Designer’s Next Special Edition: How to build a trustworthy community

After the enthusiast jump in June, I started to get my workflow. I had a mission and goals to reach, as everyone starts from a point; I created my account to build. Today’s newsletter is all about what I have learned, reached but mostly importantly what connections I have made and I invited some to write their story too!

The “how”

“I won’t quit” Is commonly used as an excuse but isn’t your motivation to keep going, the difference between your motivation and what keeps your engine running is discipline. You can have the biggest dreams, the biggest desires but you have to have a “how”.

Motivation is the why behind your actions. It is what drives you to do something, whether it's a feeling of excitement, a desire to achieve a goal, or a fear of failure. Motivation can be fleeting, and it can be difficult to maintain, especially when you're facing challenges or setbacks.

Discipline is how you achieve your goals. It is the ability to take action, even when you don't feel motivated. Discipline is about consistency and commitment. It is about making a plan and sticking to it, even when you don't want to. The “how” has to be realistic, not a dream. By making a plan, an efficient workflow you can reach the goals you are aiming for. As a designer and online creator, I want to reach curtain impressions, sales and followers but personal growth is more important than those digital numbers. It's the development and improvement within yourself that truly matters in the long run.

Your workflow

Setting clear and well-defined goals is key to an efficient workflow. For example, as a creator, you could aim to create a certain number of new design concepts each week or establish deadlines for completing projects. This clarity helps you stay focused and provides clarity for your creative process.

Once you have your goals in place, effective planning and prioritization are essential. A practical step is to create a project plan that outlines the scope of your work and includes specific timelines. By breaking down larger tasks into smaller, manageable ones, you can avoid overwhelming and can consistently progress. For instance, as a content creator, you might divide your content creation process into research, outlining, writing, editing, and publishing phases, allocating dedicated time for each.

Time management techniques can greatly enhance your workflow. The Pomodoro technique is one such approach. By setting a timer for focused work sessions, such as 25 minutes, followed by a short break, you can maintain concentration and. Experiment with different durations to find what works best for you. Additionally, using digital tools like Notion can help you stay organized and track your progress.

Your workspace plays a crucial role in your creative flow. Keep your physical or digital workspace clutter-free and organized to minimize distractions. Consider creating templates or presets for commonly used design elements or content formats to save time and ensure consistency. This way, you can maintain a cohesive visual style or writing voice across your work. A workflow is different for everyone so make it yours. That works.

Building a community

You can be a carpenter, teacher or even an astronaut, what they all need is people around them. To sell, talk and connect, you will need to build a network to create a circle. This grows over time; good. But keep the ones that care for the closest and keep them small. No one needs to know everything so having the ones that you trust the most the closest is necessary.

There is a difference between a community and a friend’s circle, the community built online or in real time is only for supporting you, spreading your mind and keeping track of your doing. Building online requires a lot of discipline, but it is worth it. The hardest part is to find your niche, building upon it and sticking to what works while experimenting with new methods. New methodes meaning, workflows, content scheduling and social media strategies.

I have been building, the progress is like LEGO, each brick is crucial to the whole set you are building. Once completed you can reconstruct it and re-purpose it. The journey so far goes back 3-4 months ago when I wanted to pick up Graphic Design work with a new account, a new program and a new mindset. Quickly I learned Notion, a notetaking app that also provides templates. With a new x.com account I gained the discipline to grow, to stay active, to connect with others.

There is a lot you can learn from different perspectives, people come together on an app, X has changed, since I first joined in 2016. More controversy, new name, new logo but still the same community focused approach that no other website or app has. I made friends, new connections and new contacts that I speak too. I asked them a few questions to share their experience.

How did you get on X/Twitter?

“I was already on Twitter for more than 10 years with a lurker account with no face or name. Twitter didn't let you see the links shared if you didn't have an account.

I mainly followed "fun" accounts about gaming, cat videos, and some meme accounts. About one year ago, somehow a post from Easlo breached into my Twitter feed, and I saw him making money selling Notion templates.

