into doing business a specific type of way because that's the rule. Like that's the way it's supposed to be done. And I just see so many people ready to like disrupt this year, ready to do things differently because we not only want to make more money, but we want to feel alive. Like we want to feel aligned. And this really for us took visual form in our latest launch of our newest product and our campaign. And Jordan, you actually kind of brought that vision to life. I think it's a good example.
Jordan
Yeah. I feel like going into vivid creative, I think both of us had experienced a little bit of like burnout. and feeling like we'd gotten really caught up in the monotony of it all. And I also was just thinking about our community. And I feel like so many of you guys out there also have been feeling that. I felt like that was a lot of what was going on in 2023 was a lot of like, the same sorts of things, the same sorts of content, the same sort of ideas circulating, and a lot of things felt the same. And it felt so robotic to me, and so lifeless. And that really was like the story behind our campaign video for Vivid Creative was kind of showing this transformation from the black and white dull monotony of it all to vibrant color going from like sleepwalking through life and feeling like a zombie basically going from that to fully alive and energized and awake. And it's all about color and vibrancy and just like getting in tune with your creativity again and like feeling that spark again because a lot of us just, yeah, we were kind of like sleepwalking through life a little bit and yeah, we had to like break through we had to and we have to continually like break through that mold break through the glass and get to the other side of that where we can be fully alive and vivid and yeah it's so true and if you're thinking what is vivid what is vivid creative
Ashton
We haven't like formally shared about that on the podcast, but that is the evolution of what our membership now is. And we went to such a different place creatively with the development of this product, the campaign, the marketing, and that's why we're referencing it quite a bit here. But I love what Jordan said about like, we're ready to feel that spark again, and we're ready to feel alive again. And I think that it's important. It's not even just a, this would be nice. in your work, but it's actually really, really crucial to the success of your company, to how you can move sustainably to how people relate to you, your brand and what you're sharing. And that's why I keep saying a new wave of entrepreneurship is here. One we're coming alive in your work is going to be the catalyst for financial liberation. I see this so crystal clear through line between all of us being alive in our work and financial growth. I think that there is a very clear connection between the two and that's what we are hoping to break down in part of this episode today because when you are alive, your work is alive and your community can feel that. And so I want you to think about when you're on social media, when you're engaging with content and you're scrolling through your feed, like how often do you see something that stops you that actually you connect with or it actually moves you? Like how often does that really happen? And if I reflect for myself, it is very rare. It's, So rare, we're kind of just mindlessly scrolling through the same exact pieces of content, just recreated over and over and over again. Um, you know, we have trends, we have, um, viral posting styles, you have trending audio. And so you have things that kind of just, um, take a life of their own on social media. And that's the nature of it. But how rarely do you see something that's like, wow, that's different. Or like, wow, that like, that really speaks to me. I can think of a few creators that I can say, yes, like their content consistently does that for me. But what we're trying to point out today is that it's time for a new way of doing things. It's time for a new way of creating and innovating in your business. It's time to feel alive about what you're creating because that's going to translate over into how people interact with and experience your work. That's going to translate over into how many people actually want to be a part of what you're doing. Because when someone is fully alive in their work, attuned to who they are, their work is going to stand out. It's going to stop you. It's going to move you. It's going to compel you. And when you don't know who you are, when you aren't fully alive in who you are and your identity and what you bring to the table, that is where it's so easy to fall into these practices of replication, regurgitation, recreating. And that's what we're seeing like on repeat in the online space.
Jordan
Yeah.
Ashton
That's what we're seeing over and over and over again. And it's why we're kind of desensitized to content and to like the amount of information in front of us all the time, because it's all a version of the same exact thing. And when you're jumping on those bandwagons, although it might get you in front of more people, it's diluting your creativity and it's causing your content to ultimately fall flat, which hence the name of this episode today, like is your digital presence a snooze fest? Because if it is, we want to resolve that. Like we want to fix that ASAP because you have something unique to bring to the table. You are a creative, whether you identify as one or not. And so one of your jobs as a creator, as a business owner, an entrepreneur in the online space, is to exercise that creativity. It is to innovate. And it's not to say that it has to come across as super artistic necessarily, but it needs to come across from a place of meaning from a place of significance to you. And that is how your content will stand out. That's how we'll create opportunities for connection with your community. Um, it will call them into a relationship with your brand. And that is what leads to long-term loyal customers that opt in, that buy from you, that stay with you for a long period of time. And so how ultimately can you engage your community and call them into a relationship with your brand? One of the best ways to do that is by leveraging your signature sound, your unique voice, your signature sound. It captures attention. But the question is, are you actually using that? Are you leveraging it? Are you exercising it? Because at the end of the day, the online space teaches us to fit in. Does it not? You have the algorithm, which ultimately is working in our favor to categorize our content. But a lot of people are showing up to social media with the heart of serving the algorithm, not their people. And when you try to serve the algorithm, you're going to jump on the bandwagon of trends. You're going to try to go viral. You're going to be focusing on reach, reach, reach, reach versus depth, depth, depth, depth with your existing community. And that creates lasting impression and connection and trust. When you try to fit in, like you're miserable. Like think back to last year when you kind of got warped in your perspective.
