The Output
Most creators don't have a content problem. They have a clarity problem. The Output is a weekly letter for creators who are doing the work but feel like something's still off, and want to figure out what. One idea per issue. No roundups, no tips lists. Just the thinking that makes the output mean something.
The Output #8: The Overdue Update
A great conversation I had just went life on my friend Diana's feed. We'd planned to release it together on both of our shows. A version of that is finally happening, months late, and nothing went wrong. Nobody fought. That's the part worth talking about.
It's a story about the six or seven weekl...
Jul 03, 2026
The Output #7: Why I Killed a Show That Was Working
The show that was finally growing needed to end. Well, transform is probably a better word. Two questions helped me reach this decision.
The Creators that Crush podcast wasn't a bad podcast. In fact, it was the first platform I was able to gain consistent growth with each month.
The idea of that ...
Jun 26, 2026
The Output #6: Voice Isn't Volume
The first 10 years on YouTube ended with less than 20 subscribers.
I found this frustrating, because I was doing all “the right” things: creating every week, improving how I showed up on camera, working on thumbnails, bringing upbeat and good energy, and talking about something I cared about.
Sev...
Jun 19, 2026
The Output #5: Define your voice by writing one story a day
The strong smell of black coffee hangs in the air as the screen flickers from the waiting room to the call. A bird chirps during our open pleasantries and then we get into it.
"I'm frustrated about my show" I tell my coach Jeremy.
"Tell me more. What is frustrating you, or what do you think is go...
Jun 12, 2026
The Output #3: AI Skepticism Is a Clarity Problem
Hey,
Today’s newsletter is talking about the tension between creativity and AI, through a songwriting course I signed up for.
What surprised me was that a huge AI skeptic included an AI lesson in his course. It seems like a contradiction, but looking at it shows something else. AI skepticism is h...
May 22, 2026
The Output #2
Hey Friend,
I’m currently in Seattle to help my Dad move. Today is the the second part. Of course it’s dreary with spritz of rain on the day he needs to move stuff. The past week has been sunny as we prepped his old place and organized things.
Spending time with my brother and Dad has been good o...
May 09, 2026
The Output — Issue #1
Hey Friend,
This used to be called something else.
I stopped calling this newsletter "Creators That Crush Weekly," because something changed.
Not the content. Not the cadence. Just the name. When I looked at what I was writing, "crushing it" wasn't the main idea. It was something else.Â
The new ...
Apr 24, 2026
AI Didn't Break Your Content. You Did.
Hey there,
A few months ago I was feeling uninspired writing the newsletter, so I took a break.
Since then, I've been exploring ideas and discovering what I think versus trying to connect the newsletter to the weekly podcast episode.
This has been more fun and freeing, and I am excited to share s...
by Shawn Buttner —
Apr 17, 2026
ai
coaching
content creation
content strategy
creator clarity
creator mindset
point of view
tools
The 5 Habits That Quietly Changed Everything
Hey Creator,
What if the next big transformation in your creative life didn’t come from a massive overhaul… but from something small?
In this week’s episode of Creators That Crush, I’m sharing the 5 surprisingly simple habits that helped me shift from burnout to momentum.
I used to wake up alread...
Jun 22, 2025
2-Minute Creator Survey – Help Me Help You Crush It
Hey Creator,
I’m shaping new content, tools, and offers for creators like you — and I’d love your input.
Would you take 2 minutes to answer a few quick questions? Your insights will help me deliver more of what you want — and less of what you don’t.
👉 https://qjv13unw49v.typeform.com/to/zjAzDm3T
...
Jun 02, 2025
When obligation crushes your art, try this
Hey Creator,
You didn’t become a creator just to check boxes and keep up with obligations.
But over time, that’s exactly what starts to happen.
You start out fired up by creative ideas… and end up stuck fulfilling content calendars, client demands, and self-imposed routines.
You know the spark is...
May 25, 2025
I'm A Terrible Content Creator
Hey Creator,
I don't know what I'm doing most of the time in this business.
I am a coach first. What started out as an idea to get skills to manage engineers turned into finding a career I love through a science-based and proven curiculm.
So content creation was an afterthought. If you want to cr...
May 18, 2025
The Output