Who are you, a Producer or a Consumer?

sanjeev yadav
3 min readMay 19, 2017

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What do Miley Cyrus, Lily Singh, Rudy Mancuso, Mr. Kate & Grant Thompson have in common? Well, they all are Producers. And if you were guessing what do we have in common with them!!! Well, close to none. We are mere Consumers. Let me explain the terminologies used here.

Producer: A person who brings something into existence. Also known as creator, inventor, creative weirdo etc. It is all about unleashing your creativity and imagination.

Consumer: A person who devours on the content devised by the producer.

Even reading a book is an act of consuming.

From the very beginning of time we are trained to consume content whether it’s a book in school or a video on YouTube. A very little thought and even lesser effort is given into actually creating something from the knowledge you recently acquired. For instance, when we feel distressed or want solace, we start compulsive consuming. It gives temporary fake emotional relief but we end up in endless loop of consumption.

What most of us do not realize is that producing and creating content is way more fun and enjoyable than mindlessly consuming. And I get why most of us fail to realize this simple fact. It’s because it requires initial effort and consistent perseverance. Producing is a venture, with uncertainties and surprises hidden in the process waiting to be revealed and unearthed. When you devise something authentic of your own, you’re actually formulating and discovering new experiences as opposed to consuming someone else’s when you barely watch.

Think of it, what’s more interesting: Being an obscure part of an endless list of YouTube comment section or actually being the creator of that video who originally provoked those thoughts. When you are a creator you are the protagonist, you cause up a chain reaction, where your content gives rise to a new content.

How to exterminate the tag of a Consumer and start being a Producer?

  1. Ask yourself, Which role you are actually playing? Whenever you do something just give it a thought and question yourself: What role you are playing at this current instance? Is it a producer or a consumer? You will be amazed how often we end up being a consumer.
  2. Stop Mindless Consumption. Don’t just watch, scratch your head for new thoughts or ideas. Get inspired from what you just read, listened to or saw. Add your own creativity and imagination and create something new.
  3. Just Start. I know it sounds cliche but start small. It could be a simple and short musical composition, a fun vlog or even a silly article like this. It’s time to shatter the shackles of self-restraint and confinement of your own creation and break free to a newer and yet undiscovered version of yourself. Believe me, once you get a taste of creating something, you will get addicted.

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sanjeev yadav

Front end & Android Developer, in deep love with learning about CS and a travel enthusiast :) https://github.com/alexakasanjeev