My new thing to distract myself from the anxiety of this Amy, is to interview other early stage Creators. I try to do a zoom call a week now. Realistically, I may have to quit Substack as I'm not seeing the ROI. But that's the thing with writing, I've been feeling and saying those things for 15 years! haha.
I would quit writing and try a different career. I've given it a good go, but freelance, startups and all it's kind of a grind. I think the interviews are fun, but they don't really help.
I'd need to do like 20 interviews, before I even have the semblance of decent interview skills haha. I'm not sure I'll get there but it's worthwhile sometimes to just chill out with someone.
Loved this one, not least because I’m so aware of this trap you describe: the trap of measuring your worth by the number of subscribers or views. It’s the trap of our time, isn’t it, with so many of the vehicles for connecting with others prone to “measure” our connections in likes, views, subscribers, etc. And yet the pursuit of numbers for their own sake is just yucky, gross. I’m going to go check out that book you mention, as I like the phrase it’s lead you to; I’d like to see if I can characterize what I’m after using that rubric anyway. Meanwhile, I’m just going to keep plugging away at writing as honestly as I can and let the subscriptions and shares do what they may (even though I can’t help looking at them).
Thank you so much, Tom. I'd wanted to have wider appeal than just being about subscriptions and likes and act more like an example of goal-obsession, in general, but I think I missed the mark. I'm glad you liked it, though, and I hope you find Martha Beck's book useful.
I'm not planning on getting any money for what I'm doing, either. My frustration is more about wanting to feel seen and heard, which I realized isn't something that more subscribers can't really do. What did you learn from your unscientific study of the new subscriber-based economies? I've actually been thinking about this, too, but I was thinking about all of these "self-improvement" courses and books that everyone seems to be selling.
Thank you so much for saying so. So far, this has been my worst performing piece, and it seems to only resonate with people who have newsletters. That made me really sad because I'd wanted to speak to everyone about the misery of constantly seeking external validation. I don't think it's something we can ever fully escape because we're only human and we're wired to seek security in our communities.
Yes! I've long hated memes, and it has always irked me that people don't seem to value authentic/original content more. Several years ago, it was my dream to create a non-profit social media platform that didn't allow memes, but I think 80% of people online wouldn't have anything to post if they didn't have memes. Now, if I could, I'd create a non-profit social media platform that's healthy for society, or at least, doesn't destroy people's minds.
Our attention is so valuable that companies spend millions trying to figure out how to get it, so I spend a lot of time trying to be mindful of where my attention is going. People act like they're so busy all the time, but do they really pay attention to where their time is going?
I prefer longer pieces that go into depth and have some substance. If I can't read something in one sitting, I read it in chunks. If people aren't reading your pieces because they're "too long" then I think they're missing out. It's like they're passing up a nutritious meal to eat pop rocks.
I guess everyone has their preferences, but I think it's plain rude to tell you TL;DR. If they didn't read it, why say anything at all?
My new thing to distract myself from the anxiety of this Amy, is to interview other early stage Creators. I try to do a zoom call a week now. Realistically, I may have to quit Substack as I'm not seeing the ROI. But that's the thing with writing, I've been feeling and saying those things for 15 years! haha.
Would you really quit Substack? Where would you go? What would you do? Do the zoom calls help?
I would quit writing and try a different career. I've given it a good go, but freelance, startups and all it's kind of a grind. I think the interviews are fun, but they don't really help.
I watched the one you did with Alicia Kenworthy. I thought it was really good.
I'd need to do like 20 interviews, before I even have the semblance of decent interview skills haha. I'm not sure I'll get there but it's worthwhile sometimes to just chill out with someone.
I thought you did a pretty decent job for someone who is new at interviewing.
Thanks, more to come :)
Loved this one, not least because I’m so aware of this trap you describe: the trap of measuring your worth by the number of subscribers or views. It’s the trap of our time, isn’t it, with so many of the vehicles for connecting with others prone to “measure” our connections in likes, views, subscribers, etc. And yet the pursuit of numbers for their own sake is just yucky, gross. I’m going to go check out that book you mention, as I like the phrase it’s lead you to; I’d like to see if I can characterize what I’m after using that rubric anyway. Meanwhile, I’m just going to keep plugging away at writing as honestly as I can and let the subscriptions and shares do what they may (even though I can’t help looking at them).
Thank you so much, Tom. I'd wanted to have wider appeal than just being about subscriptions and likes and act more like an example of goal-obsession, in general, but I think I missed the mark. I'm glad you liked it, though, and I hope you find Martha Beck's book useful.
I'm not planning on getting any money for what I'm doing, either. My frustration is more about wanting to feel seen and heard, which I realized isn't something that more subscribers can't really do. What did you learn from your unscientific study of the new subscriber-based economies? I've actually been thinking about this, too, but I was thinking about all of these "self-improvement" courses and books that everyone seems to be selling.
Thank you so much for saying so. So far, this has been my worst performing piece, and it seems to only resonate with people who have newsletters. That made me really sad because I'd wanted to speak to everyone about the misery of constantly seeking external validation. I don't think it's something we can ever fully escape because we're only human and we're wired to seek security in our communities.
Yes! I've long hated memes, and it has always irked me that people don't seem to value authentic/original content more. Several years ago, it was my dream to create a non-profit social media platform that didn't allow memes, but I think 80% of people online wouldn't have anything to post if they didn't have memes. Now, if I could, I'd create a non-profit social media platform that's healthy for society, or at least, doesn't destroy people's minds.
Our attention is so valuable that companies spend millions trying to figure out how to get it, so I spend a lot of time trying to be mindful of where my attention is going. People act like they're so busy all the time, but do they really pay attention to where their time is going?
I prefer longer pieces that go into depth and have some substance. If I can't read something in one sitting, I read it in chunks. If people aren't reading your pieces because they're "too long" then I think they're missing out. It's like they're passing up a nutritious meal to eat pop rocks.
I guess everyone has their preferences, but I think it's plain rude to tell you TL;DR. If they didn't read it, why say anything at all?