Jordan
Yeah. I, I started focusing on all the wrong things and I was miserable. I felt like a robot just like replicating kind of the frameworks at least of like what other people were doing, not necessarily copying, but it was more so like, the frameworks of like viral content, what is working for other people. I'm like, it's working for them. Maybe it'll work for us. And like trying to do all these different things. And I did not feel lit up or excited about it. I didn't feel, honestly, I didn't feel super proud of some of that work. Like it may have looked good, but it was more so like, it didn't feel right. Like it didn't really feel like us in some ways. It felt like I was trying to just like, I don't know, focus on virality more so than creating from a deeper place. And once I kind of made that shift and started really prioritizing my own creativity in our work, I felt more lit up about it. I felt excited and I felt really proud of it because it really, it was from like a very real place for me. So yeah.
Ashton
And when you're trying to fit in, I feel like you're automatically creating more resistance for yourself. like so much resistance. The creative process is already going to come with resistance because when you're creating something from nothing, that's not always going to be easy. Your creative juices aren't always going to be flowing. Sometimes they will. And that's awesome. Leverage that when it happens, but there's already going to be an element of resistance. So when you add in that layer of trying to fit in, then you're going to have so much resistance. The creative process isn't going to free flow at all. You're going to lose your voice. Your sound is going to be diluted and people aren't really going to develop a lasting connection with that. Because let's say that someone does connect with a piece of content that you've kind of replicated or multiple pieces of content that you've replicated. Well, you probably aren't going to be able to sustain that longterm. because you're replicating someone else and you're kind of operating off of what's worked for someone else, not your own voice, your own creativity, thought strategy. And that's not really sustainable longterm. You might be able to do that for a short period of time. Like we've talked about imitation is actually a part of growth. and development and the creative process, you might find inspiration. You might slightly imitate early on in your creative journey as you're finding your way. But at some point you have to exercise your own creativity and your own voice to develop sustainable foundations for your company and your brand. So if you're wondering, okay, but what does this really mean? Let's go to the definition of signature sound. So this can be defined as a sound that happens when you hear a voice and recognize it immediately. Like that is so powerful. Imagine if anytime you spoke, anytime you put out a post, anytime you shared a piece of content, People knew exactly who it was. They knew exactly who you are. They know what you stand for. They know your style. They can recognize it immediately. That carries so much power. And when you are really dialed in on your identity, your creativity, it's not just notice, but it compels people to take action. Whether that is engaging online, sharing through word of mouth, buying, that's what leads to action.
Jordan
Yeah, that really makes me think about it's just like artists that I like. And one person that comes to mind right off the bat is Stevie Nicks. I feel like first off with her voice and simply the way her voice sounds, it's like instantly recognizable. But even more than that, like her lyrics to me, I can tell when it's a Stevie Nicks song, like looking back on some of Fleetwood Mac's albums, if anyone else were to sing a song that she wrote, I still would know that like she wrote it just because she's got her own style and her own flair. And same thing with like Joni Mitchell. I love Joni Mitchell. I feel like she's got her own style when it comes to musicality, but also with the lyrics, like it's just instantly recognizable, you know, like Jimmy Page, a guitar player, like all these people, it's just like, you know, exactly who, who was behind the, the creative project, who was behind the creation, you know, instantaneously just by their voice or their lyrics, because they have harnessed their signature sound and they know who they are and they show up and who they are and they're confident in who they are and it's just like instantly recognizable.
