For digital creators navigating the fast-paced world of social media, trusting your own vision can be the hardest hurdle to overcome. Just ask Joshua Neal.
Fresh off a nomination for Outstanding Digital Content Creator at this year’s NAACP Image Awards, the comedian and creative hit the blue carpet at the NAACP Creative Honors with a profound sense of gratitude and some much-needed wisdom.
When asked about the single most important lesson he wished he had learned sooner in his career, Neal’s answer was surprisingly simple: stop asking for everyone else’s opinion.
It is a common habit for creatives to immediately pitch a new idea to their friends or peers to gauge whether it’s actually good. But according to Neal, checking in with others can sometimes be the quickest way to kill a great concept.
“Once you get an idea and you feel really good about something… do not check in with anybody about it,” Neal advised. “Don’t ask what they think about it, because they’re never going to get that feeling that you got when you first thought of it.”
He explained that the initial spark of excitement is all the proof you need that an idea can work. When you share a raw vision with someone else, they might not see the full picture yet. If they respond with doubt, it is all too easy to take that to heart and bury the idea completely.
“I wish I would have just followed that feeling that I get about ideas and just go with that,” he shared. “Keep it contracted and just do it as soon as you think of it.”
Taking his own advice has clearly paid off. Neal admitted that he finally feels like he has reached the space he used to dream about. Surrounded by the support of his family in Columbus and honored by the NAACP, he is making a conscious effort to stay present rather than constantly chasing the next goal.
“Sometimes we can be so far, but we’re still like, ‘Oh, when I get on, or oh, when I get here.’ And it’s like, ‘You’re here now. This is it,'” he reflected. “Appreciate it, rejoice and be thankful for it, and just live it out as best you can.”
As a Black man thriving in the influencer and creative space, Neal is highly aware of the unique pressures that come with the territory. His biggest piece of advice for other Black men trying to grow in the business? Prioritize your mental health.
“The world can be heavy,” he noted. “Sometimes things on social media go so fast that we don’t pay attention to how we might feel about something or our mental health. I think it’s important for us to sometimes just unplug for a little bit. Recharge creatively, but recharge on some real-life stuff.”
For Neal, “real-life stuff” means stepping entirely out of the digital world. You can usually find him unplugging at a local cafe or catching a matinee to get that good ticket price. His most recent theater trip? Watching Chloé Zhao‘s critically acclaimed film Hamnet, where he was blown away by Jessie Buckley’s incredible performance.
Check out the full interview below.
