Is it still worth becoming a creator in 2026?

Maybe you've had this thought late at night, phone in hand: "Everyone is a creator now. Machines can make videos. I'm too late."

Here's the good news. You're not late. You might be right on time.

For most of history, making things was the hard part. You needed cameras, editing software, a studio and years of practice before anything you made looked good. Today a phone and a few free apps do most of that work.

And when making things gets easy, something else becomes precious: a real person that other people trust. Nobody has ever found a way to fake that, and it's exactly what a creator is.

Why 2026 is a great year to start

Three big things are working in your favour right now.

Brands are spending more on creators. eMarketer expected US brands to spend $10.52 billion on influencer marketing in 2025, and forecast about 15.7% more in 2026. The World Federation of Advertisers, whose members make up most of the world's marketing spend, reported in September 2025 that 99% of its members now work with influencers.

You don't need to be big. HypeAuditor's 2025 report, built from 76 million Instagram accounts, found that 76% of Instagram influencers have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. Small is normal. And those smaller accounts usually have the most engaged audiences of all.

The tools are cheap, and they help beginners the most. That one deserves its own section.

The tools are on your side, especially if you're new

In 2024, two researchers, Anil Doshi at University College London and Oliver Hauser at the University of Exeter, asked 300 people to write a short story. Some got an idea from an AI tool to help them start. Others didn't. Then readers, who didn't know which was which, rated every story.

The stories written with a little AI help came out better: more creative, better written and more fun to read. And the people who improved most were the ones who had scored lowest at the start. Their writing got up to 26.6% better, and their stories were rated 15.2% less boring. The study was published in Science Advances in July 2024.

A much bigger study found the same thing. Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li and Lindsey Raymond followed more than 5,000 customer support workers as they got an AI assistant, and published the results in the Quarterly Journal of Economics in 2025. On average, people got 14% more done. The newest workers got 34% more done.

So these tools raise the floor. They help you learn in weeks what used to take a year. If you're just starting out, that's wonderful news.

This has happened before, and people did great

Before photography, if you wanted a picture of someone you loved, you paid an artist to paint a tiny portrait called a miniature. It was a real job, and painters spent years learning it.

Then, in 1839, photography arrived. Suddenly a machine could make a likeness in minutes.

You might expect those painters to vanish. Many didn't. The art historian Aaron Scharf, in his 1968 book Art and Photography, found miniature painters moving into photography as early as 1841. Others found work that had never existed before, like hand colouring photographs by the thousand.

The people who loved making pictures kept making pictures. They just picked up the new tool. That's the same choice in front of you today, and it's a good one.

Your secret weapon is being yourself

The same story study found something else worth knowing. Stories written with AI ideas came out about 10.7% more similar to each other than stories written without them.

That's great news for you. When lots of people use the same tools in the same way, their work starts to blend together. So the creators who keep their own voice, their own jokes and their own opinions stand out even more.

Another study agrees. Leonard Boussioux, Karim Lakhani and their colleagues had 300 judges score ideas for new businesses, and published the results in Organization Science in 2024. The most original ideas still came from people. Originality is the one thing only you can bring.

Your first 90 days: a simple plan

None of this needs money. Just a phone and a little patience.

Days 1 to 30: pick one person and start

Don't make things for "everyone" or "people who like fitness". Picture one real person whose problem you understand, and make things for them. Then post on a schedule you can actually keep. For most people that's not every day, and that's fine.

Days 31 to 60: read every comment

Read every single comment yourself while your numbers are still small. It's the best market research you'll ever get, and it's free. The questions people ask are your next ten video ideas.

Days 61 to 90: keep your own notes

Track what really matters: saves, replies, questions, who comes back and where they live. Not just followers. When a brand asks what your audience is worth, real numbers about real people put you in a much stronger spot.

When your first brand deal arrives

Celebrate! Then get the fee, the deadline, what you'll make and how the brand can use it, all in writing before you film. Our guide to what creators charge will help you pick your price.

And ask for the money to be held in escrow. That means the brand pays first, a regulated partner holds the money safely, and it's released to you when the work is approved. You get to make your video knowing you'll be paid.

So, is it worth it?

Yes. Making things has never been easier, brands have never spent more on creators, and the tools help beginners the most. The one thing nobody can copy is you.

So start this week. Pick your one person, make your first post and read every comment. Future you will be very glad you did.

And when you're ready for brand deals, Lumienzo takes care of the business side. Lumi learns what you make and who watches you, then brings you brands that fit. With escrow the money is locked before you film, and you're paid as soon as the work is approved, with 0% commission.