✨ the SPARK 212 ~ 7 Ways Your Niche is Quietly Killing Your Creativity (And Your Income)

It's time to let your curiosity lead (your bank account will thank you)

I heard a term this week that I hadn’t ever heard before (probably because even though I had a Twitter account, it was never a platform I spent much time on).

That term is “Money Twitter.”

In other words, people who wrote about growing and making money on Twitter.

And that’s all they did.

There’s a little bit of that vibe on Substack. And if you’re caught up in that (creating or consuming), I highly recommend curating and expanding. Pick one or two people that resonate with you and unsubscribe from the rest.

Not because they’re not providing value, but because it’s like a warped version of “Groundhog Day” (same story, different day).

This is true of any niche.

Our niche can become a comfortable, well-defined space where we've carved out our little corner of the internet.

This isn’t how we grow.

It’s far too easy to get caught up in comparing, analyzing, and trying to do what other people in your niche are doing.

While having a clear niche can be powerful (trust me, I get it), I'm noticing a pattern: Many of us unknowingly limit our creative potential by viewing everything through our niche-tinted glasses.

I joke that I’m “anti-ONLY- niche.”

There’s massive value in creating (and consuming) things outside of your niche.

Here are 7 ways niche tunnel vision might be holding you back and what to try instead:

1. The Echo Chamber Effect

When we only consume content within our niche, we start sounding like everyone else. According to a 2023 study by the Content Marketing Institute, 68% of content creators admit to regularly referencing their competitors' work for inspiration. While staying informed is essential, this echo chamber effect can lead to a sea of sameness.

Try This: Dedicate 30% of your reading time to content completely outside your niche. That food blog you love? It might inspire a fresh approach to structuring your tech tutorials.

2. The Comparison Trap

There's something almost poetic about how focusing too narrowly on our niche leads us down the comparison rabbit hole. We start measuring our chapter 1 against someone else's chapter 20.

As Austin Kleon wisely notes in "Steal Like an Artist" (a fantastic book, by the way), "Draw the art you want to see, write the books you want to read." We forget this fundamental truth when we focus on what others in our niche do.

3. The Innovation Deficit

A 2022 Harvard Business Review study found that the most innovative solutions often come from cross-pollination between different fields. Take Sara Blakely's journey with SPANX. She wasn't a fashion industry veteran – she was selling fax machines when inspiration struck. Her outsider perspective led her to question industry norms (like, "Why do we cut the feet off our pantyhose?") and revolutionize shapewear into a billion-dollar innovation.

The magic happened precisely because she wasn't constrained by traditional fashion industry thinking. She brought fresh eyes and different life experiences to solve problems that industry veterans had overlooked.

Try This: Start a "Creative Cross-Training" practice. If you're a business coach, maybe study architecture principles. You might be surprised how concepts of structure and flow translate to business strategy.

4. The Lost Personal Story

Remember when every Instagram post started looking the same? That's what happens when we forget our unique journey. Your story – with all its messy, beautiful detours – is your real differentiator.

You might think you’ve told your story over and over or subscribed to the idea that “people don’t want to hear about you; it has to be about them” (I call bullshit… our stories make us relatable), but I promise you people want your stories.

5. The Creativity Bottleneck

I’ve started painting with watercolors again and am coming up with all kinds of ideas for more visual guides and using visuals to help teach. When I paint, I’m completely present and focused. I also see parallels with the process. With watercolors, you have to layer and think from the back forward.

These "aha" moments rarely come from scrolling through same-niche content.

6. The Market Blindness

When we're too niche-focused, we miss the beautiful intersections where real innovation happens. Recent research from McKinsey shows that companies embracing cross-industry innovation are 67% more likely to achieve breakthrough success.

Look at Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) - she didn't just create another cooking blog. She wove together rural life, photography, cooking, and storytelling in a way that resonated far beyond the typical food blog audience. Her success came from bringing her whole, multi-faceted self to her work, not from mastering a single niche.

Try This: Start noticing inspiration in unexpected places. That nature documentary might hold your next business insight, or that pottery class might spark a new way to structure your offerings. The magic often happens when we stop trying to stay in our lane.

7. The Joy Drain

Perhaps most importantly, staying strictly within our niche can drain the joy from creation. Creation should feel expansive, not constrictive.

I noticed this in my journey. The more I tried to stay "perfectly aligned" with my niche, the more my content started feeling like a homework assignment rather than a creative expression. My writing became stilted, my ideas predictable, and honestly? I was boring myself.

The turning point came when I gave myself permission to be curious again.

Finding Your Way Back to Creative Freedom

Remember: Your niche should be a foundation, not a prison. As Maya Angelou beautifully put it, "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."

Here's your permission slip to:

• Wander into different sections of the bookstore

• Follow creators who inspire you, regardless of their niche

• Let your curiosity be your compass

• Share those "off-topic" thoughts (they're probably more relevant than you think)

The most compelling voices often come from those who dare to draw connections between seemingly unrelated worlds. Your unique perspective – shaped by everything you consume, experience, and ponder – is your true superpower.

What's one piece of "off-niche" content that's inspired you lately? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

---

SPARK Spotlight 🔥

This is my first time trying an image-to-video AI generator. This stuff makes me giddy.

I created an image in FLUX-AI, then used Pollo to make a video (free plan, and I know FLUX also has an image-to-video, so I’ll compare them).

Here’s the video (The image was her standing; the video created her walking and steaming coffee. Isn’t she cute? Haha):

---

A Little Brainpower 🧠

This is so spot on. “The advice that actually works instead of what gurus tell you.”

More awesomeness from

Finn Tropy

. “How To Schedule Notes on Substack.”

I love this story. Talk about the power of being unique and catering to your audience, regardless of how things have always been done. “Barnes & Noble’s Road To Turnaround.”

---

Tool Time 🛠

• Community: This looks SO good! I’m super excited to set this up for a new client—the best-looking community, courses, and coaching plugin for WordPress. Check out FluentCommunity here (thanks for sharing, Davinder!).

• Screen recording: If you still haven’t settled on a favorite screen recording tool (I love Tella), Here’s an open-source alternative. Try Cap free here.

• Book writing: The supercharged AI story writer that creates full-length books, novels, and screenplays with just a few clicks. Try Squibler free here.

• Motion graphics: I grabbed Uppbeat on an Appsumo deal a couple of years ago for audio files, and they’ve just added motion graphics! Add a subscribe button to your YouTube videos, intros, outros, etc. Check out Uppbeat here.

Here’s an example of a ‘modern Subscribe’ motion graphic 👇:

---

Too funny… 🤣

---

I’m pleased to say I haven’t (didn’t? The week isn’t over yet 😉) gotten anything for Black Friday Cyber Monday (err… Cyber week? Has every sale been “extended?”) just because it was a “good deal.”

The only things I’ve picked up for myself have been products I already use (personal products - makeup, skincare, etc.).

Other than that, I’ve done most of my Christmas shopping (YAY! Not that I do a lot, but still) and will get stuff wrapped and put aside so I’m not rushing or squeezing everything in at the last minute.

Seeing as Christmas is only 3 weeks away, it will be here before we know it.

The newsletter will continue as always, but I’ll take the week before and after Christmas off to enjoy my family and recharge for the New Year.

My priority is to stay present and in alignment.

If I can do that, everything else falls into place.

Have a wonderful day,
Kim