(This page is a work in progress, which I’ll expand upon in due course.)
The creator economy comprises individuals like knowledge workers, coaches, consultants, writers, musicians, artists, educators, influencers, and podcasters, who earn their income online by offering digital or physical products or services.
These creators cultivate worldwide audiences with the aim of educating, inspiring, engaging, and entertaining.
A creator is an individual who utilizes their unique and innovative thinking to enhance and transform something, thereby increasing its value and making it desirable to others.
I’m a (sovereign) creator. I’ve been one for two decades. I write and teach. But I’m also a lifelong student and learner. Being a creator is a two-sided endeavor.
I suspect you’re a creator, too, at heart, because you’re reading this page (or interested in joining the growing creator economy).
Yet this picture is incomplete. Because where and how we build our place on the internet matters.
“Sovereign” is a meaningful adjective because it infers a statement:
That we’re in complete control and ownership of our work, with the freedom to determine how, when, where, and why our creation is produced, distributed, and monetized.
While sovereign creators use technology (mainly prioritizing open-source technology), we’re keenly aware of what we own and don’t.
For example, using WordPress to power one’s underlying business platform is not the same as building on Substack (or ClickFunnels, Podia, Teachable, Kajabi, et al.), hosted platforms owned by shareholders and VC funding, with the pressure to constantly grow or die.
Being “sovereign” doesn’t mean you can’t use these platforms, but when we choose to, we do so with eyes wide open.
However, if pressed, I firmly believe that sovereign creators who want complete control and ownership of their work and platform are best served using a self-hosted solution like WordPress (or a similar alternative) to build their World.
This is my core tech stack:
- WordPress (free and open-source),
- It’s hosted by Rocket (the world’s fastest WordPress hosting),
- This design is built with GeneratePress + GenerateBlocks theme (I use the premium versions of both),
- I send emails using the brilliant ConvertKit (full review here),
- I use Restrict Content Pro, a membership plugin for WordPress (which includes native Stripe-based payment processing).
There’s no middleman between what I create and how I publish. I own everything. All powered by tech I have complete control over.