On Circuses + Monkeys

The Show Must Go On!

For me, being a “content creator” is like running a circus.

As both ringmaster and strongman, I create and curate content; manage partners, patrons, and platforms; and troubleshoot personal and technical difficulties.

I also try to put out the dumpster fires set by bullshit artists, con men, and trolls.

Let me be honest: I don’t have this three-ring circus act figured out. Not even close.

As a sensitive, creative type with tendencies toward anxiety and depression, the struggle to stay balanced in a world of constant noise is real. Mighty real.

Some days, I’m the ringmaster confidently running the show. Other days, I’m the clown tripping over all the bananas the monkeys throw my way.

However, I’ve learned what helps and what doesn’t.

I’ve adopted the Polish idiom “not my circus, not my monkeys” as my mantra.

It reminds me to focus on my creativity and mental health and let go of everything else.

THE CONTENT CREATOR CIRCUS

While I’ve been creative since I was a kid, I only dreamed of doing what I do now.

I didn’t plan to do what I do. But here we are. And I’m lucky to have found a growing audience who enjoys my work. Like any job or vocation, I feel anxious and/or stressed out at times. The struggle can be real, mighty real. But so can the joy.

The struggle is like monkey poop. The joy is like confetti.
Both are part and parcel of any circus.

Algorithms demand consistency, communities expect engagement, and platforms change the rules mid-swing, leaving me scrambling. And the comments section can be a motley mix of the good, the bad, and the ugh-ly.

For someone like me, who feels deeply and overthinks, it can be overwhelming. I’ve spent countless nights obsessing over analytics, mornings second-guessing posts, and far too many afternoons wondering if I’m cut out for this.

But here’s the thing I’m learning: I don’t have to tend to every detail under the big top.

We all have more issues than the National Geographic, so I’m unsubscribing from more and more of the unnecessary monkey business.

Not everyone and everything gets my limited attention, energy, or time anymore.

WHO’S THE REAL RINGMASTER?

As a creator, it’s easy to feel like I’m at the mercy of algorithms and audiences. For too long, I let them rattle my cage and run my creative life.

While I still do on occasion, I have mostly stopped chasing trends or trying to figure out the “right” time or way to post. And while I take the occasional glance at analytics and stats, I’ve mostly weaned myself off that video game hamster wheel. Because it left me feeling less and less creative and more and more overwhelmed.

Now, I regularly remind myself: algorithms and audiences are not my ringmasters.

CREATING + CURATING PEACE

For me, creating boundaries and curating peace is a matter of survival. Otherwise, I risk burning out like a candle in the wind. And like many creators, when burnout hits, I have a tendency to create and curate drama and dumpster fires. Those might be entertaining to watch for some, but are ultimately destructive and divisive.

So here’s what I’m doing to keep my circus running smoother:

1. Post + Walk Away: Obsessing over immediate reactions is a fast track to anxiety. Once something is live, I usually take a break.

2. Fight Only Good Fights: Not all platforms and problems deserve equal attention. I focus on the ones I think are important and I—try to—ignore the rest.

3. Gimme A Break: There are days when I step away from the studio entirely just to recharge my batteries. Making time to doodle and noodle, to fall down research rabbit holes, to play on Studio Saturdays, or to “YouTube and chill”—it’s all part of my creative recharge process.

4. Remember “Why”: At the end of the day, I started creating because I love it—not because I wanted to win a social media game.

When I consistently protect my peace, my work tends to get better.
And those who enjoy my work tend to notice and stick around longer.

MY CIRCUS + MONKEYS

Lately, I’m becoming more intentional about the circus I’m running. I still juggle a lot—audience engagement, creative projects, personal growth—but I’m not trying to catch every monkey that swings through. I’m also trying not to slip on all the bananas—and poop—some of them leave behind.

The world will always be loud. Social media will always be noisy. And folks will always have opinions about what I should or shouldn’t be doing.

But as a creator, it’s my job to decide what matters…and what I make.

For me, the priorities are simple: my creativity, my joy, and my tribe.

The rest? Well, you already know. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

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ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 6

BIRTHDAYS

• 1792 = William II of the Netherlands = Dutch monarch 🌈

• 1864 = William S. Hart = American actor and filmmaker

• 1887 = Joseph Lamb = American pianist and composer

• 1896 = Ira Gershwin = American songwriter

• 1898 = Alfred Eisenstaedt = German-American photographer and journalist

• 1900 = Agnes Moorehead = American actor

• 1901 = Eliot Porter = American photographer and academic

• 1920 = Dave Brubeck = American pianist and composer

• 1924 = Wally Cox = American actor 🌈

• 1928 = Bobby Van = American actor, dancer, and singer

• 1952 = Craig Newmark = American programmer and Craigslist founder

• 1953 = Tom Hulce = American actor and theater producer 🌈

• 1958 = Nick Park = English animator and filmmaker

• 1962 = Ben Watt = English singer-songwriter and radio presenter

• 1962 = Janine Turner = American actor

• 1967 = Judd Apatow = American filmmaker

• 1971 = Craig Brewer = American filmmaker

• 1971 = Ryan White = American HIV/AIDS activist

• 1993 = Elián González = Cuban technician and politician who was the subject of controversial custody and immigration cases in 2000

CELEBRATIONS

• Saint Nicholas Day

EVENTS

• 1865 = The13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery (except as a punishment for crime where the party has been duly convicted).

• 1877 = Thomas Edison enters the offices of Scientific American and turns the crank on his cylinder phonograph, astonishing those present with the recording, "Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?"

• 1884 = The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is completed.

• 1897 = London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.

• 1933 = In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses Judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene despite coarse language and sexual content, a leading decision affirming free expression.

• 1964 = Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

• 1995 = The FDA approves Saquinavir, the first protease inhibitor to treat HIV/AIDS. Within 2 years of its approval, annual deaths from AIDS in the United States fall from over 50,000 to approximately 18,000.

• 1999 = A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.: The Recording Industry Association of America sues the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster, alleging copyright infringement.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“My family and I held no hatred for those people because we realized they were victims of their own ignorance.”
Ryan White

NEW + FEATURED

• K.I.S.S #3 (NSFW)

• K.I.S.S #2 (NSFW)

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