Gold before shovels. During the Gold Rush, the people who made the most money weren't the prospectors looking for gold, but those selling shovels. This anecdote gets thrown around a lot lately because we are in another gold rush: the creator economy. The fracturing of the mainstream media and the proliferation of new tech tools means it is easier than ever to make money as a creator. A camera, a keyboard, and the internet: this is what you need to build an audience and change your life. Huge changes are afoot and a lot of people will get rich, but this is where the gold rush analogy falls apart. The reason people got rich selling shovels during the gold rush was that prospecting for gold was zero-sum: you had to hit the motherlode to get rich. Selling shovels was much steadier business. This is not the case today. Fifteen years ago @kevin2kelly laid out the blueprint for creators in his essay 1,000 true fans. Today, a creator can earn a living from the direct support of a thousand committed fans, each spending $8 per month. Many have started this journey and found it difficult. They have to upskill themselves. They often graciously turn and offer lessons on what they have learned. I have witnessed that here, many creators fall into a trap. The immediate gratification from sharing and selling lessons on "how to be a creator" eclipses the reason they got into the creating business in the first place. There are a lot of innovative, noble, hard-working people making tools and content for creators. I admire their vision and that they provide a needed service. And I really admire their work ethic. After all, we need shovels to find the gold! But there are others who get frustrated honing their craft. They then pivot to selling tools to other aspiring creators. After they've built an audience and got some cashflow, they get frustrated nobody wants the stories and ideas they really care about. If helping creators doesn't speak to you, resist that temptation. The world needs more good ideas. The world needs more great stories. So hone your craft. Keep making art. Find your people. Put gold before shovels.