Harris Brown

Welcome to Backdrop, a publication exploring what it means to navigate life as a creator.

There’s simply never been a better time to be a creator.

 is alive, well...and exploding. More people than ever before are writing that novel, recording that album or building that company. Signalfire estimates that there are

 globally that consider themselves to be creators. Add to it the rise of platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Substack, OnlyFans (and so many more) and the options for creating are limitless.

The internet has also made it effortless to push one's creations out to an audience. The result is that creators of all kinds are building lifestyles around creating that were unimaginable to a previous generation. There’s now an entire economy that’s emerged to support the specific needs of creators. Looking for help with distribution, monetization or managing your own company? There’s a business or service out there to support you.

more kids want to be YouTube stars than astronauts when they grow up

, you can be confident we've entered the golden age of creating.

Creating ain’t all rainbows and unicorns

The reality is that being a creator of any kind is — dare I say — 

It's all too easy to lose ourselves to the allure of our favorite YouTube creator with 1M+ views, that TikTok influencer gone viral or the solopreneur running her own media company. What we, the audience, sees is definitely not where it all started. And those that never made it? We don’t even see them to begin with. 

Hidden beneath the luster is the inescapable reality that a hell of a lot went into a creator getting to that point.

A whole lotta hustle, with oftentimes a whole little gain. Blood, sweat and (the occasional) tear. Solitary days and nights, even years. Procrastination, procrastination...and more procrastination. Creators block, blank pages and empty calendars. Never-ending struggles to even find the time to create, amidst an ever intrusive world. Plus all the unsexy stuff too, like managing the day, operating a business and keeping finances afloat.

The challenges can seem insurmountable enough to throw in the towel before you’ve even given it a proper start.

But it’s with the challenges, we know also come the rewards. It’s with the lows, come the highs. It’s with the process, comes the product. We know the creative pursuit is worth it. Incredibly worth it, in fact. Otherwise, I promise we wouldn’t be here.

 rainbows and unicorns, we sure know that it is a lot of the time.

Backdrop exists to provide a clarifying voice to the conversation around what it means, like 

Behind every creator, there’s a human, there’s a process and there’s a method to the madness. We’re here to introduce you to that human, shine a light on that process and help you navigate that madness.

We’re here to celebrate the good, while not shying away from the bad. We’re here to normalize the unavoidable challenges of being a creator, and provide the support to move forward in the face of them. Ultimately, we're here to assist you in navigating the life of being a creator - more effectively, authentically and 

Profiles of prolific creators, known and unknown. Excavations and explorations on the motivations and challenges of creative living. Collaborations from the Creative Kitchen team on topics like what it means to write collectively and build a writer collective in plain sight. These are all the kinds of things you can expect to find in our corner of the internet.

And since we consider the act of creation to be a forever work-in-progress, you should expect us to surprise you (and ourselves) along the way.

Come hang out with us, behind the Backdrop

We’re happy you're here, and we're damn happy to be here.

If any of this resonates, and you'd like to get involved or share your story or any ideas, we'd love to hear from you. 

A new publication exploring what it means to navigate life as a creator

Introducing: Backdrop

Exploring what it means to navigate life as a creator

Want to read more like this?