Thanks for this Jenna — my process is often also very rambling. I used to have a friend who would say in a very prim, self-satisfied way: "I begin every piece with a strict outline — only once I am certain the outline is perfect do I begin to worry about the pretty words." She turned out to be not much of a friend as I'm sure you can guess.
A few years ago, I had a Big Title at a Big Deal start-up — we used Instagram to dominate our industry, and it was so FUN to build and grow there. Having had that experience, I can say for sure that the current platform is hot garbage if you actually want to connect with people.
I do more writing than art making these days, but I will never let go of my love of a beautiful image and I actually LIKE to make the content for Instagram — I just hate that (as you've mentioned here) it's basically just throwing things into a vacuum. I got particularly pissed off recently when I tried to PAY for an ad and they told me it violated their content guidelines. It was about love.
I'm glad to hear other people have a very ramble process. And I'm sure it's comical to Mark who comes home from work Tuesday afternoon when I am really stressed because it's STILL rambly.
Instagram was great when we had our business. And it worked! We'd post that we were having a sale....and we'd get sales! I'm not even mad about the devolving nature of the app. It's a business and it has to evolve with the demographic that it's trying to attract and retain. But it's not me anymore.
IG surely isn't what it used to be. I still post - but as with most others, (unless you are already a big account that IG seems to favor) views are minimal. Engagement is family and friends. It's good to have a presence there, but making it a primary platform - nahhhh. I'll repurpose there.
SAME. Thank you for validating me. If you didn't hit it big when organic growth was possible you have to pay for it now, and even that doesn't result in much. Engagement is family and friends!
I remember once (not that long ago) Adam Mosseri, ceo of IG) said Instagram will start favoring small businesses. Yeah... don't that ever happened. Consistency does help, but it sure can be exhausting.
Absolutely — maybe at some point I can pay to hire someone to push out posts, but it just takes a lot of extra time and the ROI just isn't there. I get a lot more value from making an effort on LinkedIn of all places, and Substack has been incredible so far.
Linkedin can be great for picking up new subscribers. I had to leave though because it was creating anxiety around my decision to leave my career, seeing job posts and promotions and other career milestones that I wouldn't have in my future anymore. But yes! I have heard from other people also, that it's a good place to to promote newsletters.
When I finally gave in to making reels, I was about a year or so too late to catch big organic growth. Oh well. In a way I'm glad, otherwise I would still be wrestling with that tripod cursing to myself how I'm too old for this shit.
Thanks for articulating (and quantifying) so much of what I’ve been feeling, going through, avoiding. There’s a direct correlation between my weekly screen time (insta) and how present/productive/cheerful I am. But I am very much digging the return to the Blogosphere feeling of Substack. Great post!
Thanks Kathryn. I'm trying to examine why I still don't feel like I have time to do the things that I'd like to do, like read books. Apparently I'm not very good at moderating so going cold turkey has been my only solution so far.
I'm this close to following in your footsteps. Trying to examine my own reluctance. I guess that's addiction - holding on to something that has no upside. As for the books, I do the ten page minimum with morning coffee habit. It's been working for me!
I have been doing the morning read too! I am really trying to hold it to everyday but it's been a little inconsistent. But so far, a chapter or so a day has been doable.
Hi Jenna, I don’t even know how I came up to sign up to your newsletter. And don’t even know how I started reading it almost religiously, sometimes forwarding it to friends. Your words are talking to me. You know how to express beautifully emotions. Your reflections are real and belong to many of us. Thank you for sharing and inspiring. Now I want to start writing too. 😊
I really love your You Tube posts and am excited when I see a new one. Your aesthetic and content is both soothing and life affirming in showing a piece of beauty in this chaotic world. It may not reflect your inner soul but it brings peace to mine. Thank you.
I haven't posted one in 2 months, Dianne! And it's actually been eating at me with guilt?? I just needed to let it go and tell myself that nobody cares and is dying for a new video haha! I am editing one last Korea one. It's been very sloowww.
