I've been having a tough time lately (like everyone) dealing with a lot of these issues, especially feeling like I majorly missed out on the golden age, as you mentioned. Like I decided to make a living from writing right before everything changed (AI, economy, Trump, etc.), when so many professional writers were killing it just a few years before. It feels so defeating. And now everyone's talking about shifting and pivoting, or going back to school, or going back to a corporate job... and it's bumming me out big time.
Anyway, thank you for creating space for this conversation! And I think it's "hell in a hand basket" but I'm going to adopt "hay in a hand basket." Also, I love your glasses!
Thank you for the kind words! I have no idea why I said "Hay in a handbasket" — I am always mixing up my metaphors.
Writing is a TOUGH one. It's been an industry in massive upheaval for several decades, with the internet upending book publishing, journalism being squeezed by all sides, and so much more.
Two quick thoughts come to mind. First, people will always need help with writing and thinking. I don't think it's disappearing, I just think it's increasingly competitive and it's a tough field.
Second, I sometimes remind myself, "Mark Twain was an insurance salesman." Sometimes we have a day job (or a completely separate side hustle) that makes the writing possible, to alleviate some of the pressure from the writing having to make ALL the money.
Thank you so much for this – it's confirmed what I was noticing and also reassured me to stay in my lane. What I really liked was being able to put this on, step away from my desk and get some chores done while working on my business at the same time. Very satisfying.
Oh that's so great to hear! I'm glad it was useful in format and in content. YES, we can stay with what we're doing, but we need to tweak it, refine, and keep getting a bit better each week. The business landscape is squeezing but it's not gone.
I love this approach focusing on capacity first. There’s a reason that I just took all social media off of my phone (including the Substack app). Of course, then there are more inboxes to check on desktop (referencing our LinkedIn dialogue!), but that’s a price I’d rather pay.
I think this is REALLY SMART. I've been considering paring down Instagram to just a standalone 9 images that acts as a website and 'presence' rather than an active feed. It's too many firehoses, too much to do, and we need to reserve our capacity when things are this volatile.
This is such a great piece with so much helpful advice, and VERY timely for me personally as I literally just posted this yesterday, ha! https://thankyouforsharing.substack.com/p/what-if-i-dont-want-to-pivot
I've been having a tough time lately (like everyone) dealing with a lot of these issues, especially feeling like I majorly missed out on the golden age, as you mentioned. Like I decided to make a living from writing right before everything changed (AI, economy, Trump, etc.), when so many professional writers were killing it just a few years before. It feels so defeating. And now everyone's talking about shifting and pivoting, or going back to school, or going back to a corporate job... and it's bumming me out big time.
Anyway, thank you for creating space for this conversation! And I think it's "hell in a hand basket" but I'm going to adopt "hay in a hand basket." Also, I love your glasses!
Thank you for the kind words! I have no idea why I said "Hay in a handbasket" — I am always mixing up my metaphors.
Writing is a TOUGH one. It's been an industry in massive upheaval for several decades, with the internet upending book publishing, journalism being squeezed by all sides, and so much more.
Two quick thoughts come to mind. First, people will always need help with writing and thinking. I don't think it's disappearing, I just think it's increasingly competitive and it's a tough field.
Second, I sometimes remind myself, "Mark Twain was an insurance salesman." Sometimes we have a day job (or a completely separate side hustle) that makes the writing possible, to alleviate some of the pressure from the writing having to make ALL the money.
Clearly you love writing! Keep writing!
Thanks for this, I so appreciate the support! And I also had no idea about Mark Twain, I love that.
Thank you so much for this – it's confirmed what I was noticing and also reassured me to stay in my lane. What I really liked was being able to put this on, step away from my desk and get some chores done while working on my business at the same time. Very satisfying.
Oh that's so great to hear! I'm glad it was useful in format and in content. YES, we can stay with what we're doing, but we need to tweak it, refine, and keep getting a bit better each week. The business landscape is squeezing but it's not gone.
I love this approach focusing on capacity first. There’s a reason that I just took all social media off of my phone (including the Substack app). Of course, then there are more inboxes to check on desktop (referencing our LinkedIn dialogue!), but that’s a price I’d rather pay.
I think this is REALLY SMART. I've been considering paring down Instagram to just a standalone 9 images that acts as a website and 'presence' rather than an active feed. It's too many firehoses, too much to do, and we need to reserve our capacity when things are this volatile.
I did that and it was so helpful for my mental health and focus. Plus I’m not on the app, so I don’t feel pressured to buy things advertised to me.