EMBERS TO ASHES

Hey there!

I’ve been doing these newsletters for about 8 months now. I’ve learned a lot and have reevaluated the way I approach my content. That’s why there are gonna be some changes around here. Let me fill you in…

What is the value?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I do and where I want to go. I started posting content on my YouTube and other social media platforms to share with people my Siva Afi journey. Now while that’s great, I did some quick research on how to grow a social media following. The #1 thing that ALL content creators must clearly define to build an audience:

What value are you providing?

Sure, sharing my journey reveals who I am as a person and introduces the audience to a very niche topic, but they’re not really getting anything out of it for themselves. They’re just watching me. In order to truly provide value, I need to give something to the audience, and I realize I can do that through offering people the ability to become fire dancers themselves. I need to give them the knowledge on how to start fire knife dancing. See, THAT is a much clearer value proposition for why someone should follow me and digest my content; there’s something actually in it for them.

I was thinking about it in early September, and initially I was against it. I would think to myself, “Who are you to start teaching people when you only really stopped being a beginner this year?” I’ve never (and sometimes still don’t) feel qualified to share this knowledge because I don’t have any credentials or titles to distinguish me as an expert. I spoke with my girlfriend about this and she made some amazing points; I don’t (and shouldn’t) claim to be an expert— but someone who is sharing what has worked and asking the audience to learn with me.

This completely shifted my way of thinking because my initial goal was to share my journey, which it still is, yet simultaneously I can build that relationship by teaching because I’m closer to a beginner than I am an expert. If you’re a beginner at cooking, you wouldn’t want to take lessons from Gordon Ramsey because clearly it would be too overwhelming for you and you just couldn’t relate to his level of cooking. Learn from your family members, however, who aren’t necessarily pro chefs but know the basics and you feel much more empowered to learn because they’re closer to the level you’re starting at. This is exactly the same for Siva Afi.

New Changes

With this in mind, I’ve re-strategized my approach to my content—from my YouTube channel to Instagram, FaceBook, TikTok, and this newsletter. My YouTube videos are now going to be geared more toward Siva Afi tutorials, insights, drills & exercises, and experiences that the audience can take beyond the screen and into practice. Don’t worry, I’ll still make vlogs and more fun types of videos sharing my training progressions. I think having a strategic circulation of different topics will create a healthier deliverable of videos that will attract the right subscribers. For the last 8 months I was also posting 2 videos a week, which is absolutely insane now that I think about it, and now I’m going to take a step back to 1 video per week so that I can focus on quality over quantity. I want my videos to be as good as they can get for my viewers. I want to feel like I put effort into each video and that I improved in some shape or form every time. From these weekly videos, I’ll be creating ~2 promos for them that I will spread through the week via reels and shorts. Starting from long form content to short form content seems like the right move.

This leads me to this newsletter. Not too much is going to change, but new changes nonetheless. Embers To Ashes will remain as my primary newsletter publication but now with 2 sub issues/articles: Life In Fire Knife and Fire Knife Tips & Tricks.

Life In Fire Knife will be published on the 1st of every month where I share my personal training progression along with personal thoughts on anything related to Fire Knife (including content). I want to focus more on expressing how I feel and improving the language I use to convey my thoughts (i.e. I want to learn how to write better). This article will also announce the Fire Knife move of the month.

Fire Knife Tips & Tricks will be a separate article published on the 15th of the month which takes a deeper dive on the move of the month and offers tips, tricks, or other suggestions on how to execute the move at hand. This could include my own tips/tricks or resources to external help. Pretty much anything to help those who want to get better at the move.

Each article will have unique branding to differentiate among each other while staying consistent to the brand. Some subscribers might be more interested in my personal story, while others might prioritize learning new techniques. Offering both types of content ensures that I cater to a broader audience and meet different needs, all while offering reasons to stay engaged long-term. If one publication doesn’t pique their interest, the other might. Not to mention, new subscribers will even receive a FREE digital intro to the basics of Fire Knife as another way to provide value upon sign-up.

I’m really excited to be making this change as it feels right and more fine-tuned toward the brand I want to build. This investment in my content long-term will help not only my ability to build an audience, but to also connect deeper with them by giving them something valuable and sharing my journey alongside them. There is essentially no one else providing the content I am creating in an effective way digitally, so I think this is a huge opportunity to take advantage of as I’m early in the game. It fills a gap that prospective Fire Knife dancers face, and I hope that I can someday build a new wave of Fire Knife dancers and spread the connection to this beautiful culture. So, I hope you’re just as excited as I am for what’s to come. I appreciate the few of you who are here to witness this growth in my journey 🙂.

Move of the Month

Every month I post a move to educate people on the culture and vocabulary of Ailao Afi.

This month’s move: VILI LIMA LUA or 2-HAND SPIN

Vili = Spin

Lima = Hands

Lua = 2

This move is the most fundamental move in all of Aliao Afi. This move is either used to show speed or as a transitionary move into different moves. Every Fire Knife dancer should know this move by heart.

Back to the basics we go, and here’s to sharing the art of Fire Knife with the world. Manuia (cheers) to growth and for what’s to come.

Be. What. Remains.

— Embers