I kept a blog (for myself…. I didn’t share it with anyone) for 10+ years. Now I post a few times a year mostly to either save a quote or to memorialize a moment in time.
I have a corporate job so any social that I do is just to journal, share with a few close friends etc. but your post reminded me of an old post I wrote as I was working through a big job transition. The Seth Godin quote might resonate: https://notestolaney.blogspot.com/2017/02/quitter.html?m=1
“this system that pushes you to post consistently in a niche topic and punishes if you don’t is the kind of abusive relationship behavior that I don’t need in my life.” Seriously. I feel bound to it as a professional photographer but am slowly weaning myself from it. I’m so glad newsletters/blogging is back. I love reading and learning from folks like you. It also has forced me to slow down rather than scroll through mindlessly
Hannah, I totally get why you need it as a photographer or for any business. It is really important to have a social media presence, but maybe mostly to validate and establish authority for your business. I feel like newsletter and blogging is back because those of us are outgrowing all of fast media and we're making it come back 🤗
It’s always an extra meaningful read when I’ve gotten to talk to you the day before it lands. My own deeper engagement. Maybe you should offer office hours as a next level of subscription 😜
Hi! I don't usually comment but your post about writing this newsletter drove me to it :-) I don't recall how I stumbled into your orbit, but I *love* everything about your writing. For me, your voice and the subjects that you address are fresh and thought-provoking and beautiful. I loved the early days of blogging, when I felt like I was making friends and connecting with people that I didn't know. I get the same feeling from your newsletter. Insta is pretty, but the algorithm drives me crazy and I'm always on the verge of quitting. Your newsletter? Never. Thank you for writing and for sharing, and for creating something that I am honored to support.
So many thoughts. I too, wing it on newsletters. I have no queue, no drafts, no calendar. It’s literally just me cathartically forming sentences in my brain and then sometimes on the Notes app. When I do sit down to write it’s all at once or not at all. I think this is why I’m resistant to monetize…I don’t want to be beholden to a schedule and be forced to produced at a specific moment unless the idea is fully formed? I need to unpack that more.
Re: Instagram: even though I post regularly I will say 90% of IG is for the messaging value for me. I have so many connections with parents and group chats with friends that only exist on here. I think because it allows us to respond to culture/news/memes/etc together and the content can be a convo starter? I also think of posting primarily as my own visual journaling. I’m sure this will change as my kids get older and the dynamics around sharing things changes. But I don’t have the same kind of conversations on other platforms so even though I hate the endless scrolling / aspirational lifestyle feeling I value it for that.
I get that resistance to monetize, because this is exactly what has happened, so your hesitation is spot on. I know we can take liberties and skip a week, and a bunch of substackers have encouraged and advocated this, but I can't lie and say that I don't feel an underlying guilt when I do that.
If Instagram works for people they should stay on! I'm taking a break from even going on there unless it is to DM someone, but I'm sure I'll return to scrolling content at some point to catch up with people. I just don't want to post anymore, which is why I'm not really "quitting." I too need an outlet to chat, see memes, keep up with culture, etc. but I only need one platform at a time.
Jenna, I always look forward to your writing and art to help me articulate what’s in my head and in my heart. We are in similar life stages but that’s not the only thing. It is also your honesty and the fact that even when you’re feeling or expressing hardship you always seem to find a silver lining. Good for you for slimming down the things that seek your attention. I look forward to what comes next at any pace you feel is best for yourself. Sending love.
The more time I spend on any given platform the more compelled I am to make work in the platform’s format! With Instagram I want to make and share more art/comics, with Youtube I want to make videos, with Substack I want to blog and write. Because of the flitting across platforms I’ve had a tough time reckoning with what type of creation I most value on the internet. Trying new creative mediums like video is an inherent joy, signing up for a “required” cadence of cranking out videos every week is not. I don’t have any answers but do have lots of experiments, and maybe that’s my way of fighting back against the rot economy and the limited lanes it asks us to stay in.
