A religion on to itself: "I am now searching for the exact opposite—work that I care about, on the smallest scale that I can manage." Thanks for this honesty and wisdom. I needed it this week, too.
This piece really spoke to me. In particular, I think often about the disconnect between what we as teachers and parents tell our children and the world ("Just do what you're passionate about", "Work hard and dig deep and you'll find your place", etc.) and what the world actually invites and rewards. My 12 year old inherited an older friend's surprisingly "successful" Instagram account, because her parents made her stop (what do they know that I don't), and I alternate between wanting to stop her from the poison of seeking internet fame, and realizing that she's already connecting with a larger audience than I ever have (except that one time my complaining blog post was #1 on Hacker News, which I'm 90% sure is the most "success" I'll ever have as a writer), and that I'd do almost anything to have an audience that big. On the other hand, there is something human about doing work for a small number of people around you who care, and I appreciate your giving voice to the true, palpable value of that.
Just huge thanks for writing this to me today (I've decided it was just for me), because I've been grappling with this very idea for a while now having received a significant numbers of emails with those pesky attention-grabbing headers.
As someone with grand childhood cemented ambitions myself (singing professionally and like you, being a writer), I can relate hard. Thanks for writing this.
A religion on to itself: "I am now searching for the exact opposite—work that I care about, on the smallest scale that I can manage." Thanks for this honesty and wisdom. I needed it this week, too.
OOooohhh, I get it, Chris PINE!!!!!
This piece really spoke to me. In particular, I think often about the disconnect between what we as teachers and parents tell our children and the world ("Just do what you're passionate about", "Work hard and dig deep and you'll find your place", etc.) and what the world actually invites and rewards. My 12 year old inherited an older friend's surprisingly "successful" Instagram account, because her parents made her stop (what do they know that I don't), and I alternate between wanting to stop her from the poison of seeking internet fame, and realizing that she's already connecting with a larger audience than I ever have (except that one time my complaining blog post was #1 on Hacker News, which I'm 90% sure is the most "success" I'll ever have as a writer), and that I'd do almost anything to have an audience that big. On the other hand, there is something human about doing work for a small number of people around you who care, and I appreciate your giving voice to the true, palpable value of that.
Just huge thanks for writing this to me today (I've decided it was just for me), because I've been grappling with this very idea for a while now having received a significant numbers of emails with those pesky attention-grabbing headers.
This is enough. It's more than enough.
Where can I submit to Trees Weekly?
As someone with grand childhood cemented ambitions myself (singing professionally and like you, being a writer), I can relate hard. Thanks for writing this.