Creative Freedom Is a Technical Skill
Creative freedom requires technical control.
You think creative freedom comes from expression.
From inspiration.
From talent.
From courage.
It does not.
Creative freedom comes from ownership.
In 2025, I defined a slew of projects I wanted to execute on in the coming months and years. In literature, music, and technology, I have many projects in the works.
As I work my way through my list of to-dos, I’m taking a serious look at what it means to own my work. The adage, “own nothing, control everything,” comes to mind.
The more I start controlling different aspects of my business, the easier it gets to move up to the next level. Like, for instance, owning the domain of The Potential Paradox Newsletter.
And having a customer email address for the Idris Elijah brand.
That is the paradox.
The more serious you are about your art, your writing, your music, your software, the more serious you must become about the infrastructure beneath it.
Not because you want to be technical.
Because you want to be free.
Renting Your Voice
Right now, most creators are renting their voice.
They build audiences on platforms they do not control. They depend on algorithms they do not understand. They trust systems they cannot modify.
One policy change and their reach drops. One account flag, and their work disappears. One algorithm tweak and their income shrinks.
Platforms give you reach.
Infrastructure gives you leverage.
There is nothing wrong with platforms. I use them. You use them. They are useful. They lower the barrier to entry.
But they are not yours.
If your entire creative life exists inside someone else’s system, you do not have freedom. You have access.
Access is fragile.
Ownership is durable.
Your Domain Is Digital Land
If you do not own your domain, you do not own your brand.
A custom domain is not aesthetic. It is strategic.
When someone types your name into a browser, where do they land? On your property or on borrowed space?
Your website should function as the hub. Social media is traffic. Your site is the destination. Email is the relationship.
When all roads lead back to your domain, you centralize authority. Search engines learn who you are. Readers learn where to find you. Customers learn where to buy from you.
Without a home base, you are scattered.
With a home base, you are positioned.
Buy your domain early.
Keep control of it.
Renew it on time.
Digital land compounds in value.
Followers Are Borrowed, Emails Are Assets
Followers feel powerful.
Ten thousand followers may look impressive. A viral post feels validating.
But you do not control distribution to those followers. The platform does.
Email is different.
When someone gives you their email address, they give you permission. When you send a message, it goes directly to them. No feed. No ranking system. No silent suppression.
This is not theory. Look at the data.
Most social posts reach a fraction of followers. Email open rates, even average ones, are predictable. You can measure them. You can improve them. You can export your list and move it anywhere.
An email list is portable.
A follower count is not.
If you are building long-term, treat your list as a core asset.
Offer something clear.
Segment by interest.
Tag readers based on behavior.
Back up your data.
You are not building attention. You are building connection.
Reduce Dependency, Do Not Reject Platforms
This is not an argument to abandon platforms.
It is an argument for moving beyond dependency.
In the early stage, hosted platforms are useful. They reduce friction. They help you move fast.
You use Substack to publish.
You use Shopify to sell.
You use social platforms to distribute.
That is Stage One.
Stage Two is adding your own domain.
Stage Three is layering flexibility.
Stage Four is deeper control.
For example, a hosted storefront works. But when you connect it to a custom frontend, you gain design control. When you manage your own analytics, you gain insight. When you store customer data in a system you control, you gain security.
You do not need to build everything at once.
Control increases gradually.
The goal is not complexity. The goal is resilience.
Build the Backend Slowly
Infrastructure is not glamorous.
No one applauds you for setting up backups.
No one praises you for organizing customer data.
No one celebrates when you document your systems.
But your future self will.
Think about what happens when you launch a new product.
If you control:
Your domain
Your email list
Your checkout
Your analytics
Your data
You can launch in days. You can test ideas quickly. You can pivot without rebuilding everything.
Without infrastructure, every launch feels like starting from zero.
Infrastructure compounds.
Each system you set up becomes reusable. Each automation saves time. Each integration reduces friction.
You stop improvising. You start operating. That shift changes how you think. You stop asking, “Can I launch this?” You start asking, “How quickly can I test this?”
That is leverage.
Technical Control Creates Creative Safety
Here is the deeper layer of the paradox.
Technical control reduces fear.
If your income depends on one algorithm, you hesitate. If your audience is on a single platform, you play it safe. If your checkout belongs entirely to someone else, you accept unfavorable terms.
But when you own your pipes, you operate differently.
You experiment more.
You publish more boldly.
You build products with confidence.
Because you know you can move.
You know you can migrate platforms if needed.
You know you can export your data.
You know you can redirect traffic.
Ownership gives you optionality.
Optionality gives you courage.
This applies beyond writing or music.
In software development, abstraction makes building easier. But if you do not understand what sits underneath, you build fragile systems. The same applies to your creative business.
Understand the layers.
Domain.
Hosting.
Email.
Payments.
Data.
You do not need to master each one. You need to understand enough to avoid dependence.
The Real Work
Many creators focus on output.
Write more.
Post more.
Ship more.
Output matters.
But infrastructure determines whether output compounds.
If you want:
Long-term independence
Predictable revenue
Strategic flexibility
Build the foundation.
Secure your domain.
Own your list.
Control your checkout.
Back up your data.
Design systems you can migrate.
Creative freedom is not the absence of structure.
It is the presence of strong structure.
That is the paradox.
The more you invest in technical control, the freer you become.
Build the pipes.
Then create without fear.
This made me think about how much peace of mind comes from having your own foundation. Even outside of tech, the idea of owning your pipes fits with my work. When you know where your customers live and how to reach them, you breathe differently. There’s something empowering about reducing fragility instead of just chasing growth. I’m grateful for this perspective so thank you Idris Elijah!
This made me look at my own setup a little differently. I’ve definitely chosen whatever was easiest in the moment instead of thinking long-term about control. It works… until it doesn’t. And then you realize how much of your music is sitting inside someone else’s system. The part about ownership giving you room to take bigger swings feels true. When you know you’re not trapped, you experiment differently. That shift from convenience to control feels bigger than I wanted to admit. I got a lot from this issue today so thank you Idris Elijah!