This is one of the nicest post I have read in recent times. It answers so many of my questions. It’s so easy to get carried away in people pleasing and why it isn’t easy the other way around? Constant conscious fight between the perception and seeking truth exhausts me at times.
“Creation and preservation require fundamentally different mindsets, often at odds.”
This particular line stuck with me. I had never thought of preservation of self and our image as a blocker in creative pursuits, but I’ve often felt this exact tension.
Perception and success of past work paralyzes me from exploring new work. Stepping out of that mindset to create is indeed a necessary first step to creating something new again.
It’s important to remember most of those constraints are self-imposed and made up, even if some fans may share the same feeling, most probably don’t.
This might be my favorite piece of yours, which says a lot. Thank you for sharing another banger 🙏🏼
Thanks for reading Pete, and glad this one particularly resonated! Definitely think this phenomenon also advantages the beginners / underdogs who have none to little preservation instinct. Lots of ways in which it shows up
Initial success can feel like it’s supposed to define your entire path. But it is important to continue to get work done without the fear of losing credibility for some breaking off some 'record’.
If you stay on that early successful path because that's the most pertinent to your reality, even great. But don’t cling to it out of fear of disappointing others. You’re going to grow, change, and evolve, and no matter what, someone will be disappointed anyway.
When I was in little league I hit a home run. That next at bat was nerve wracking, I was relieved when I just made contact with the ball. Have been wanting to write an essay about this phenomenon and I think you did a great job capturing it!
Imposter syndrome hogs the limelight, but encore anxiety is that devious little creature waiting in the wings ready to sever your Achilles just as you walk out on stage.
Perhaps encore anxiety feels worse than impostor syndrome because it touches on more fears.
There's the fear you noted ("my genius will never be appreciated again"). But there's also a version that's an extended impostor syndrome ("my genius was more luck than skill, and I won't get lucky again").
And once you have any kind of audience, then toxic people pleasing becomes a factor ("I hope I don't disappoint my true fans!"!)
Maybe it's better to find public success posthumously! (Not really.)
This is why I never let my children to become so-called influencers, youtubers, etc. And whoever came up with the idea that GDP is a measuring tool to a country’s success was probably suffering from this exact problem.
For those who are sensitive to most everything, the answer is not to be in front of an audience, to pay attention to your work and to life around you - i.e. to know what kind of person you are and how your creative process is impacted by what is distracting you from what you’re trying to express. What is important is the work. All the rest is icing.
brilliant peice. this happens when writing a linkedin post, for once I see a viral post on my account, i always have this pressure of writing a next big one. And it flops. Not once or twice, sometimes even for weeks. good to know this phenomina exists, thank you anu
This is one of the nicest post I have read in recent times. It answers so many of my questions. It’s so easy to get carried away in people pleasing and why it isn’t easy the other way around? Constant conscious fight between the perception and seeking truth exhausts me at times.
I like the articulation of the fight between perception and reality, thanks for reading
"Managing perception instead of pursuing truth" can easily become 99% of corporate work if you are not careful.
💯 Also just occurred to me it’d be fun if I could guess who wrote each comment :)
??? What do you mean by "each comment"? Sorry I didn't get it 😅
“Creation and preservation require fundamentally different mindsets, often at odds.”
This particular line stuck with me. I had never thought of preservation of self and our image as a blocker in creative pursuits, but I’ve often felt this exact tension.
Perception and success of past work paralyzes me from exploring new work. Stepping out of that mindset to create is indeed a necessary first step to creating something new again.
It’s important to remember most of those constraints are self-imposed and made up, even if some fans may share the same feeling, most probably don’t.
This might be my favorite piece of yours, which says a lot. Thank you for sharing another banger 🙏🏼
Thanks for reading Pete, and glad this one particularly resonated! Definitely think this phenomenon also advantages the beginners / underdogs who have none to little preservation instinct. Lots of ways in which it shows up
This is very real.
Initial success can feel like it’s supposed to define your entire path. But it is important to continue to get work done without the fear of losing credibility for some breaking off some 'record’.
If you stay on that early successful path because that's the most pertinent to your reality, even great. But don’t cling to it out of fear of disappointing others. You’re going to grow, change, and evolve, and no matter what, someone will be disappointed anyway.
Well said, thanks for reading!
When I was in little league I hit a home run. That next at bat was nerve wracking, I was relieved when I just made contact with the ball. Have been wanting to write an essay about this phenomenon and I think you did a great job capturing it!
🙏 Resonates! When there’s nothing yet to lose you feel most free, and yet most of life is having something to lose
This is so real
I love that I could relate to this essay
🤝
Thanks for giving this a name ! Great read.
💛
"the antidote isn’t caring less about your work or the people judging it, but caring more about truthseeking"
need this on a visible note that i can look at anytime ❤️
💛
There were so many great quotes in this, that I cannot possibly quote all of them here. Great work!
Imposter syndrome hogs the limelight, but encore anxiety is that devious little creature waiting in the wings ready to sever your Achilles just as you walk out on stage.
You have written down what J. Cole sang in his classic song: Let Nas Down.
Loved it.
Perhaps encore anxiety feels worse than impostor syndrome because it touches on more fears.
There's the fear you noted ("my genius will never be appreciated again"). But there's also a version that's an extended impostor syndrome ("my genius was more luck than skill, and I won't get lucky again").
And once you have any kind of audience, then toxic people pleasing becomes a factor ("I hope I don't disappoint my true fans!"!)
Maybe it's better to find public success posthumously! (Not really.)
This is why I never let my children to become so-called influencers, youtubers, etc. And whoever came up with the idea that GDP is a measuring tool to a country’s success was probably suffering from this exact problem.
For those who are sensitive to most everything, the answer is not to be in front of an audience, to pay attention to your work and to life around you - i.e. to know what kind of person you are and how your creative process is impacted by what is distracting you from what you’re trying to express. What is important is the work. All the rest is icing.
brilliant peice. this happens when writing a linkedin post, for once I see a viral post on my account, i always have this pressure of writing a next big one. And it flops. Not once or twice, sometimes even for weeks. good to know this phenomina exists, thank you anu
This is very true, especially since in todays world you’re judged creatively on what you’ve done most recently