Love this concept of Creative Gravity! Great piece.
Another aspect of Bobbi's show's petering out - and to a point you made in the essay... a sort of hyper- nonchalance and distant-type persona can work as a bit...but it comes with a short term expiration date.
The inverse here is the reason Nardwuar is still a mainstay- people love the attention to detail, the nerding out of the pre-show research, and ultimately a consideration and care for culture. Too cool for school has 40 yard dash energy not marathon energy.
Wow I couldn't have said this any better. Exactly. Peruse the Reddit comments and you'll see tons of people mentioning how Bobbi seems mean, inconsiderate, distant...
It's funny, there are some great essays about how "we no longer care about anything." Birthday parties or religion or heartbreak or the future in general. And I think we're seeing a bit of a boomerang back to the fact that caring *is* cool, and we should give a shit, and we should put effort and meaning into what we do.
Anyways, I'm rambling but thank you for reading and your insightful comment!
so good! The host of Hot Ones Sean Evans is also great in this way.
Considering the type of people they spotlight- top artists, public figures, or big name musicians-( often overtly media trained)! I'd much rather have one of these two steering the interview than say a Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon.
I've had times where I've adjusted my content to fit in with the more popular viral content. But it just never felt like me. So I've focused on writing things that follow my interest and see where it takes me. One of my most recent pieces on alarms was probably one of the best pieces I've written and it was just me following my curiosity and writing about it.
This series is phenomenal. I struggle sometimes to keep myself glued to my passion and purpose. To stop looking around at other people’s successes and how they pander to the lowest common denominator. Thank you for showing how deviating from what is truly me will blow up in my face. A good reminder I will go back to again and again.
I read the creators who make me lust for more and have realized it’s because they’re uniquely themselves. Their voice. Their words. Not watered down for the masses.
This is such an amazing message to read. Thank you so much for reading, Jessica. And yes–your voice, your interests, your talent, this is your competitive edge. Follow your energy and passion (and marry it with razor-sharp marketing, copywriting, and writing skills) and I promise it'll lead you somewhere great
This piece is SO GOOD! I'd never heard about Creator Gravity before today, but it makes so much sense! I feel like the pieces I write from the heart usually perform better. And when I write something that I don't feel as invested in, even if it DOES do well, I feel like I don't deserve it. Crazy how our brains work like that. Definitely going to be leaning into creating more of what I want :)
As someone who is just in the beginning process of building a Substack, I've been watching a whole bunch of "How to Get 10,000 Subscribers on Substack" type videos, and it's insane just how many people build a following on teaching people how to... build a following. It's like a snake eating itself.
But then I stop to think—are these people making great art? Will they be remembered for anything?
We all need to make money, and every decision doesn't necessarily have to be some grand creative choice, but as you said, we're far better off when we create something from our souls rather than just for the chance at fleeting virality. This is a super helpful reminder to keep in mind, thanks for sharing your perspective!
Pretending to be someone we're not is exhausting and unsustainable. I like to play the long game, and see any form of virility more of a menace than help. But it's also rarely enough to " just be ourselves" - raise your standards; "forget" about the audience and try to impress yourself.
Love this concept of Creative Gravity! Great piece.
Another aspect of Bobbi's show's petering out - and to a point you made in the essay... a sort of hyper- nonchalance and distant-type persona can work as a bit...but it comes with a short term expiration date.
The inverse here is the reason Nardwuar is still a mainstay- people love the attention to detail, the nerding out of the pre-show research, and ultimately a consideration and care for culture. Too cool for school has 40 yard dash energy not marathon energy.
Wow I couldn't have said this any better. Exactly. Peruse the Reddit comments and you'll see tons of people mentioning how Bobbi seems mean, inconsiderate, distant...
It's funny, there are some great essays about how "we no longer care about anything." Birthday parties or religion or heartbreak or the future in general. And I think we're seeing a bit of a boomerang back to the fact that caring *is* cool, and we should give a shit, and we should put effort and meaning into what we do.
Anyways, I'm rambling but thank you for reading and your insightful comment!
No ramble, You said it wonderfully! & I def agree that we're seeing the pendulum swing back to more sincerity, earnestness, and caring.
Thanks again for the thought provoking piece!
Nardwuar is a great counterexample! I’d forgotten about him, but he’s amazing!
so good! The host of Hot Ones Sean Evans is also great in this way.
Considering the type of people they spotlight- top artists, public figures, or big name musicians-( often overtly media trained)! I'd much rather have one of these two steering the interview than say a Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon.
love this series – thanks for the shout!
Thank you Jay! It's easy, you're a great source of inspiration 🙇
I followed you through a chain of links and picked up your newsletter masterclass just based on that post (plus the reviews).
Alice this series is gold! 🥇 Thank you for sharing 💗
Thank you so much Elizabeth for reading!
Agreed, series is gold!
This was very good
Thank you thank you Adam
Not the Offset jab 💀 amazing piece though, Alice. Please keep this series going!
Thank you Gabriel!!
Yes! Because you have this passion for something FOR A REASON ;-)
Follow your energy!
Another amazing piece in this series.
I've had times where I've adjusted my content to fit in with the more popular viral content. But it just never felt like me. So I've focused on writing things that follow my interest and see where it takes me. One of my most recent pieces on alarms was probably one of the best pieces I've written and it was just me following my curiosity and writing about it.
Love this so much for you Shoaib! Yes, keep following your curiosities, I promise your best writing will come from it!
Thank you, Alice, for your deep dive! It's definitely a call to exam our motives for creating.
Thank you for reading Gregg!
Spot on. Loved this part:
But virality isn’t gravity.
That’s what people forget about creator gravity: It’s not just about pulling people in—it’s about giving them a reason to stay in your orbit.
Ty ty for reading! And yes...virality is cheap 🤷♀️
This series is phenomenal. I struggle sometimes to keep myself glued to my passion and purpose. To stop looking around at other people’s successes and how they pander to the lowest common denominator. Thank you for showing how deviating from what is truly me will blow up in my face. A good reminder I will go back to again and again.
I read the creators who make me lust for more and have realized it’s because they’re uniquely themselves. Their voice. Their words. Not watered down for the masses.
This is such an amazing message to read. Thank you so much for reading, Jessica. And yes–your voice, your interests, your talent, this is your competitive edge. Follow your energy and passion (and marry it with razor-sharp marketing, copywriting, and writing skills) and I promise it'll lead you somewhere great
Amen.
You hit the nail on the head with this one, Alice.
Thank you so much for reading, Robin!
This piece is SO GOOD! I'd never heard about Creator Gravity before today, but it makes so much sense! I feel like the pieces I write from the heart usually perform better. And when I write something that I don't feel as invested in, even if it DOES do well, I feel like I don't deserve it. Crazy how our brains work like that. Definitely going to be leaning into creating more of what I want :)
@Melissa Blum part 2!!
Dang... this really resonated with me a lot!
As someone who is just in the beginning process of building a Substack, I've been watching a whole bunch of "How to Get 10,000 Subscribers on Substack" type videos, and it's insane just how many people build a following on teaching people how to... build a following. It's like a snake eating itself.
But then I stop to think—are these people making great art? Will they be remembered for anything?
We all need to make money, and every decision doesn't necessarily have to be some grand creative choice, but as you said, we're far better off when we create something from our souls rather than just for the chance at fleeting virality. This is a super helpful reminder to keep in mind, thanks for sharing your perspective!
Pretending to be someone we're not is exhausting and unsustainable. I like to play the long game, and see any form of virility more of a menace than help. But it's also rarely enough to " just be ourselves" - raise your standards; "forget" about the audience and try to impress yourself.