Thanks for putting this out there Michael. I’ve really been enjoying your posts since we first connected, and I really needed to read these words today. I had also been off of social media for a long time before joining Substack, and I was nervous when I could feel some of the “likes and comments” feelings starting to creep back in. But I ultimately joined so I could hold myself accountable to write and make it a part of my routine. It has done that thus far, and I have to be vigilant everyday to remind myself that the subscriber count, should be inconsequential. As long as we keep creating as much as we are able, we are succeeding.
I felt every word of this. I think those are things a lot of us wrestle with-- I know I do, anyway. As for followers, you might've been asking rhetorically, but my concern is that if/should Substack fall apart, that's a part of my audience that I can't take with me. I'm also concerned that it will lead to more shallow enegagement & a sort of quantity > quality ethos. Avoiding shallow enegagement was one of the main reasons I landed here. Don't get me wrong; I love this place; I just don't want to see it devolving into a sort of Medium/Twitter hybrid.
1) That echoes a lot of what I try to remind myself every time I think about why I still post on Substack—I ask myself those exact same question, particularly "is this one too obscure". 2) How did I not know about Will Carruthers other stuff? I love Spacemen 3 (and Spiritualized to a lesser extent). You've opened a door I obviously need to enter...
Thanks also for the Freelovebabies track, really enjoyed it. I had Spiritualized’s 1997 album, and saw them open for Radiohead that year, but never really followed their music after that. But I’m gonna go check out the rest of that Freelovebabies release because I liked what I heard. Will see whether that leads me to any of Carruthers’ other work.
Thanks so much for this Michael, much of what you’ve written resonated deeply with me. Just this year I went back to Facebook after a two year absence. After unfollowing/unliking all pages and groups, I no longer find myself doomscrolling like I used to. It’s now a place where I stay connected with friends and family. Likewise with IG , it’s a place where I stay connected and am building community with like-minded people in another of my areas of interest, namely hiking.
When it comes to Substack, I absolutely adore the community I’ve found here. I’ve chosen to go narrow but deep in my engagement. I’m trying to stay engaged with a manageable number of Substacks where I can be a part of building community through active participation. I feel like I’m really establishing relationships here that matter to me.
When it comes to my own publication and writing, I’m trying not to allow the followers/subscribers count to play on my mind too much. And I’m trying not to worry about whether I’m getting “enough” likes or comments, although the human nature element of seeking approval or validation is definitely there. The fact is that I’m REALLY enjoying the writing and now that I’ve gotten over the reticence to make myself vulnerable and put my whole self out in the world, I just want to keep doing it. Because I enjoy it. And life’s just too short and precious to be held back by fear.
First of all, being new here, I have to say that your artwork is beautiful.
The Substack issues you wrestle with are being played out all over my feed. People take the same facts and conditions and draw different conclusions. My feelings about it are in line with yours. I suppose the big time writers who might also be journalists/academics or former ones have a necessarily different take on it all. One suggested to Substack that they turn all followers into subscribers automatically! That wouldn't go over well, to say the least.
I might start writing here as well. If/when I do, these concerns will be of no concern whatsoever, since my own writing promises to be much too odd to attract anything resembling an audience. I just want to get it "out," whatever that means.
Love this, Mike. It resonates strongly with my experience as a music creator. I've never made money from any of my creative output and I think that publishing recordings is like releasing offspring into unknown territory and letting go of the outcome. I think we do it because we brought something into being and it needs releasing to have a life. Your posts are a refreshing read. I know a couple of other people that write blogs on other topics but with a similarly personal approach. But I don't always engage with their output. Other readers will, I'm sure. For me, your posts have been hitting the spot. I don't detect a hint of narcissism, just generous sharing of things you are passionate and knowledgeable about. It sometimes takes days or even weeks to get around to reading but it's with excitement that I receive notification in my email.
Thanks for putting this out there Michael. I’ve really been enjoying your posts since we first connected, and I really needed to read these words today. I had also been off of social media for a long time before joining Substack, and I was nervous when I could feel some of the “likes and comments” feelings starting to creep back in. But I ultimately joined so I could hold myself accountable to write and make it a part of my routine. It has done that thus far, and I have to be vigilant everyday to remind myself that the subscriber count, should be inconsequential. As long as we keep creating as much as we are able, we are succeeding.
I felt every word of this. I think those are things a lot of us wrestle with-- I know I do, anyway. As for followers, you might've been asking rhetorically, but my concern is that if/should Substack fall apart, that's a part of my audience that I can't take with me. I'm also concerned that it will lead to more shallow enegagement & a sort of quantity > quality ethos. Avoiding shallow enegagement was one of the main reasons I landed here. Don't get me wrong; I love this place; I just don't want to see it devolving into a sort of Medium/Twitter hybrid.
1) That echoes a lot of what I try to remind myself every time I think about why I still post on Substack—I ask myself those exact same question, particularly "is this one too obscure". 2) How did I not know about Will Carruthers other stuff? I love Spacemen 3 (and Spiritualized to a lesser extent). You've opened a door I obviously need to enter...
Thanks also for the Freelovebabies track, really enjoyed it. I had Spiritualized’s 1997 album, and saw them open for Radiohead that year, but never really followed their music after that. But I’m gonna go check out the rest of that Freelovebabies release because I liked what I heard. Will see whether that leads me to any of Carruthers’ other work.
Thanks so much for this Michael, much of what you’ve written resonated deeply with me. Just this year I went back to Facebook after a two year absence. After unfollowing/unliking all pages and groups, I no longer find myself doomscrolling like I used to. It’s now a place where I stay connected with friends and family. Likewise with IG , it’s a place where I stay connected and am building community with like-minded people in another of my areas of interest, namely hiking.
When it comes to Substack, I absolutely adore the community I’ve found here. I’ve chosen to go narrow but deep in my engagement. I’m trying to stay engaged with a manageable number of Substacks where I can be a part of building community through active participation. I feel like I’m really establishing relationships here that matter to me.
When it comes to my own publication and writing, I’m trying not to allow the followers/subscribers count to play on my mind too much. And I’m trying not to worry about whether I’m getting “enough” likes or comments, although the human nature element of seeking approval or validation is definitely there. The fact is that I’m REALLY enjoying the writing and now that I’ve gotten over the reticence to make myself vulnerable and put my whole self out in the world, I just want to keep doing it. Because I enjoy it. And life’s just too short and precious to be held back by fear.
First of all, being new here, I have to say that your artwork is beautiful.
The Substack issues you wrestle with are being played out all over my feed. People take the same facts and conditions and draw different conclusions. My feelings about it are in line with yours. I suppose the big time writers who might also be journalists/academics or former ones have a necessarily different take on it all. One suggested to Substack that they turn all followers into subscribers automatically! That wouldn't go over well, to say the least.
I might start writing here as well. If/when I do, these concerns will be of no concern whatsoever, since my own writing promises to be much too odd to attract anything resembling an audience. I just want to get it "out," whatever that means.
Love this, Mike. It resonates strongly with my experience as a music creator. I've never made money from any of my creative output and I think that publishing recordings is like releasing offspring into unknown territory and letting go of the outcome. I think we do it because we brought something into being and it needs releasing to have a life. Your posts are a refreshing read. I know a couple of other people that write blogs on other topics but with a similarly personal approach. But I don't always engage with their output. Other readers will, I'm sure. For me, your posts have been hitting the spot. I don't detect a hint of narcissism, just generous sharing of things you are passionate and knowledgeable about. It sometimes takes days or even weeks to get around to reading but it's with excitement that I receive notification in my email.