Here, there, everywhere! All we see today is a vast variety of content. From something as random as a hand twist from left to right becoming a massive trend to that next door eatery turning world-famous all of a sudden – we live in a world where there are rarely any hacks, heightened uncertainty, yet a connection between those two. A connection that’s for long been synonymous with creativity, thinking out of the box and unleashing thy intellectual boundaries to think beyond the usual. And that’s why what’s coming is a year for the creatives, rather creators, as the line blurs between media and the world. Look at everything around you – its got the potential to become your next big content piece. Are we at a risk of overload? Maybe we are. Is there something we can do about it? With every second telling a story of its own, we sure can, here’s what it takes – get the basics. 

Dumb it down

I cannot stress enough the number of times I have heard this from creatives over the course of my journey and yet its true – that’s the only way to get through mankind and its perpetual antics with the mind. In an era where we are exposed to a wide range of content from across all walks of life, it’s necessary to dumb down storytelling as much as you can, especially to crack a multifaceted market. You may have been an expert on Derrida and différance may have inspired you to add nuance to your communications, but if the audience doesn’t understand the idea, its not going anywhere. And in today’s times, all we have is a short frame of 40-seconds or even lesser. 

Versatility sails the boat

If there was one word that was held tight this year by almost every entity, its resilience. With new platforms making their foray by the day, it has become extremely important to pursue versatility over and above any form of soft skill. To be able to adapt from one environment to another proves to be a great source of inspiration for storytelling. This happens because you become more sensitive to diverse ideas, perceptions and cultures, in turn being more accepting of your own self as well as others. To be truly versatile requires an ability to take risks and grow through them. If you’re a young creator to make a mark, explore beyond your immediate interests to better those that you love the most. One of my podcast guests once told me about how the youth of today needs to embrace the unknown to get better at what is known. It stuck along with me for its absolute relevance. You may be writing an op-ed for an industry you have no clue about, but its going to help you for an interview on another day. If you’re versatile and flexible, you’re cut out for the longer mile. 

Keep connecting

The best stories often come out of those random encounters with people. At the end of the day, creating content is all about the connections you make – be it with yourself, or the people you meet through it. Likes and followers may be data, but what actually matters is whether you connect with the who, what, when, where, why and how of what you do. When I started KarishmaKonnect a couple of years ago interviewing the grocery owner under my building, with a selfie stick, a long lasting love for interviewing and journalism, little did I know this would go on to have 40+ episodes and counting! All I knew was storytelling and content needed a space where people connected beyond the ropes of knowing everything they need to say. And here it continues, as every month one thing leads to the other and before you know it…. well not everywhere yet, but somewhere! And that I believe is the secret to story mining in the times of overload – start somewhere. You’ll eventually have your story along the way. What better than the new year!