I started traveling around Asia in the early 2000’s. Back then, well-paying English teaching jobs were abundant. Anyone with a native English-speaking tongue qualified. But times have changed. These days, content creation is a better path to self-actualization for expats in Asia. Keep reading to learn why.
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow released his Hierarchy of Needs. It depicts a five-tier pyramid of human desires(1). At the lowest level are basic needs (food, water, shelter). Achieving your fullest potential is the highest level.
An ‘expatriate’ (aka expat) is a person who lives outside of their own country. Western expats in Asia, English teaching and corporate work are the two most common jobs. But for scaling Maslow’s hierarchy, content creation is one of the best routes for expats to reach the top.
Maslow’s Hierarchy For Content Creators
Physiological Needs
The most sensible starting point for an aspiring content creator in Asia is a YouTube channel. Building one up in Asia gives you fresh landscapes to explore. But it also gives you a lower cost of living than in the west. For example, this clip lauds budget-friendly Vietnam:
A typical travel vlog in Asia will need around 1 year to generate a full-time income. You’ll also need around $20,000 in savings to sustain yourself as your channel grows.
By honing your craft in Asia, it will be easier to satisfy your food, water, and shelter needs with less cash. That will help you save financially — while enriching yourself culturally.
Safety Needs
Building your own content creation business can forge a more secure future than if you were to work for a company. For example, low-level English teachers can get sacked at any time.
To compensate for their crappy jobs, low-level teachers often cope by getting hammered in local pubs. They live paycheck-to-paycheck until their luck runs out.
Rather than burning yourself out in a back-room Korean kindergarten, content creation offers a path to self-reliance. For example, here’s a grizzled, dirty hippie named Mark Wiens creating content in Cambodia in 2010 (13 years ago):
Today, Mark Wiens is one of the world’s top food vloggers, with 9.92 million Youtube subscribers. Imagine where he would be today if he spent the past 13 years teaching English to little kids?
Bottom line: a switch from wage-earner to creator is a step towards self-reliance. Over time, this can make you feel more secure by giving you control over your income and direction.
Love and Belonging Needs
Creating content on the internet can connect you with like-minded people from all over the world. As you develop your platform, you’ll meet more people who share similar beliefs, values, and interests that you do.
In contrast, the odds of connecting with so many like-minded people offline — in your neighborhood — are nearly zero.
Bottom line: building your own brand gives you a stronger position on the internet — the ultimate professional development network.
Esteem Needs
Once you build up an audience, you may start developing (like Mark Wiens did) authority in a particular niche. Then, your financial, temporal, and geographic freedom will grow.
Striving for niche fame (rather than broad, undefined fame) can satisfy all levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
The recognition and respect you earn as your platform grows is incredibly rewarding. Reaching this stage will boost your self-worth, confidence, and sense of accomplishment.
Ultimate Goal: Self-Actualization
To become a successful content creator, you’ll need to learn new skills and come out of your comfort zone. You’ll also need to battle with anxiety, self-doubt, and inevitable rough patches.
If you persevere (like Mark Wiens did), you’ll experience tremendous personal growth along the way. As you grow as a person, you’ll be able to propel your creative work to greater heights. This leads to the grand prize: self-actualization:
Conclusion: Personal Account
I’ve been in Asia for over 20 years. I started out as a lowly (and unqualified) ESL teacher. I eventually got into print publishing, then web publishing, and finally digital marketing. These days, I work for myself.
At present, PlanetAsia.org doesn’t generate revenue, but some other projects do. That has given me the time to work more on this website.
Working for someone else is exhausting. Building your own empire is the opposite. I often work 6 days per week for 10-12 hours a day. When good results roll in, the effort spent feels 100% worthwhile.
Footnote
- Saul Mcleod, PhD. ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs’. Simply Psychology, June 7, 2023. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html, (accessed 27 June, 2023).
