8 principles for digital world-building
in my last explorations on world-building, I wrote about reasons to build a world, not chase an audience. as a creative being, I believe that focusing on creating a digital ecosystem is far more empowering and potent — than trying to engineer the perfect marketing funnel.
but what is a world?
here’s a (non-conclusive, of course) list of 8 principles for digital world-building. this list is a distillation of my personal philosophy for world-building.
#1 — a digital world must nourish you first
a world is — first and foremost — something you build because it feeds your soul. it’s connected to your sense of purpose, and thus, it can’t come from a place of lack, desperation, or need for validation. the process of building it must feel nourishing and fun — rather than like a chore. only then can that world be an abundant space — that, in turn, nourishes its visitors.
#2 - a digital world is a living ecosystem, not a showroom.
a digital world is a mirror of a living network of ideas, thoughts, and creative expressions in your mind — distilled, refined, and externalized in the digital world. it’s a digital garden, an ecosystem, because the things you share are alive and in conversation with each other. things are in flux, evolving with you, ever-changing.
the purpose of a digital world is to show this process of life, rather than to simply act a a simple showroom/gallery portfolio, or a 5 page digital marketing brochure. therefore, the core premise of a digital world is that it always values process over product; the journey over the end result.
#3 - a digital world is absolutely inimitable
your digital world is what makes you inimitable, irreplacable, and singularly unique. when you have a digital world, you have no competition — because when you embrace and reveal your complex, multi-faceted self, it becomes virtually impossible to compare you to anyone else.
when you have a digital world, you become infinitely more than a function of what you DO, or the service or product that you PROVIDE. you express a unique essence (expressed first, through visual essence) — in every aspect of your world: the colors, typography, writing, structure, design, stories, images. your world has a voice. an essence. a scent. an atmospheric energy. it speaks.
world-building is the process and practice of individuation, self-discovery, self-expression.
when we become our truly individuated selves — and express that in our world-building — we ALL become irreplacable. instead of disappearing into the “common” aesthetic of our industries, we individuate into the inimitable expression of ourselves.
#4 - your digital world is for a very specific niche of people
what your digital world offers is a specific feeling, and a specific environment — composed of its essence, ethos, values, philosophy, aesthetics, way of being, and way of relating to the world.
it’s not for everyone. it isn’t afraid to be itself — and in laying down a clear sense of identity (rather than trying to people please), it emits the frequency of what kind of people it wants to attract. the ones who stay. who come back, again and again. who are on your same wavelength.
as a creator, if you can just express the uninhibited, unique essence of your world — you don’t really need to do “market research,” or create ideal customer avatars. that essence is the magnetic energy that will bring in the right people. your people.
#5 - a digital world is a generous gift.
your digital world might be a nested world that hold core offerings — your services or products — but rather than trying to “sell” in every single page, it operates as a series of soft invitations, and a collection of un-self-conscious gifts.
because your world exists for itself (#1), it shares its own abundance without inhibition. it builds trust and connection over time, welcomes your visitors back, again and again, without needing anything in return. in the end, your paid offering will feel like a coveted treasure. you’ll sell it without forcing to sell.
#6 - a digital world makes its own rules & magic.
in building a digital world — the first challenge is to unlearn all the shoulds. we follow the “shoulds” of building ventures on the internet — because we think that they’re recipes which will guarantee success. but actually, this is an illusion, borne from a human desire for certainty and security.
entrepreneurship IS the exercise of uncertainty. and following a rulebook may or may not ever guarantee you success. I’d say that — particularly if you feel yourself coming up against internal resistance to “shoulds” — then experiment with giving yourself permission. throw out all the old rules, and make your own.
what rules, you ask? dare to start from the ground up.
what are your beliefs?
what do you desire?
what are your values?
how do you want to relate to your audience? to your work?
you are allowed to experiment wildly, and find what principles and rhythms work for YOU. only then can you find your own magic.
#7 - a digital world embraces wandering & nonlinearity
a digital world not a brochure, or a sales conversion machine. its job is not to get you from homepage to the sales page in the fewest number of clicks. it is not about efficiency; it’s about experience. it’s not about selling products. it’s about the process. it’s not about making money, it’s about building a rich world.
and in doing so, that rich world cultivates relationships with the right people (the money comes, easily).
a digital world invites you to linger, to wander, to explore, to stay. it invites you on adventures, experiments, and retreats. it respects your attention and energy. it teases your curiosity. it is always there for you, whenever you need — giving you all the resources you need (free & paid) — without ever pressuring you towards them.
#8 - a digital world contains multitudes
a digital world is a contained space which embraces infinity. it doesn’t try to dumb itself down. instead, it has dimension, depth, and complexity. it can be wide in scope and exploration, and deep. it is a vessel for multi-faceted, kaleidoscope selves.
it can contain ALL of you, your creative expressions, imaginations, visions, and dreams. I’ll end this post with a quote by Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, Sec. 51:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
—
a manifesto for digital world-building, then, is a call for an internet that doesn’t box us in.
the internet is meant to be wild, beautiful, expansive, possible.
you start by claiming the space that was always yours — by building a world of your own — with your own magic, following your own rules. you are the one who will create all that is possible.