Ashton
Yes. And they may have pulled inspiration. I'm sure they all pulled inspiration from other figures from other places to kind of like get them started on their journey. But as they continued down that journey, they leverage and exercise their own creativity, their own voice, their own creative brain and innovation to bring something new to the table. And that's the beautiful process about diving into exercising your creativity and your business is like, yes, you can start with inspirational sources and you're going to have people, things, et cetera, that like impact you and your journey. But you have the ability to bring your own self, your own unique spin, your own style to the table. And that's actually what sets you apart. That's what differentiates you. If we talk about like the sea of content the endless amounts of noise and information on the online space. I know I can feel really overwhelming and daunting. And people are like, is it even worth showing up? I mean, you feel like you're just a little grain of sand on a huge beach, right? But at the end of the day, you are the thing that differentiates what you do. It isn't actually what you do. you might have unique processes and methods and proprietary information that you bring to the table. But at the end of the day, there's a lot of people that coach. There's a lot of people that provide done for you services. There's a lot of people in marketing and sales and health and wellness, but you're the differentiating factor. And so this is why it is so important. in order for you to stand out, you have to actually dig deep and exercise your signature sound. And this is specifically when it comes to your digital presence, because this is how people are finding you. This is how people are coming and contact you with you first and foremost, like this is the first touch point. And so you're going to make this process so much easier by working with who you are versus trying to fit into what everyone else says that you should be doing. So I want you to think about like, what is your style? What are your quirks? What do you enjoy? What are you good at? Like what's your story? These should be woven into the fabric of your company. Like people should know these elements. you know, when I think about us and like how we've applied this, there's so many different examples, but people know that we're multi-generational entrepreneurs. We're seventh generation entrepreneurs, which yes, between season one and season two, we discovered that we're actually seventh gen, not sixth gen. But nonetheless, you know, people know that people know my story of losing 20 K that's my rock bottom moment. People know that Jordan is a creative and she loves poetry and music. And she always references like these iconic musical figures. Like people know that about her. People can identify those things very, very easily because we weave that into our marketing. Those are things that are small, that differentiate us. They differentiate our expertise, our experience, what we bring to the table. And the same is true for you. It doesn't mean that you have to overthink it and try to make it's something more grand quote unquote than it actually is. That's something I feel like people really struggle with. We're like, I don't really have any interesting stories or I'm not really interesting.
Jordan
Yeah. Everyone's interesting in their own ways. Everyone has a story. You, even if you don't think you do, you really just got to like dig deep and find like what your story is or story is plural, but everyone has a story. Everyone has something interesting to bring to the table. Everyone is unique in their own ways. And like you said, that's what sets you apart. Like there could be a thousand other people on Instagram doing like the same kind of thing that you're doing, but you are the differentiator. You are what brings something unique to the table and makes your brand stand out. It's you, like you're the heart of it.
Ashton
And I think that it can be really hard to accept that when you struggle with your identity. So if you struggle to identify with your worth, with your value, with your strong suits, it's going to be really hard for you to embrace the fact that you actually are the it factor. You're the thing. You're the value add. You're the differentiator. So it's so important. Let's stop trying to fit in. And Hey, if you want to leverage viral trends and tactics, that is totally fine. It is a strategic move, but I encourage you to use the 80, 20 rule 80% your voice, your, you know, brand identity, your creativity and innovation, and then 20% viral approaches. You know, I can totally get on board with that, but I think that people are really wanting to see more of you. They're wanting to see more of your thought, more of what makes you unique, your brand unique. Um, and that's really, what's going to make you stand out. And that kind of leads me to what is the purpose of any creator? Because I think sometimes that gets lost in the online space because we get looped into the machine of creating. It's like this never anything we're doing. We have to have more content for Instagram, for email, for stories, for YouTube. I mean, even Jordan and I, we feel like sometimes we are just pushing a machine forward with how much content we create. And so it's finding a balance for sure. We have to come back to what's the purpose of a creator. It's to move people. Your job as a creator is not to go viral. It's to move your people. It's to create opportunities for emotion and connection and relationship. Any creation is designed to evoke emotion. And again, how often do we experience this in the online space? Rarely, rarely. Yeah. I think of like two, figures, people right now that I actually can honestly say I feel moved by their content. And so what if your digital presence went beyond trends and tactics and it actually created an emotional response from your community? That would be powerful. What are some different types of emotional responses that we could create through our content? Could be joy.
