I didn’t post last Monday
Things got a bit hectic last week, there was a lot going on behind the scenes and I had a big painting to get finished over the bank holiday, which took priority.
I’ve been using Substack for a couple of months now and this is the first Monday I’ve missed. I’m so used to the ways of growing a following online that I’ve kept a regular posting schedule, almost instinctively.
At first, I was stressed. I tried to write a quick article in any spare moments I could grab. “I don’t want to let my subscribers down” I thought. If Seth Godin can write something every single day, then surely, I can manage a weekly post? I looked back at what I’d written and it just wasn’t good enough to publish.
Then I realised, it doesn’t matter.
I joined Substack because I enjoy writing and I wanted somewhere to put the things I wrote. I also thought it’d be nice if people read my words BUT I don’t want or need to make writing my career and there is a freedom in that.
Substack has a paid feature where you can subscribe to your favourite writers and pay them a couple of quid per month. There are people making a brilliant full-time living this way. Journalists who have been screwed over for years can sustain their careers. A novelist can build up their following, leave their job and just write. This is a space where good ideas are rewarded.
However, getting paid subscribers is hard. You have to tempt people. You need a catchy headline, a killer opening paragraph that promises the reader great change and then BAM, hit them with the pay wall. To get the good stuff, readers need to pay.
It’s necessary and I understand it, but I’m so glad that I don’t have to do it. I can write about whatever I want and I can give it away for free.
I write most of these posts on the notes app on my phone.
People send me emails, kindly pointing out my spelling errors.
I’ve written about everything from colour to rioting.
I illustrate articles with pictures of mountain goats.
I write because I enjoy it and I must remember; if it stops being fun and starts feeling like a job - walk away.
Your living, be it a regular 9-5 or something in the ‘creator economy’ requires huge commitments. To be professionally successful you need discipline, focus and a level of skill.
But I really believe that every single human needs some sort of creative outlet. It can be writing, cooking, rock climbing, Lego, colouring-in or photography. And success in any of those things comes from just doing them.
The problem is, in the age of the side hustle, as soon as we start to get somewhat good at a thing, we think that maybe this could turn into our main thing.
I’ve met kids in their twenties who are putting incredible pressure on themselves to maximise every hobby and creative pursuit. They feel that if they’re not making the most of everything they make, they’re in some way failing themselves.
I think it’s okay to keep some things just for you. It’s okay to have a sketchbook that no one sees. It’s okay to spend an hour stacking stones on a beach, knock them over and walk away without having live streamed the experience.
I know someone who’s dog is an influencer. They have worked crazy hard to make it happen and have secured brand deals and sponsorships. My dog, Beans, is certainly handsome enough to be a star, but I can’t imagine anything I’d like to do less. Walkies is not fun, if it always turns into a photoshoot.
Your whole life doesn’t need to be vlogged, blogged or otherwise documented and not everything you do has to be monetised.
Social media is dead. Now, we have ‘content media’ and it’s a difficult game to play. So, I’ve spent this year trying to make more art, than content.
If you are a full-time creative, you likely feel an incredible pressure to be posting. All. The. Time. And it’s exhausting.
We live online as much as we live IRL and it’s fine to take a ‘sick day’, in either world.
This morning, I read a great piece by
, titled ‘Stop doing things you hate doing’ – what great advice. In the article Seth says, ‘instead of posting for “everyone” and hoping to get discovered, we build a foundation of great people in our orbit with intention. That community is how we’re going to untangle ourselves from the social media / creator economy shit show.’I hope that’s what I’m doing. Someone said to me recently ‘people read your Substack because they care what you think’, which is one of the most lovely compliments I’ve received. When I really think about it, I know those people don’t mind if I miss a week. They’re coming on the ride with me, watching as I work this ‘full-time artist’ thing out.
I want to be clear; I advocate for turning your passion into a career, I do - but if that happens your passion becomes something else. Going pro brings pressure, expectations and compromises.
If the thing you do for fun becomes your job, you must find a new thing to do for fun. Enjoy the freedom of not getting paid and not having to follow any rules.
Long live Beans! Cheers mate!
It feels like only good things can happening from doubling down on making our art vs planning, filming, editing 13 new Reels to post on IG in hopes that 6% of our followers even see it. Onward to more fun stuff - thanks for the link!