So much of the "content" online today is a thinly-veiled attempt at making the most money from the least creative output possible.

It's just a fact. YouTube pays people more if their videos retain viewers' attention for longer—so they focus on making videos that do that rather than focusing on their message or creativity. It's why many creatives get burnt out after a few years of creating content that feeds the entertainment machine.

In a way, I don't blame people for this behavior. It's incredibly hard to figure out your "lane" in creative entrepreneurship. When you finally get an inkling of an idea that you're going in the right direction and an opportunity approaches, you make the most of it.

Our instincts are correct, but the method is wrong.

Instead of focusing on the metric—the clicks, the views, the likes, the sales—we need to constantly keep our eyes on the vision: The creative output that's pure and motivated by our desire for self-expression in a noisy world.

People can feel when something's not genuine or motivated by something other than their best interest. They know when art has become a vessel for selfish gain rather than inspiration.

Of course, I'm speaking to myself here. There's a natural balance to maintain being a professional creative in this world. I'm determined to continue on this journey of discovering how to make it work for as long as I'm alive.

Stay the course—the results will follow.