I just start writing and I'm scared, "Will this please the masses? Will I be cancelled?", and the thing is that being unemployed and relying on the internet for income, it becomes extremely difficult for me to say what I want... what I feel has meaning and purpose, because I depend on the other person opening their wallet. I know this is pathetic and horrible, but I carry that trauma from twitter. Anyway, sometimes I free my mind and just write something I really want, but for example, I was mentioning the Apalachee shooting and its astrological correspondences, no one was interested in it, maybe because on Substack it happens the same as on Twitter, "it wasn't appropriate to write about that".
If you are just starting the good and bad news is that no one cares. This means you can experiment and say whatever you want without fear.
It is scary and can feel existential but a lot of it is in your head. In reality no one is thinking about it as much as you. I would say experiment and try to find your rhythm
Dealing with our natural aversion to cringe is difficult. How did you overcome the initial wall, and find a reason to start, Benjamin? And what keeps you going?
It really is. For me it was a slow ratcheting up of pressure that I applied to myself. It probably took a year of thinking about it before I started. So preparation does help (like psyching yourself up).
The keeping going is tricky. It comes back to internal motivation. the act of writing and creation is therapeutic for me. So yes it’s disappointing when something is not well received.
The fact that I am „selfishly“ getting something out of it myself allows me to keep going even in the face of criticism. I think that is the mistake that a lot of people make when trying to build an audience. They forget about themselves and what they want.
ha i get this so much. It's such a beautiful learning process.
Thanks for your comment Megan. that means a lot
I like your advice about your content being about what you enjoy. If you write for your audience, it’s not sustainable and you’ll burn out.
Yes that has certainly been my experience. Ultimately you do have to prioritise your own interests over everything else
I just start writing and I'm scared, "Will this please the masses? Will I be cancelled?", and the thing is that being unemployed and relying on the internet for income, it becomes extremely difficult for me to say what I want... what I feel has meaning and purpose, because I depend on the other person opening their wallet. I know this is pathetic and horrible, but I carry that trauma from twitter. Anyway, sometimes I free my mind and just write something I really want, but for example, I was mentioning the Apalachee shooting and its astrological correspondences, no one was interested in it, maybe because on Substack it happens the same as on Twitter, "it wasn't appropriate to write about that".
If you are just starting the good and bad news is that no one cares. This means you can experiment and say whatever you want without fear.
It is scary and can feel existential but a lot of it is in your head. In reality no one is thinking about it as much as you. I would say experiment and try to find your rhythm
Dealing with our natural aversion to cringe is difficult. How did you overcome the initial wall, and find a reason to start, Benjamin? And what keeps you going?
It really is. For me it was a slow ratcheting up of pressure that I applied to myself. It probably took a year of thinking about it before I started. So preparation does help (like psyching yourself up).
The keeping going is tricky. It comes back to internal motivation. the act of writing and creation is therapeutic for me. So yes it’s disappointing when something is not well received.
The fact that I am „selfishly“ getting something out of it myself allows me to keep going even in the face of criticism. I think that is the mistake that a lot of people make when trying to build an audience. They forget about themselves and what they want.
We are similar. I consumed myself creating content, services, and products about things that I supposed my audience wanted.
This is better than doing only what you love and completely ignoring your audience. But it's still not feasible.
We always have to play in the intersection. And it's constantly changing.
Yes. That’s the fine line that every creator has to walk.
Matthew Dicks is top notch- underrated book, underrated guy
Such a good read, Ben!
17K+ subscriptions on YouTube in 2 years is impressive.
Well done for sticking to it and following your curiosity.
Love the headline!
Thanks a lot Baran? I changed the title about 20 times. I’m glad I went with this in the end
So you think gringe comes from not knowing what you want?
That’s part of it. But also incompetence. It comes from a willingness to do things even though it makes you cringe at how bad you are