<p>* takes a drag of my imaginary Cuban cigar.</p><p>Alright, let's get into it - you are not a creative! </p><p><br></p><p>I actually can't count the number of words that have been abused and diluted in recent times. But today, let's focus on the word 'creative'. I am often hesitant to use that word to describe myself for fear of being lumped together with every other person that claims the title loosely. I bet you, if you take a survey on social media, a lot of people would describe themselves as creatives even if the truth is that they really are not. They are merely infatuated with the idea of identifying as one even though they know nothing of what it takes.</p><p><br></p><p>Being a creative doesn't require the same painstaking process as being a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer - at least that's what a lot of people think. As a matter of fact, let's start with the important questions: who are creatives and what do they actually do? Does being able to take a picture with your phone and slapping on a filter on it, count in the qualifications of one being a creative? Or is piecing together a written work with the aid of ChatGPT a sure fire way to bear the title?The simple answer is a big fat NO! Ask the nearest photographer what it takes to capture an image, and maybe you'd get a faint idea.</p><p><br></p><p>Photography is one thing, then there's videography, writing, music, art and the rest. All these are constantly being watered down as technology advances and phone companies cheapen the crafts with apps that automatically do the work. While it may be cool for a group of people, it's nightmarish for the true artisans who have devoted time in mastering their specific skills.</p><p><br></p><p>I do photography and cinematography (certified from an institution), and a lot of times I've had clients ask me why I charge the amount I do, when it's just to point and shoot like the other creators on Instagram. Fighting the urge to curse them out, I explain to them that what I do isn't quite as plain as they make it seem. However, I can't blame them. How could I? There are a lot of impostors out there who claim to possess the same skills even when all they have is a fancy phone and apps. Can you imagine if some random guy claimed to be a lawyer because he has an app that reads out the constitution to him?</p><p><br></p><p>Labelling yourself a creative isn't just an attempt to be cool. It is hard work! It is the ability to birth an idea through various platforms that connects with people. A creative photographer creates awe inspiring images from his knowledge of exposure, lenses, composition, lighting, and a lot more. It is the expert combination of all of these that translates into the amazing photographs you fall in love with. Instagram filters and iPhone cameras have nothing to do with it.</p><p><br></p><p>A creative fictional writer understands structure, plot elements, character development etc, which he uses to evoke emotions from his readers and audience. He isn't a creative because he can gist and tell tales.</p><p><br></p><p>So before my imaginary cigar burns out, let me reiterate that you are not a creative if your entire creativity is dependent on phones and free apps from the app store.</p>
INSUFFICIENT QUALIFICATION!
ByJefferson Nnadiekwe•4 plays
0:00 /
0:00
|
I know you like my insights đ. Kindly consider leaving a tip.
At the end of the month, we give out prizes in 3 categories: Best Content, Top Engagers and
Most Engaged Content.
Best Content
Top Engagers
Most Engaged Content
Best Content
We give out cash prizes to 7 people with the best insights in the past month. The 7 winners are picked
by an in-house selection process.
The winners are NOT picked from the leaderboards/rankings, we choose winners based on the quality, originality
and insightfulness of their content.
Top Engagers
For the Top Engagers Track, we award the top 3 people who engage the most with other user's content via
comments.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Engagers" tab on the rankings page.
Most Engaged Content
The Most Engaged Content recognizes users whose content received the most engagement during the month.
We pick the top 3.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Contributors" tab on the rankings page.
Here are a few other things to know for the Best Content track
1
Quality over Quantity — You stand a higher chance of winning by publishing a few really good insights across the entire month,
rather than a lot of low-quality, spammy posts.
2
Share original, authentic, and engaging content that clearly reflects your voice, thoughts, and opinions.
3
Avoid using AI to generate contentâuse it instead to correct grammar, improve flow, enhance structure, and boost clarity.
4
Explore audio contentâhigh-quality audio insights can significantly boost your chances of standing out.
5
Use eye-catching cover imagesâif your content doesn't attract attention, it's less likely to be read or engaged with.
6
Share your content in your social circles to build engagement around it.
Contributor Rankings
The Rankings/Leaderboard shows the Top 20 contributors and engagers on TwoCents a monthly and all-time basis
— as well as the most active colleges (users attending/that attended those colleges)
The all-time contributors ranking is based on the Contributor Score, which is a measure of all the engagement and exposure a contributor's content receives.
The monthly contributors ranking tracks performance of a user's insights for the current month. The monthly and all-time scores are calcuated DIFFERENTLY.
This page also shows the top engagers on an all-time & monthly basis.
All-time Contributors
All-time Engagers
Top Monthly Contributors
Top Monthly Engagers
Most Active Colleges
Contributor Score
The all-time ranking is based on users' Contributor Score, which is a measure of all
the engagement and exposure a contributor's content receives.
Here is a list of metrics that are used to calcuate your contributor score, arranged from
the metric with the highest weighting, to the one with the lowest weighting.
1
Subscriptions received
2
Tips received
3
Comments (excluding replies)
4
Upvotes
5
Views
6
Number of insights published
Engagement Score
The All-time Engagers ranking is based on a user's Engagement Score — a measure of how much a
user engages with other users' content via comments and upvotes.
Here is a list of metrics that are used to calcuate the Engagement Score, arranged from
the metric with the highest weighting, to the one with the lowest weighting.
1
A user's comments (excluding replies & said user's comments on their own content)
2
A user's upvotes
Monthly Score
The Top Monthly Contributors ranking is a monthly metric indicating how users respond to your posts, not just how many you publish.
We look at three main things:
1
How strong your best post is —
Your highest-scoring post this month carries the most weight. One great post can take you far.
2
How consistent the engagement you receive is —
We also look at the average score of all your posts. If your work keeps getting good reactions, you get a boost.
3
How consistent the engagement you receive is —
Posting more helps â but only a little.
Extra posts give a small bonus that grows slowly, so quality always matters more than quantity.
In simple terms:
A great post beats many ignored posts
Consistently engaging posts beat one lucky hit
Spamming low-engagement posts won't help
Tips, comments, and upvotes from others matter most
This ranking is designed to reward
Thoughtful, high-quality posts
Real engagement from the community
Consistency over time â without punishing you for posting again
The Top Monthly Contributors leaderboard reflects what truly resonates, not just who posts the most.
Top Monthly Engagers
The Top Monthly Engagers ranking tracks the most active engagers on a monthly basis
Here is what we look at
1
A user's monthly comments (excluding replies & said user's comments on their own content)
2
A user's monthly upvotes
Most Active Colleges
The Most Active Colleges ranking is a list of the most active contributors on TwoCents, grouped by the
colleges/universities they attend(ed)
Here is what we look at
1
All insights posted by contributors that attended a particular school (at both undergraduate or postgraduate levels)
2
All comments posted by contributors that attended a particular school (at both undergraduate or postgraduate levels) —
excluding replies
Below is a list of badges on TwoCents and their designations.
Comments