"Behind the Screen: Why Gen Xers Like Me Respect the Hustle of Full-Time Creators"
Why I Salute the Full-Time Creators (and Why I’m Not One of Them)
As a Gen Xer, I grew up before the internet was everywhere. We learned to be resourceful, we handled things analog, and we still remember what life was like before we had a computer in our pocket. But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped learning. Lately, I’ve been diving deep into the digital world by experimenting with AI tools, learning content creation, and sharing my journey as I go. Through it all, one thing has become clear: the people who do this full-time? They work really hard.
Juggling a full-time job in hospitality, finishing my college degree, and launching creative side projects has shown me just how time-consuming the digital grind can be. There’s this assumption that creating content is quick and glamorous. Many people think anyone can post a picture, hit upload, and poof, you’re an influencer. I guarantee anyone who's tried it knows that’s far from the truth.
Creating a brand and the content that goes with it takes hours. Not just to create, but to learn. I’ve spent whole evenings exploring different AI platforms, tweaking designs, redoing videos, and testing tools to see what works best. Posting the content you create means uploading to a website which requires formatting, SEO, layout design, and endless tweaks. Sharing to social media involves crafting clever hooks, engaging captions, visuals, hashtags, and a tone that somehow speaks to an audience while staying true to your voice. YouTube is a beast all its own, and being able to juggle all of the digital platforms requires patience, perseverance,
This process has given me deep respect for the people who live in this space full-time. Every idea they publish is the result of hours spent researching trends, writing and rewriting copy, recording and editing videos, designing graphics, optimizing for SEO, and troubleshooting technical glitches that would make most of us close the laptop and walk away.
They wear every hat: researcher, copywriter, editor, creative director, marketing strategist, branding expert, and tech support. Many of them don’t have a team behind them, they are the entire operation. They juggle growth strategies, community building, analytics tracking, and algorithm shifts, all while trying to stay creatively inspired. Behind every polished post is someone who’s probably been staring at their screen for far longer than they’ll ever let on.
For me, this journey has always been about learning. I’m not trying to live solely online because I simply don’t have the time. We Gen Xers weren’t raised to perform for a digital audience, but many of us are stepping into the arena anyway because we’re curious, because we have something to say, and because we’re still evolving. Doing that while managing jobs, families, and everything else in life takes time and guts.
So, to my fellow Gen X travelers in tech, branding, storytelling, or AI: you don’t have to go viral to be valuable. You don’t have to be full-time to make your time online matter. Every story you share, every post you publish, adds to the evolving digital fabric in a way that reflects our voice.
Each blog post, each project, each imperfect upload is proof that we’re not behind, we’re building on our own terms. It’s all part of shaping a future that still has room for reinvention at any age. We don’t need permission to explore. We don’t need a blueprint to belong here. This Gen X journey might not be fast or flashy, but it’s real.
Add comment
Comments