What does it mean to be a content creator? Even though content creators and influencers are different in a few key ways, one similarity binds them together: making content on the internet for other people to view.
But who can call themselves a content creator, officially? By definition, it's not actually about which platforms you use, whether or not you make money off your content (or how much), or even how many followers or subscribers you have. In fact, there is only one prerequisite you must meet to qualify for the title of "content creator."
That prerequisite is simple: To be a content creator, you must create content. Not once, not once in a while, but regularly. It doesn't have to be good or popular or viral. It just has to be.
I spell this out in this way because there are a lot of creative people who want to be content creators but aren't -- not because they're bad at it, but because they don't actually do it. They talk about doing it. They say they want to do it. But there is no evidence of them actually doing it. The one and only prerequisite, mentioned above, has not been met.
It's scary to put content out on the internet. Even I, who has been "content creating" in the technical sense since the late 2000s, find myself holding my breath before hitting publish when pushing new content out into the world. But I'm classified as a content creator by profession because I do it anyway, even when I don't want to, even when it's hard, even when it's scary.
We all could benefit from worrying less about whether or not our content is "good" and more about just sitting down and doing it. That is what makes us content creators -- actively, willingly, ideally happily creating content day to day, or week to week or month to month. If you're meant to do it, you will find a way. There is always a way.