Jordan
I think sometimes like entertaining content. that sparks like laughter, you know, like that, that's an emotional response. And I feel like there are some people I've followed that like occasionally will post like a funny reel of them. And I'm like, that's hilarious. And it sticks out to me and like brings me joy. It brings joy to my day. I think that some content can empower you, motivate you even like challenge you, you know, like through, more intense, like pieces of content. Sometimes you can be really challenged and be called higher by certain pieces of content. And that creates that emotional response and that connection. And I think ultimately that just leads to you remembering them. Like, like you just said, there's like two people ish that you can recall that elicit an emotional response from you. And like, that's why they stick with you so much. That's why you remember them so much. And you think about them so much. it's that emotional response at the center of it and that forms the connection and kind of builds a little bit of trust with them too.
Ashton
So yeah. And I think the point we're trying to make is that this can look different for every single person and it will for every single brand. Like one of the people I'm thinking about, she makes me laugh all the time or, you know, she has influenced me to try different types of coffee. Um, sometimes, you know, her story really like, creates a true, like deep emotion of maybe sadness or relatability. And so there is a wide range of emotions that you can create through your content. But again, like the whole point is to move people and whether that's moving them to laugh or it's moving them to, Um, think bigger, you know, one of the biggest things I think about when creating content for our platforms is, okay, how can we help our people shift their perspective? How can we provide a new way of thinking? How can we help them develop like this new pathway in their brain? Because they're not thinking about this particular thing this way. How can we shift that? So how can we help them think bigger? You know, that's one of the biggest things I think about, but that's a direct reflection kind of my passions and how I'm wired. I'm like, let's get straight to the tea. I'm not necessarily like a comedian. Like that wouldn't be the most authentic version of me. I guess I can be funny, but that's not like my main personality traits. Um, so you have to think about and provide that context for, okay, well, who am I? And like, how do I naturally share? And even more than that, we have to think about what is your community need? So I think we have this responsibility to move our people by creating through true expression, but we also have to think about why are we creating this? What do our people actually need? Because we are in business. And so you are creating for your community, for your people, for our potential customers to add value, to bring solutions. And so think about like, what do they need? And how do I want to move them? Like with our latest campaign, we wanted to move people to feel alive again, to feel excited, to feel like there is another path forward for their business where you can actually feel connected to what you're building and you can make mad money. Like there is a connection between the two. That's a feeling that we wanted to create for our community. And so that informed our imagery. and our video and our copy. But this is truly what leaves a lasting impression on people. It causes you to remember and develop trust with a brand. And that's the ultimate goal. So we want to leave you with some actual tangible next steps that you can take in order to kind of test this new way of business out. Because I do really think that this is going to be different for a lot of people. I think that we do have a lot of creatives in our community, but I think a lot of the creatives have felt very bound and like constricted by frameworks, models, paths, things that they have to do in order to be successful. And I think that we can absolutely marry creativity and strategy. And again, when it comes to your digital presence, we want to see more of your creativity. We want to see more innovation. We want to see more of you. And if we're wanting to see that, if you're wanting to see that, you better bet that your community and your audience is wanting to see that because as the online space gets more and more full and saturated and noisy, we are all craving, okay, more depth, more authenticity, more connection. And what we're talking about today is a direct pathway to help you actually do that.
Jordan
All right. First point, get back in alignment with your vision and believe in what you're doing and creating. And I feel like this, I have a personal connection to this point because when we were reworking our membership, which is now vivid creative, I throughout the whole process was like, this is super cool. And I'm very like excited about this. I'm bought into it. And by the time that we really like created the entire program and put together the framework, put together the marketing plan, the imagery, all of that, I was like, yes, like I'm bought into this. I believe in it. I get it. I think it's great. And I think it like, I'm just fully like bought into it. Yeah. And I think that's really important for you and your brand. Like you have to buy into what you're doing because if you don't buy into it, then, it's unlikely that a lot of other people would buy into it as well. Like you have to be bought into it and be excited about it and passionate about what you're doing.