I hear you, and this has always been my problem. I want to try everything. Even as a designer, I was a generalists and did everything. And on Instagram I always hated that we had to pigeonhole ourselves in a niche to gain traction for the algorithm. I'm not very good at staying in a niche!
I don’t often comment here but after reading your post today when it arrived in my inbox I felt strongly compelled to do so! Your words made me feel seen in so many ways, & it helps to know I’m not alone in my feelings…. We seem to be in similar life stages (my oldest left home for college last fall, I just turned 50 in December, I’m in the hellish depths of perimenopause…), so I could relate to every word you wrote; in fact I could’ve written your first 3 paragraphs myself! I’ve also been feeling unmoored (I use that word often to describe how I’ve been feeling lately) & struggling to find direction & motivation in my work. I’ve had “start Substack newsletter” on my to-do list for 2 years now (but knowing how I agonize & panic over every blog post I wrote in the past, I fear that a dive into Substack will just stress me out more, so I remain stuck)! My dad also passed away a year ago & I’m sure part of my “unmoored-ness” is due to that. Anyway… all this is to say that I appreciate you sharing your struggles, & seeing you persist despite them is helpful on many levels. (I also share your feelings about Instagram & debate often about its ROI for me!) Thank you so much for sharing. (P.S. Your drawing is lovely!)
Unmoored is a great word. It's just fitting. And I hear you on feeling stuck. I feel stuck about a few projects and it's hanging over me. I will say, that putting it in words here really lights a fire under my butt 😂 So I understand that starting something is stressful (and I won't refute that — as you can see, I've created my own work-type of stress) but it is the one thing that is making things move right now. Otherwise, I am sure that I would just be spending these last few months just fusing with the couch. What a weird time this is.
I enjoy your rambling, Jenna. It's a lot of what's been going on in my own head, lately. I was just talking with friends about how much we miss blogs. Blogs before everything became a platform to sell us something. I quit Twitter (I refuse to call it by that other name) at the end of last year and have tried to use the time (so much time!) I've gained on happier things. Teaching myself to draw. Walking my dogs. Is this what getting older is? I can't be bothered to keep up with social media anymore. None of it feels authentic except for Substack.
Kayce, when I think about how I blogged daily for almost 10 years, I just shake my head because I don't know how I did that. But I forget that we didn't have any other social platforms back then. Blogs were our social networks. At some point, keeping up with all of it, and making accounts everywhere because of FOMO or whatever, made all of this unsustainable as we spread ourselves too thin. This is why this feels right. Get back to one place. I'm so happy to hear that you're teaching yourself how to draw!
I can't call Twitter by it's new name either and I can't bring myself to use it anymore either. So much of this article and your own words resonate with me and my current thinking. I used to love Instagram but honestly now it feels as though a friendship that's run it's course.
And that's ok! Just like we outgrow friendships, we can also outgrow social media platforms. I think when I realized this, it all changed for me and it was easier to walk away.
I really enjoyed reading this article, appreciate your perspective and sharing your train of thoughts. Substack is quite special in how we connect to readers and other writers ❤️.
And keep doing your art and sharing it!! (And the recommendations/links part at the end! - I enjoyed all of this from start to finish haha)
Thanks for this Jenna — my process is often also very rambling. I used to have a friend who would say in a very prim, self-satisfied way: "I begin every piece with a strict outline — only once I am certain the outline is perfect do I begin to worry about the pretty words." She turned out to be not much of a friend as I'm sure you can guess.
A few years ago, I had a Big Title at a Big Deal start-up — we used Instagram to dominate our industry, and it was so FUN to build and grow there. Having had that experience, I can say for sure that the current platform is hot garbage if you actually want to connect with people.
I do more writing than art making these days, but I will never let go of my love of a beautiful image and I actually LIKE to make the content for Instagram — I just hate that (as you've mentioned here) it's basically just throwing things into a vacuum. I got particularly pissed off recently when I tried to PAY for an ad and they told me it violated their content guidelines. It was about love.
