Those lists are important because they keep people engaged and give us some context on how to think about other people’s creative work. But remember that human beings have made those curated lists. Someone, somewhere, decided they were going to be a tastemaker and put their opinion out there for the world.

You can do the exact same thing, and there is great power in doing so.

One of the best ways you can serve your readers is not only by creating content like blog posts and books, but also curating other people’s content. There is so much material out there that it’s hard to wade through. How can we possibly make sense of it all unless someone helps us?

Whatever your area of writing, think about ways you can help your reader rank or arrange the best material out there. Help them understand what’s worth watching, reading, or listening to, and what’s not. Become the person that others turn to for leadership and guidance in your space. As a creative and a writer, this is an important part of the way you can have an impact in your space.

Don’t just sit by and let others be the curators and tastemakers. Take it upon yourself to be the one who helps determine the best content in your field.

Question: If you were going to make a top 10 list of items in your field, what would be on that list?

The post Are You a Tastemaker? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

If writing is a house, each of us lives on two levels.

The ground floor is where we invite people in. We share things we think people want to hear. We say a lot of nice things, put some coffee on, and invite people to sit around the table. On the ground floor, we have the furniture arranged just so and we try to keep things spic and span.

Underneath the ground floor, there is also a basement. The basement is where we keep boxes full of the things we really want to say. But we rarely bring them out because we’re not sure how people will respond. We keep things in the dark out of fear. But it’s important to bring those things into the light.

What might some of those things be? Maybe it’s a trauma you experienced like losing someone you love or going through a divorce. Maybe it’s your controversial opinions about something. Maybe it’s telling the not-so-nice parts of your story so you can help others. Maybe it’s talking openly about your mental health issues. Who knows what it might be—it’s different for every person.

The point is that you have things to say that people might object to, things that might get you in a little trouble. It’s not that we should seek to be controversial for its own sake. Rather, the point is we should be brave and bold when the time and situation are right.

We must be smart about all this, of course. But there is a time to stop holding back and just tell it like it is. Could it be that your time has come?

Daily Question: What is it you really want to say? What is holding you back from saying it?

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