Ashton
Yeah, the moment you start creating to please others or to follow a mold or whatever it may be, that's the moment where like, there's massive misalignment. And that sets the tone for literally everything else for how it is brought into the public for how people relate to it, right? It's also not really sustainable. If you create something that you're not bought into, then how long is that really gonna last? That's going to burn you out, like totally. And I think that's just part of the nature of being a business owner, being an entrepreneur, being a creator. Like you have to have faith and belief in what you're creating. That sets the tone for everything. You have to be the first person to buy into it, to believe in it. And that's what really carries it forward. That's what brings meaning into it. That's what really allows people to connect with it over a long period of time. Secondly, we want to encourage you to explore your unique style, vibe, and flair, like play with integrating this into your digital presence. So when we talk about your signature sound and trying to provide words that help you like visualize this a little bit better style, vibe, flair, like how can we integrate this into your digital presence? How can we weave in unique storylines to your brand? again, like I have these common stories that are woven in every single like month, whether it's my losing 20 K or it's launching my first course and having like refund requests come through. Um, there's so many stories that people can recognize that we've woven into the brand. But again, like one thing we were riffing on before this, um, recording is that this is done by the doing. Like that's what Jordan said. This is done by the doing. Like you find your signature sound by practicing and playing. Like if we think about Stevie Nicks, for example, or Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Page, like how did they develop their signature sound? Like they played their instrument, they exercise their creativity. they wrote, they sang, they, you know, try different things. And when we reflect on Jordan and I, when we reflect on our journey of like getting to where we are, it's been done in process. Like we didn't know from day one, like, okay, this is exactly the sound we carry. We really found it over time. I even think back to season one of the podcast, like episodes one through three are so different than this episode, for example, because I didn't yet have my voice dialed in or sound dialed in for the podcast, but we found it through time. And sometimes you have to be willing to play. You have to be willing to experiment And I think it's also important that you are the inspiration for this. Like, yes, you're going to have sources of inspiration, like people that you admire 100%, but we encourage you when you're exercising this muscle, don't go look at those inspiration sources, especially if they are within your niche and industry, look at yourself, like look at your thoughts, look at your emotions, look at you like truly go within and play with your craft. That is what we did with vivid creative. And there were moments of bliss where it was amazing. And there were moments of resistance because when you're creating in that way and you're literally pulling from inside of you, it's not necessarily going to be as easy as steps one, two, three. There's going to be resistance there.
Jordan
All right. Last but not least. Try creating less for strategy and virality and more from a deeper place within yourself. I think that is the biggest thing that's going to create really powerful work and help you stand apart is when you're focusing more on like digging deeper within yourself in order to find your signature sound, in order to like integrate that into your brand, into your business, the focus should be less on strategy. Although I know strategy is important, it should be a little bit less on strategy and virality just for virality sake of like increasing reach and increasing your numbers. It should be so much less about that and more about creating from within yourself. And that is going to create the most powerful work that actually resonates with people that stands out to people and connects with them. And I think that's the, the heart of all of this is like, how can you create a connection with your audience? How do you do that? I think you do that by being who you are, by being authentic to who you are and fusing that into your business and your brand and letting that like shine for, for all of the world to see, but it's specifically your community. they will really connect with you when they start seeing who you really are.
Ashton
Yeah. How do you like tangibly do that? Go back through and listen to this episode. I know that this can sound like such an intangible conversation, like create from within will Yes, that is intangible, but you have to think about, okay, who are you? What makes you unique? What are you actually good at? All of those things should be woven into not only what you're creating, but how you are creating. How can we develop your sound, like your voice to where it is instantly recognizable. And again, not only is this going to position you as someone who knows who they are, who is innovative, but it's going to invite people into greater relationship and trust and connection with your brand. And I think that at the end of the day, that is the point. So many people are coming to these episodes, wanting more business, wanting more leads, wanting more sales. And you're using online, you're using social media as a bridge to get you there. And in order for you to do that in the current climate of the online space, people want you to go deeper and we need to find ways for you to stand out And again, we're not trying to overcomplicate it. You don't have to put on an expensive campaign, but you do have to know who you are and you have to really bring that into the way that you're showing up. You have to be willing to create the space and take the time to understand what do I think? Who am I? What am I building? And like, how do I really want to move my people and impact my people in this season? You have to be in tune with that because that is what invites people into deeper relationship and it will absolutely grow your business. So that's a wrap on this episode. We hope that this was inspiring. We hope that this encouraged you and gave you a different perspective. As you look at your brand, your content, your digital presence at large in 2024, if you are tuning in right now and you enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share on social media, tag us at my awakening co We would love to see you. We would love to see the incredible content that you're going to be putting out the way you're going to be creating and innovating this year. It's going to be really powerful. We believe in you.