Cheers to abandoning crumbling empires
I'm glad to hear other people have a very ramble process. And I'm sure it's comical to Mark who comes home from work Tuesday afternoon when I am really stressed because it's STILL rambly.
Instagram was great when we had our business. And it worked! We'd post that we were having a sale....and we'd get sales! I'm not even mad about the devolving nature of the app. It's a business and it has to evolve with the demographic that it's trying to attract and retain. But it's not me anymore.
Ramble process is the most real... I think I write better, more relatable words when I am in ramble mode.
I couldn't agree more. Things come out so stilted and corporate when I try and be too cute about it!
Well in that case, good. Because I've been rambling on the internet for 25 years 😂
IG surely isn't what it used to be. I still post - but as with most others, (unless you are already a big account that IG seems to favor) views are minimal. Engagement is family and friends. It's good to have a presence there, but making it a primary platform - nahhhh. I'll repurpose there.
SAME. Thank you for validating me. If you didn't hit it big when organic growth was possible you have to pay for it now, and even that doesn't result in much. Engagement is family and friends!
I remember once (not that long ago) Adam Mosseri, ceo of IG) said Instagram will start favoring small businesses. Yeah... don't that ever happened. Consistency does help, but it sure can be exhausting.
Absolutely — maybe at some point I can pay to hire someone to push out posts, but it just takes a lot of extra time and the ROI just isn't there. I get a lot more value from making an effort on LinkedIn of all places, and Substack has been incredible so far.
Hmmm... I've been thinking of getting back to Linkedin.
Linkedin can be great for picking up new subscribers. I had to leave though because it was creating anxiety around my decision to leave my career, seeing job posts and promotions and other career milestones that I wouldn't have in my future anymore. But yes! I have heard from other people also, that it's a good place to to promote newsletters.
Yes, favor small businesses if you PAY.
AGREEEEEE on that!
When I finally gave in to making reels, I was about a year or so too late to catch big organic growth. Oh well. In a way I'm glad, otherwise I would still be wrestling with that tripod cursing to myself how I'm too old for this shit.
hahahahhahaha 10000%
Thanks for articulating (and quantifying) so much of what I’ve been feeling, going through, avoiding. There’s a direct correlation between my weekly screen time (insta) and how present/productive/cheerful I am. But I am very much digging the return to the Blogosphere feeling of Substack. Great post!
Thanks Kathryn. I'm trying to examine why I still don't feel like I have time to do the things that I'd like to do, like read books. Apparently I'm not very good at moderating so going cold turkey has been my only solution so far.
I'm this close to following in your footsteps. Trying to examine my own reluctance. I guess that's addiction - holding on to something that has no upside. As for the books, I do the ten page minimum with morning coffee habit. It's been working for me!
I have been doing the morning read too! I am really trying to hold it to everyday but it's been a little inconsistent. But so far, a chapter or so a day has been doable.
Hi Jenna, I don’t even know how I came up to sign up to your newsletter. And don’t even know how I started reading it almost religiously, sometimes forwarding it to friends. Your words are talking to me. You know how to express beautifully emotions. Your reflections are real and belong to many of us. Thank you for sharing and inspiring. Now I want to start writing too. 😊
Thank you Valeria for such a kind comment. And yes yes! You should start writing if you feel that it's calling to you!
I really love your You Tube posts and am excited when I see a new one. Your aesthetic and content is both soothing and life affirming in showing a piece of beauty in this chaotic world. It may not reflect your inner soul but it brings peace to mine. Thank you.
I haven't posted one in 2 months, Dianne! And it's actually been eating at me with guilt?? I just needed to let it go and tell myself that nobody cares and is dying for a new video haha! I am editing one last Korea one. It's been very sloowww.
No pressure at all. My to do list keeps getting moved en masse to the next day. Just wanted you to know when you do post one they are appreciated!!
Thanks Dianne. It's good to know at least one person watches them! 😂I was working on it today.