Easlo is one of biggest Notion creators out there, he inspired a lot of us. It is safe to say that he brought Notion templates to a new level.

I always wanted to be present on the internet, but I don't want to be "just another clown" that we all see dominate the internet. So, I created a new account because Algo knew me in the wrong way and would show me only "fun" content even if I followed some beneficial accounts. In this new account, I started to follow whoever Easlo follows. If my feed would like him, I can be like him too.

Almost more than nine months have passed since I took this action. I learned a lot about productivity and read a lot of great books. But I kept lying to myself and never posted anything. And another breakthrough happened for me. I read "War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. In short, the book is about overcoming obstacles that hinder your progress and cultivating self-discipline to engage in meaningful work. And after that, I read Austin Kleon's "Steal Like an Artist" and "Show Your Work" books. These three books helped me stop lying to myself.

I learned how to create content and how to really "start" my creator journey here on Twitter. That's how I started my account with my real name and face.”

In many of the responses including this one, it was not their first time on Twitter/X or not their first thought when starting content creating. Having an inspiration first really contributes to what people are doing right now.

Do you have any specific goals for your Twitter presence, such as follower growth, engagement, or networking?

“Not gonna lie, my main goal is to gain visibility for my business. At least, that was my first intention. But after being there for a while now, I realized that Twitter is a great place to share and exchange with the community! My initial goal is still the same, but I'm less focused on growth now and more focused on enjoying the journey.”

The journey you take as an individual is an experience many people refer to as a “journey” myself included. You learn, connect and talk to others that share the same passion.

“Networking and growing along with distributing productivity and lessons learning on my journey.”

“Networking and growth are my main aim for X.”

X is by far the best platform to grow, not only can I share everything you want but also create your own network.

Could you share your intentions when it comes to using Twitter effectively, be it for personal branding, marketing your creations, or simply staying connected with your audience?

“My ultimate intention is to use Twitter as an easy way to reach wider audiences. be a prominent figure in productivity and notion-related content. But it doesn't come to you easily. You have to work hard to become one. There are many phases I had to endure, and you'll have to endure the same ones too. I'll explain what phase I was in below: “

To start off on such a platform it is crucial to know what you are going for, when starting out, grabbing a wide audience first opens more opportunities. You connect to more different people, that share different things but still have connected ends with you.

“1) Beginners Hell: You are brand new, and no one cares or sees your posts. This is really hard to endure because you are tweeting into the void. And your first connections can only be with other fellow creators. You are full of uninformed optimism, so it is easy to go forward.

2) Echo Chamber: Once only people you follow and get followed back are within your niche, you'll have a hard time stuck in there. Algo also notices this and puts you in a cluster with similar accounts. It is great to have connections, but it is hard to reach customers from there.

3) The Valley of Despair: Many fell into this and never recovered. You follow new accounts like you, but 90% of them quit within 2 months. This also affects your post-performance, and you feel like you are losing your friends, so your post-performance drops. If you can climb out of a valley of despair, your real journey begins.

4) Survivors Plateau: Now you have climbed out of the Valley of Despair. Many friends are gone, but you keep looking for new ones. You don't grow exponentially in this phase, but your content is better and stronger, and you have a clear mind. Things are going to get well soon. Posting daily is no longer a hassle; second nature.

5) Exponential Growth: I am not in this phase yet. But I know the day will come. You get your personal brand defined, your voice found, and your products marketed efficiently. You get followers efficiently and easily, while smaller, new accounts look up to you and want to interact with you. If you keep showing up, this phase comes, and your life forever changes. With all those in mind, I am finally figuring things out, and I consider myself on the "Survivors Plateau".”

A work plan like this gives a good view of what is going on behind the scenes, a few posts here and there can be a document full of backed up information and knowledge. Creating your own plan secures a more stable journey.

