Wow, honestly, this has really opened my mind. I work in digital marketing but I also make art and I always feel the pressure to combine the two. But that idea that you’re producing things to benefit these platforms and barely anyone else is so…. Like how have I not thought of this or seen it that way? Thanks for writing this. Lots to think about.
You said it all perfectly, Luiza. Not a thing I could add, except I wish we were neighbors so we could hang out in my backyard and talk about things that have nothing to do with making money on the internet!
The amount of times I've tried to "make it" on socials is actually too many times. I read another article about not worrying about making the right choice in life because what is "right" is individual and unknowable. And I think you cover the other side which is doing things because you want to be creative and enjoy it. It has taken me too long to figure that out. Now every time I'm writing here, I want to do it because I want to, not because I'm hoping to make it big. And releasing myself of that pressure makes it so much more enjoyable. Glad I stumbled across a like-minded person. Thank you for the post.
While I do hope that my Substack allows me to have a successful career as a writer, I will admit that the pressure to perform and bring in results is intense. I’m still figuring out how this app works and how to reconcile my corporate schedule with my hobby schedule and so for the time being, I think doing something just because I enjoy it will be the metric I will use to messure success. Thank you for this piece!
It is a lot, especially because there are many other things you can add on top of it. You can make videos, podcasts, try to bring people over from social media...If you only focus on writing and enjoying it, it can work, but if you start worrying about all the metrics it gets stressful.
Wow, honestly, this has really opened my mind. I work in digital marketing but I also make art and I always feel the pressure to combine the two. But that idea that you’re producing things to benefit these platforms and barely anyone else is so…. Like how have I not thought of this or seen it that way? Thanks for writing this. Lots to think about.
You said it all perfectly, Luiza. Not a thing I could add, except I wish we were neighbors so we could hang out in my backyard and talk about things that have nothing to do with making money on the internet!
Hahaha that would be nice. Let me know if you eventually decide to move to Belgium. Life is much easier here :)
Wouldn't that be lovely?
The amount of times I've tried to "make it" on socials is actually too many times. I read another article about not worrying about making the right choice in life because what is "right" is individual and unknowable. And I think you cover the other side which is doing things because you want to be creative and enjoy it. It has taken me too long to figure that out. Now every time I'm writing here, I want to do it because I want to, not because I'm hoping to make it big. And releasing myself of that pressure makes it so much more enjoyable. Glad I stumbled across a like-minded person. Thank you for the post.
While I do hope that my Substack allows me to have a successful career as a writer, I will admit that the pressure to perform and bring in results is intense. I’m still figuring out how this app works and how to reconcile my corporate schedule with my hobby schedule and so for the time being, I think doing something just because I enjoy it will be the metric I will use to messure success. Thank you for this piece!
It is a lot, especially because there are many other things you can add on top of it. You can make videos, podcasts, try to bring people over from social media...If you only focus on writing and enjoying it, it can work, but if you start worrying about all the metrics it gets stressful.
Love this and agree totally! My latest post on Substack is called Bohemian Hustle and overlaps with some of what you’ve said here :)