There’s a great divide on the internet between those who produce — we’ll call them plants, and those who consume — we’ll call them animals. Plants take nutrients from around them — code, shapes, words — and combine them to produce sustenance — programs, design, stories. Animals consume this sustenance, digest it, and fertilize new plants with the waste — money and attention. And so the wheel of online content goes round.

In reality, content production and consumption is a spectrum. These days, everyone produces and consumes something, given how simple and easy both activities have become. But the scales are heavily biased toward consumption. Quality content is everywhere and basically free. There is simply so much low hanging fruit, that it’s hard to fault an animal for eating it rather than making some sustenance of their own. It’s also an enormous risk being a plant. It opens you up to judgement as people consume the things you’ve created. In addition, creating quality things normally takes an incredible amount of time and energy — both of which are finite resources.

Being a plant is a mindset.

For all its struggles, being a plant can be incredibly rewarding. In the right set of circumstances, plants can grow to be enormous and spread virally. The birth of the internet has exponentially shortened the path from obscurity to success for producers. The field has been leveled so that anyone with laptop and an internet connection can build almost anything given enough creativity, skill, and patience. With the barrier to entry so low and the potential payoff so high, it’s natural to wonder what’s stopping people from becoming producers?

Ultimately, it’s our fear that holds us back from acting on our instinct to make. We’re afraid of starting, afraid of finishing, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of missing out, and especially — afraid of being judged. Almost all animals are capable of feeling fear. It’s hard-wired into us as a fight or flight response. It’s a rather unfortunate side effect from our species’ humble beginnings.

Plants don’t feel fear. Instead they adapt. They grow towards the sun. If they aren’t finding success, they extend their roots in new directions until they hit water again. Being a plant is a mindset. It requires you to separate your ego from your work, to share openly with the world, to take criticism gracefully, and above all else be willing to adapt.

Are you a plant?