“I believe it encompasses all three aspects, haha: personal branding, marketing my products, and engaging with the community. Striking a balance between these is crucial. I would argue that connecting with your audience is particularly important in the beginning. Without an audience, your marketing efforts will have little impact...”

This hits every note, there are aspects to building, you want to spread a message but also keep it personal because you create recognizability for viewers. The returning viewers will recognize you and see your face and branding and think “Hey” I saw that before. But succeeding at this is the hardest part of all.

Are there any unique or creative approaches you've taken on Twitter to stand out and accomplish your goals?

“Being myself, personality shines more than joining the crowd, and Twitter makes it easier to do it than other platforms I’ve used.”

“I give 80% of my time to engage with other peers, this has helped me really meet some awesome friends here.”

This doubles down on the fact that X is the best platform to gain a community, I reckon that competitors aren’t even close to X.

“I'm not at the point where I'd say I've made a notable impact on X yet. I'm actively working on attracting the right audience and sharpening my communication. Engaging with my audience through sharing my personal experiences and viewpoints on various related subjects is my approach. I believe that consistently creating content and products my ideal audience adores will pave the way for me to make a mark eventually. It's a gradual process, so I'm focusing on taking it one step at a time. :)”

To gain trust it is important to master communication, it takes more than a direct message to grow. It is the content that counts, you need to have personality and show it.

What advice would you give to other creators looking to make the most of their Twitter presence and achieve their own objectives?

“This might sound really banal, but here is the answer: keep showing up every day, and you'll figure it all out. I copy what works. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If you copy someone else, you'll fall short and do it with your own style anyway. Don't be ashamed to copy people, styles, and techniques…..”

Repurposing content is important, with billions of posts, stories and articles it is impossible to be 100% original and you don’t have to, even better; it is right to copy others. There is no problem, it is simply said; everyone does it. Just don’t overcomplicate it, and never 1:1 copy paste it.

“I don't feel quite qualified to give advice yet, lol. But honestly, just be true to yourself and pursue what you're truly passionate about. That in itself is fantastic, and whatever you do, never give up.”

It is good to see shared passions on X, even with different backgrounds, stories and intentions. To gain motivation you have to have a mindset, and to never give up is the most well-known but also the most helpful one. It is the one you should always stick to.

“I love to challenge myself like this, and these are the tangible examples I can give, so don't take those as boasting. Nowadays, I find myself unproductive. That's why I strive to read and teach about productivity and build Notion templates while doing so.”

It is striving to move forward, while tackling obstacles and seeing the great in something worse. Keep challenging yourself. That is what you as creator and user are meant to do, keep yourself inspired to keep the momentum. Many things are involved in such a process, fire back when things go south, adapt when needed, see trends and get involved with the people you share with. “Collaborate with other creators.” is just an example of how you can provide and create unique content. Throw a curveball sometimes, to see how it bounces back.

At the end of the day, it is all about you

“You don't have to force yourself to make a checklist. Make it natural, but don't let your friendships wither.” Make it your own journey, listen with one ear to others, don’t have to do everything that someone else does that works for them. I see a lot of advice posts on my timeline, including things like that you have to wake up early to make the best of your day. Of course, that can work for someone, but not everyone, at the start of your journey you are overwhelmed with these kinds of posts.

Building a community is weirdly not about the people around you but about you, it is you that is building. You are reaching, posting and laughing, but it is also you that is sharing. “Share with the community, be there for others, and they will give back to you x10. You will achieve your objectives faster if you prioritize the community above all.”

Machines won’t do it; you can get help but you are the hand that controles the work. “Stop looking for hacks and cheats, put in the work.”. It is the value you are bringing what people like, the reason why people click on you. “I mostly try to share resources with my followers and the community. That's why I often share videos or appealing visuals.”

Thanks for reading this special edition, it is having been a pleasure to dig deeper once in a while, I couldn’t have done it with the wonderful creators that contributed to this newsletter, they took the extra time for sharing their experiences. Check them out:

“Be yourself and simple, kindly with everyone.”