I find sharing my stories and perspectives on Substack a great release. It gives me an opportunity to express things I may not have the time or audience to do it with in everyday life. Plus I find the experience of writing to be like a brain puzzle as I try to figure out HOW I want to say something. That said, what I've found most revealing about the writing I'm doing is the reaction (or lack thereof) that I get from people in my life (including some that are actually in the pieces I write!) I've found a new community on Substack that shares and reads. I love that!
I agree with the brain puzzle part! I think that’s why I (and many other writers, I believe) love writing. It helps you organize your thoughts and make sense of them. It’s amazing! That’s so nice to hear that you’ve found a supportive community here on Substack. I like that aspect as well. I think maybe the other people you mentioned just don’t realize what writing/sharing means to you, maybe because they’re not doing it too? I imagine it’s not malicious, but I don’t know them! Would you ever mention it to them? :) Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Good points. I may mention it to certain people I know but not all. I don't want to turn the conversation into "well, you don't support me in this either..." Ah! Friends and family!
That is a good question! I think it's all about connection for me, when I write something and put it out there in the world, sometimes people read it who have similar or different experiences and who then share their thoughts with me, and that way I get to know more people and they get to know a bit more about me.
Such an interesting question! For me, it's partly because putting my creative work out there is a way of getting it out of my system (a creative exorcism??). When I write for myself (i.e. writing that won't ever see the light of day) it's usually therapeutic. When I write publicly, it's to share an opinion, ask a question, respond to something someone else has written...it's about connecting with people. It's also because I want to challenge my own perfectionism and practising [writing] in public is a really good way to do that.
Hi Rebecca, these are all great points and I relate to all of them! I think, #1 is connection and #2 is challenging myself to overcome perfectionism and to experiment with new writing genres/styles. I’m a freelance content writer by day, but it can be a bit dry and technical so this personal Substack is a whole new ball game for me. I’m loving it so far! Thanks for your thoughtful reply. <3
I also freelance as a content writer and can totally relate to feeling like all I do is write technical stuff! It’s definitely a space for experimenting here.
Honestly, for me it helps challenge my fear of perfectionism. When I keep my art to myself, I can keep fixing, tweaking, and perfecting until it's become a manipulated form of what I originally wanted. But when I share it to the world, I think it helps me let go of my ego. I totally relate to your friend. For the longest time, I was scared to grow my blog because I was scared it was going to open me up for more criticism. But, I also hope that it will open me up for more joy, more inspiration, more shared experiences. I believe the meaning of life is to connect, and storytelling is connection in its rawest form.
Yes Substack is my little secret. I dont know when my friends or family will find this little act of mine. But I definitely don’t want it to now.
And I have to say I’m never this open with people I don’t know. I started to just know how it feels to do that:putting out ourselves. I felt less alone and acknowledged. And I want more. More of this community who relate with my words.
I like what you and others are saying here. As creatives, our goal is expressing ourselves but we can't fully feel the joy if we keep it all to ourselves. We may say we don't care what others think and to some degree that might be true, but we also want to feel appreciated and valued. When someone tells us they love our poem, article, pottery, or drawing, it releases positive hormones like dopamine in our bodies resulting in happiness. This is very rewarding to creatives, often more than making money.
Anyways, I think it's good for us to share our ideas or projects. It allows us to connect with others who can be a meaningful influence in pushing us forward or in supporting each other, which is so desperately needed these days!!!
I find sharing my stories and perspectives on Substack a great release. It gives me an opportunity to express things I may not have the time or audience to do it with in everyday life. Plus I find the experience of writing to be like a brain puzzle as I try to figure out HOW I want to say something. That said, what I've found most revealing about the writing I'm doing is the reaction (or lack thereof) that I get from people in my life (including some that are actually in the pieces I write!) I've found a new community on Substack that shares and reads. I love that!
I agree with the brain puzzle part! I think that’s why I (and many other writers, I believe) love writing. It helps you organize your thoughts and make sense of them. It’s amazing! That’s so nice to hear that you’ve found a supportive community here on Substack. I like that aspect as well. I think maybe the other people you mentioned just don’t realize what writing/sharing means to you, maybe because they’re not doing it too? I imagine it’s not malicious, but I don’t know them! Would you ever mention it to them? :) Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Good points. I may mention it to certain people I know but not all. I don't want to turn the conversation into "well, you don't support me in this either..." Ah! Friends and family!
That is a good question! I think it's all about connection for me, when I write something and put it out there in the world, sometimes people read it who have similar or different experiences and who then share their thoughts with me, and that way I get to know more people and they get to know a bit more about me.
I agree! I love that aspect of it too. Thanks for sharing! <3
Such an interesting question! For me, it's partly because putting my creative work out there is a way of getting it out of my system (a creative exorcism??). When I write for myself (i.e. writing that won't ever see the light of day) it's usually therapeutic. When I write publicly, it's to share an opinion, ask a question, respond to something someone else has written...it's about connecting with people. It's also because I want to challenge my own perfectionism and practising [writing] in public is a really good way to do that.
Hi Rebecca, these are all great points and I relate to all of them! I think, #1 is connection and #2 is challenging myself to overcome perfectionism and to experiment with new writing genres/styles. I’m a freelance content writer by day, but it can be a bit dry and technical so this personal Substack is a whole new ball game for me. I’m loving it so far! Thanks for your thoughtful reply. <3
I also freelance as a content writer and can totally relate to feeling like all I do is write technical stuff! It’s definitely a space for experimenting here.
100% I feel like all I do here is experiment. My following must be quite confused. haha
Creative exorcism ... LMAO! I love that. Maybe that's why the Catholic nuns despised my creativity.
It is a good way to put it, right? haha
The only thing that came to mind first,
"sharing is caring" 🌻 Don't worry about the mess 😁
I agree! With both of your thoughts. ;)
Honestly, for me it helps challenge my fear of perfectionism. When I keep my art to myself, I can keep fixing, tweaking, and perfecting until it's become a manipulated form of what I originally wanted. But when I share it to the world, I think it helps me let go of my ego. I totally relate to your friend. For the longest time, I was scared to grow my blog because I was scared it was going to open me up for more criticism. But, I also hope that it will open me up for more joy, more inspiration, more shared experiences. I believe the meaning of life is to connect, and storytelling is connection in its rawest form.
Very well sad, Christina! I agree with you. And I can also relate to the idea of pushing through perfectionism. Keep on going!
Yes Substack is my little secret. I dont know when my friends or family will find this little act of mine. But I definitely don’t want it to now.
And I have to say I’m never this open with people I don’t know. I started to just know how it feels to do that:putting out ourselves. I felt less alone and acknowledged. And I want more. More of this community who relate with my words.
That’s beautiful Shanjitha! And I agree with you. It is a nice feeling.
I like what you and others are saying here. As creatives, our goal is expressing ourselves but we can't fully feel the joy if we keep it all to ourselves. We may say we don't care what others think and to some degree that might be true, but we also want to feel appreciated and valued. When someone tells us they love our poem, article, pottery, or drawing, it releases positive hormones like dopamine in our bodies resulting in happiness. This is very rewarding to creatives, often more than making money.
Anyways, I think it's good for us to share our ideas or projects. It allows us to connect with others who can be a meaningful influence in pushing us forward or in supporting each other, which is so desperately needed these days!!!
I agree with all this James! And I love that most of the comments on this post mention connection. I think that’s what we’re all here for!