I kept a blog (for myself…. I didn’t share it with anyone) for 10+ years. Now I post a few times a year mostly to either save a quote or to memorialize a moment in time.
I have a corporate job so any social that I do is just to journal, share with a few close friends etc. but your post reminded me of an old post I wrote as I was working through a big job transition. The Seth Godin quote might resonate: https://notestolaney.blogspot.com/2017/02/quitter.html?m=1
Oh, I have seen this Mary! Yes, it's ok to quit things!
Phew I feel ALL of this!
“this system that pushes you to post consistently in a niche topic and punishes if you don’t is the kind of abusive relationship behavior that I don’t need in my life.” Seriously. I feel bound to it as a professional photographer but am slowly weaning myself from it. I’m so glad newsletters/blogging is back. I love reading and learning from folks like you. It also has forced me to slow down rather than scroll through mindlessly
Hannah, I totally get why you need it as a photographer or for any business. It is really important to have a social media presence, but maybe mostly to validate and establish authority for your business. I feel like newsletter and blogging is back because those of us are outgrowing all of fast media and we're making it come back 🤗
It’s always an extra meaningful read when I’ve gotten to talk to you the day before it lands. My own deeper engagement. Maybe you should offer office hours as a next level of subscription 😜
This is why I probably shouldn't schedule any meetings on Monday or Tuesday because you get to experience this rambling in real time!
Hi! I don't usually comment but your post about writing this newsletter drove me to it :-) I don't recall how I stumbled into your orbit, but I *love* everything about your writing. For me, your voice and the subjects that you address are fresh and thought-provoking and beautiful. I loved the early days of blogging, when I felt like I was making friends and connecting with people that I didn't know. I get the same feeling from your newsletter. Insta is pretty, but the algorithm drives me crazy and I'm always on the verge of quitting. Your newsletter? Never. Thank you for writing and for sharing, and for creating something that I am honored to support.
DS, firstly thank you so much for the subscription (tears incoming 🥹). Second, this is such a kind comment that I needed to hear today. 💖
So many thoughts. I too, wing it on newsletters. I have no queue, no drafts, no calendar. It’s literally just me cathartically forming sentences in my brain and then sometimes on the Notes app. When I do sit down to write it’s all at once or not at all. I think this is why I’m resistant to monetize…I don’t want to be beholden to a schedule and be forced to produced at a specific moment unless the idea is fully formed? I need to unpack that more.
Re: Instagram: even though I post regularly I will say 90% of IG is for the messaging value for me. I have so many connections with parents and group chats with friends that only exist on here. I think because it allows us to respond to culture/news/memes/etc together and the content can be a convo starter? I also think of posting primarily as my own visual journaling. I’m sure this will change as my kids get older and the dynamics around sharing things changes. But I don’t have the same kind of conversations on other platforms so even though I hate the endless scrolling / aspirational lifestyle feeling I value it for that.
I get that resistance to monetize, because this is exactly what has happened, so your hesitation is spot on. I know we can take liberties and skip a week, and a bunch of substackers have encouraged and advocated this, but I can't lie and say that I don't feel an underlying guilt when I do that.
If Instagram works for people they should stay on! I'm taking a break from even going on there unless it is to DM someone, but I'm sure I'll return to scrolling content at some point to catch up with people. I just don't want to post anymore, which is why I'm not really "quitting." I too need an outlet to chat, see memes, keep up with culture, etc. but I only need one platform at a time.
Jenna, I always look forward to your writing and art to help me articulate what’s in my head and in my heart. We are in similar life stages but that’s not the only thing. It is also your honesty and the fact that even when you’re feeling or expressing hardship you always seem to find a silver lining. Good for you for slimming down the things that seek your attention. I look forward to what comes next at any pace you feel is best for yourself. Sending love.
