What does your desktop wallpaper look like right now?
Some people will use the factory default wallpaper because they just don’t care or they can’t figure out how to change it. Others will have their favorite television show, movie, actress, babe or adult star. Some people can’t even see their desktop wallpaper because they have so many icons that it has created a mosaic.
How can philosophy help your career as a creator? Simply put, philosophy helps you understand what’s important, as well as what’s not important.
Currently, mine happens to be a picture of a statue of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius with a quote: “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Whoa, WTF. An adult content peddler who likes to read philosophy books in his free time? Also, how does Andrew, who's always working, have free time? Well, I don’t really, but I do find moments — and I try to use those moments for self-improvement. And for me, self-improvement includes philosophy.
How can philosophy help your career as a creator? Simply put, philosophy helps you understand what’s important, as well as what’s not important. Most of all, though, it makes you stop and think. The whir and rush of work, commitments, social media and the latest buzz can sometimes get us in a state of reacting, rather than thinking deliberately.
Since you probably don’t want to read a full treatise on the topic, I will limit my examination of philosophy to three quotes worth discussion.
“If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” – Seneca
Have a business plan and have a life plan, because then you have direction. In my career, doing walk-throughs on our content platform and having long conversations with new and experienced models alike helps me determine which models have a plan of action. And believe me, that’s the first thing you should have.
Saying something like “I want to be rich” is nice and a fun daydream, but how do you become rich? How much content should you shoot, how much branding should you do, do you have the taxes saved and are you working with knowledgeable people?
Have a direction and know where you want to go, because only then can you start working on how to get there. Boom, first fortune-cookie moment of this article!
“It never ceases to amaze me: We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” – Marcus Aurelius
Social media, Twitter in particular, has people obsessed with likes, retweets and comments. And yes, when someone trolls you with negativity, it hurts. Why, though? A phantom person that doesn’t know you has just insulted you, yet that insult can cause some people to tailspin into a tirade. You’ll waste precious minutes or hours — sometimes even days when it’s really bad — trying to justify your existence.
Be kind to yourself. You know who you are, and you’ve lived with yourself far longer than someone who is responding negatively to a tweet you made. Just realize that their opinion shouldn’t matter all that much to you.
“We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go.” – Seneca
Herd mentality and safety in numbers works for herd animals. You’re not a herd animal, and just because a group of people are doing one thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the right path for you.
There are a lot of examples I can use here, but I’ll use a discussion I had with one model, one of the sweetest people you could talk to. She asked me about the femdom niche, to which I responded by asking, “Do you really have a femdom bone in your body?” After careful reflection, she realized that she does not, at least at present, have a natural inclination to that niche — and it’s always best to err on the side of authenticity with content. But this is what a herd mentality can do. People see the successes of others in a particular fetish, but that does not necessarily mean everybody can or should do the fetish.
For every model who manages to pull off a particular fetish, there are 20 that fail miserably at the very same fetish, even if they’re closely imitating or even blatantly plagiarizing the successful person. You should find your own path.
I could go on and on, but I’m going to throw in just one more quote to wrap things up:
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called present.” – Master Oogway
That’s right, this quote is from “Kung Fu Panda.” Hey, profound philosophy doesn't always have to come from a classic book! Always live in the present and enjoy the moment. It truly is the best gift you can give yourself.
Andrew Loyal is the support manager for Loyalfans, an all-inclusive fan club platform. Find him on Twitter @andrewloyalfans and contact social@loyalfans.com for promo opportunities. Loyalfans can be followed @realloyalfans on both Twitter and Instagram.