Beware the Gatekeepers

The almighty algorithm sure has us dialed in, giving us more access to creative tools and educational content than we could ever need. With just a few clicks, we can learn about absolutely anything that floats our creative boats.

But along with this bounty of useful knowledge comes something far less helpful: gatekeeping. And it could be one of the biggest issues standing between you and a successful creative journey.

Guardians of the Gate

You see the gatekeepers everywhere these days. The YouTubers and influencers with their all-cap video titles telling you that YOU MUST DO THIS TO SUCCEED! The “thought leaders” all over LinkedIn, yelling hard-and-fast rules about what you NEED to know, HAVE to do, or MUST be thinking if you ever want to succeed at anything in your life.

And of course we’re instantly drawn to them… they’re practically handing us a roadmap for success. If we just follow their rules, we can become better artists, photographers, marketers, painters, gardeners, or anything else we want to explore to keep our creative juices flowing.

But if you dig a little deeper, I think you’ll find that a lot of these so-called experts are putting up some unnecessary barriers to entry for the rest of us. They’re not just sharing ideas—they’re creating a weird sense of fear and insecurity in their viewers.

Fear that if you don’t follow their exact rules, you’ll fail. That if you don’t buy their programs, follow their marketing dogma, stick to their path, or color in their lines, you’ll get left behind and never experience the joy of a fulfilling creative outlet.

The problem with all of this is that it can just as easily stop you from starting a new creative adventure. With all the rules that seem to be in place, it sometimes seems easier to give up before you even begin. Which is the last thing you should do!

The Rise of the Gatekeepers

In the world of content creation, everyone wants to be known as an expert. We’re told that in order to be taken seriously, you need to position yourself as a brilliant thought leader with all the answers to all the questions.

And to be fair, many of these creators do have valuable knowledge to share. They’ve spent time developing their craft and their insights can definitely help others on a similar path.

The problems start to happen when these insights get packaged and delivered as the only way to succeed. The proverbial TRUTH. What starts as guidance can quickly turn into rigid frameworks that stifle creativity and artistry. Rules that we’re told must be followed and therefore leave little room for experimentation and exploration – which is where all the real growth happens.

The Problem with Gatekeeping

But here’s the truth (or at least my version of the truth, given the topic at hand): no one holds the keys to the creative process. And no one formula can guarantee success.

Creativity flourishes in freedom. The freedom to explore different paths. To try different approaches. To splash some paint outside the lines. To throw as much spaghetti against the wall as you need to before you find out what sticks.

When we place too many arbitrary rules on the creative process, we aren’t opening any new doors—we’re just keeping the existing ones shut. Blocking people out. Excluding the newcomers. Crushing enthusiasm and killing dreams.

And this is where gatekeeping becomes problematic. It discourages us from taking risks, trying new things, or – worst case scenario–from starting anything that interests us at all.

Creativity Isn’t a Formula

We’re all on our own unique journey. Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, marketer, or whatever, what works for one person may not be the thing that works for you.

Just as what works for you may not work for someone else. And that’s completely okay.

By turning a creative process into something formulaic, we rob it of the thing that matter most: the joy of discovery.

When you start to believe there’s only one way to do the thing you want to do, you stop exploring. You stop trusting your own instincts and start second-guessing and overthinking every choice along the way.

But here’s the thing.

Creativity should be about curiosity, trial and error, and the thrill of discovering something new about both yourself and the medium at hand – not about following someone else’s rigid checklist.

Ignore the Gatekeepers and Carve Your Own Path

So, what’s the solution to all of this? Stop listening to the gatekeepers and taking their words as gospel. Or at least pick and choose wisely. Treat their rules as suggestions. Their MUSTS as maybes. Their NEED TOS as perhapses. Their TRUTHS as options. And their advice as starting points.

Some of it may work for you. And some of it may not.

But don’t let random voices on the Internet dictate how you create if their advice doesn’t resonate with you. The way to find your creative voice is to experiment, fail, learn, and grow on your own terms.

Try something new, even if your approach doesn’t align with the “best practices” everyone online is telling you to follow. Don’t let the fear of getting it wrong stop you from doing it at all.

Your creative journey isn’t about perfection—it’s about the process. And the joy you get from that process. It’s about finding what works best for you and doing it that way.

Until you discover another path that works even better.