Hi Aileen! And thank you too for your subscription today 🥹 and your very kind words here. 💖
The more time I spend on any given platform the more compelled I am to make work in the platform’s format! With Instagram I want to make and share more art/comics, with Youtube I want to make videos, with Substack I want to blog and write. Because of the flitting across platforms I’ve had a tough time reckoning with what type of creation I most value on the internet. Trying new creative mediums like video is an inherent joy, signing up for a “required” cadence of cranking out videos every week is not. I don’t have any answers but do have lots of experiments, and maybe that’s my way of fighting back against the rot economy and the limited lanes it asks us to stay in.
I hear you, and this has always been my problem. I want to try everything. Even as a designer, I was a generalists and did everything. And on Instagram I always hated that we had to pigeonhole ourselves in a niche to gain traction for the algorithm. I'm not very good at staying in a niche!
Thank you for this. Right there alongside you.
💖
I don’t often comment here but after reading your post today when it arrived in my inbox I felt strongly compelled to do so! Your words made me feel seen in so many ways, & it helps to know I’m not alone in my feelings…. We seem to be in similar life stages (my oldest left home for college last fall, I just turned 50 in December, I’m in the hellish depths of perimenopause…), so I could relate to every word you wrote; in fact I could’ve written your first 3 paragraphs myself! I’ve also been feeling unmoored (I use that word often to describe how I’ve been feeling lately) & struggling to find direction & motivation in my work. I’ve had “start Substack newsletter” on my to-do list for 2 years now (but knowing how I agonize & panic over every blog post I wrote in the past, I fear that a dive into Substack will just stress me out more, so I remain stuck)! My dad also passed away a year ago & I’m sure part of my “unmoored-ness” is due to that. Anyway… all this is to say that I appreciate you sharing your struggles, & seeing you persist despite them is helpful on many levels. (I also share your feelings about Instagram & debate often about its ROI for me!) Thank you so much for sharing. (P.S. Your drawing is lovely!)
Unmoored is a great word. It's just fitting. And I hear you on feeling stuck. I feel stuck about a few projects and it's hanging over me. I will say, that putting it in words here really lights a fire under my butt 😂 So I understand that starting something is stressful (and I won't refute that — as you can see, I've created my own work-type of stress) but it is the one thing that is making things move right now. Otherwise, I am sure that I would just be spending these last few months just fusing with the couch. What a weird time this is.
I enjoy your rambling, Jenna. It's a lot of what's been going on in my own head, lately. I was just talking with friends about how much we miss blogs. Blogs before everything became a platform to sell us something. I quit Twitter (I refuse to call it by that other name) at the end of last year and have tried to use the time (so much time!) I've gained on happier things. Teaching myself to draw. Walking my dogs. Is this what getting older is? I can't be bothered to keep up with social media anymore. None of it feels authentic except for Substack.
Kayce, when I think about how I blogged daily for almost 10 years, I just shake my head because I don't know how I did that. But I forget that we didn't have any other social platforms back then. Blogs were our social networks. At some point, keeping up with all of it, and making accounts everywhere because of FOMO or whatever, made all of this unsustainable as we spread ourselves too thin. This is why this feels right. Get back to one place. I'm so happy to hear that you're teaching yourself how to draw!
I can't call Twitter by it's new name either and I can't bring myself to use it anymore either. So much of this article and your own words resonate with me and my current thinking. I used to love Instagram but honestly now it feels as though a friendship that's run it's course.
And that's ok! Just like we outgrow friendships, we can also outgrow social media platforms. I think when I realized this, it all changed for me and it was easier to walk away.
I really enjoyed reading this article, appreciate your perspective and sharing your train of thoughts. Substack is quite special in how we connect to readers and other writers ❤️.
And keep doing your art and sharing it!! (And the recommendations/links part at the end! - I enjoyed all of this from start to finish haha)
Thank you so much Laurène! It's been really good to meet new people and make some real connections again. Looking forward to checking your Substack!
omg you stole my notes for the newsletter I'm working on this week :)
You mean, you were also going to write about a midlife hormonal meltdown this week?
EXACTLY! Well, about midlife and social media. Maybe not so much about hormonal meltdowns...
Well I look forward to reading it then.