Defining the outcome
What do you want, when do you want to get it?
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 276
More and more these days there’s something of a pervasive, almost an exhausting hum in the creative world.
It’s the sound of a million gears spinning, powered not by internal fire, but by external metrics.
It’s the constant chase for the viral hit, the obsessive refresh for follower milestones, the sideways glance at a competitor’s “overnight” success.
And if you listen closely, beneath that hum, you can hear the quiet crackle of burnout.
Burnout isn’t something that happens to no-hopers.
It’s not reserved solely for those who quit.
It’s real, it’s hellish, and if you let it, it can and will kick the legs out from under you.
I’m here to tell you that the most radical, sustaining act you can perform as a creative is to stop looking at other people’s progress and finish line and start defining what success means to you.
We’re conditioned to believe success is a universal standard. More likes, more shares, more clients, more revenue than them.
It’s a never-ending race on a track someone else built. And unless you’re a top-rated driver or a spirited sprinter, the track might not be the right place for you.
What if you’re a swimmer?
Or a painter?
What if expending too much energy saps your strength?
What if you’re not that good at peopling?
What if, rather than being the centre of attention in a roaring stadium your soul is meant for personal solitude on a quiet forest path?
By relentlessly chasing other people’s metrics, you’re tacitly agreeing to live their definition of a creative life instead of your own. And I promise you, in that way lies soul crushing emptiness.
Before you post anything, before you pivot yet again because some online guru told you that’s what you have to do to succeed, before you pour another ounce of your soul into the algorithm’s abyss, you must do the hard, quiet work of looking inward.
Ask yourself the fundamental questions:
“What outcome am I looking for here? What will fulfill me? What will I be satisfied with? What will be enough? Not more. Enough.”
Are you looking for:
Personal impact? The profound, deeply-moving letter from one person who said your work changed their perspective, or changed their life.
Freedom? The ability to work on anything, from anywhere, on your own schedule, answering primarily to your own curiosity.
Connection? Building a true community of 500 devoted people who genuinely converse with you, rather than a crowd of 50,000 silent spectators.
Sustainable income? Earning enough from your craft to live comfortably, without monetizing every square inch of your psyche.
Joy in the process? The sheer, private thrill of getting the idea out of your head and into the world, regardless of its reception.
This is defining the outcome. It is not a vague wish to be successful. It is a specific, personal, and emotional destination.
It is your true north.
When you have this clarity, everything changes.
The noise fades and the chaos stills.
Instead of being the holy grail, a single, simple viral hit becomes a pleasant anomaly.
While it’s great for them, a competitor’s splashy launch becomes less important to you and more a point of irrelevant data, because while it’s great for them, it’s not moving you toward your finish line.
Your content becomes uniquely yours because it is created from this place of purpose.
It’s no longer content for an audience “out there”; it’s an expression of the creative life you are deliberately building in here. For yourself and for your followers.
Despite having a huge list of subscribers, not everyone on your list is going to read every article you publish or watch every video you shoot or listen to ever minute of every podcast you record. They’re just not. And for your own peace of mind, you need to be OK with that.
The journey becomes purposeful when each step you take is measured against your own definition of progress.
Did that project bring you closer to freedom?
Did that piece deepen a connection?
Did today’s work sustain your energy and joy?
The answers to these questions are how you build a career that lasts rather than being not just a bright flash that fizzles out after a few months. You need to be in this for the long run.
So, put down the industry reports for a moment.
Mute the accounts that make you feel frantic.
Grab a notebook, take a walk, and have the honest conversation with yourself about what you want, where you need to be, and what your finish line looks like.
Define it.
Examine it.
Own it.
Embrace it.
Make it yours.
Write it down.
Then act on it.
Then, and only then, start creating toward it.
In the long term, your work will be sharper for the time you invest in this process, your mind will be clearer, and your creative spirit will be powered not by fear of falling behind, but by the profound motivation of moving toward a life you actually want.
That’s how you outlast the trends.
That’s how you build a legacy that matters.
That’s how you create, not from a place of lack, but from a place of purpose.
Now, go build your outcome.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Looking towards 2027
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.