I've taken a liking to architecture recently because, by nature, permanence is a key feature in a building. The world grows and changes around the building rather than consuming and moving on.
This piece calls me to make something not to be consumed, but to be lived and experienced for years to come even as the world around it changes.
the timing of this article was so impactful on me. i'm new to substack, but i've been publishing stories that i've been working on as early as 2022. they are based on interviews, which has been particularly time-intensive as i'm portraying someone else's story and experience. i get in my head because it feels "silly" to invest so much time as if i am working at a publication; it's just my free substack after all. but then i remind myself that it is the successful writers like you and other long-form advocates that have created work that inspires me and sits with me for weeks (not just a fleeting moment). there is no way around time and effort when you are fully immersing yourself in creation that you'll remember forever.
There’s certainly virtue in both, heavy and light, but the heavy things—at their best—are the ones you remember, from my experience. Just a matter of finding the right mix, kudos on searching for yours!
I built a heavy startup for 6 years and it eventually broke me. Now I’m enjoying (more than any work I’ve done) the manageable mid-weightness of posting on my publication. And you never know, all those posts might one day add up to something heavier like a book!
Understandable! There’s some balance of both, and the current moment has skewed many people towards one I believe. Agreed on the posts adding up to a book or something else weighty, that kind of intention is one I find helpful to have.
This hit heavy. I spent many years creating many light things in hopes that it will add up to something with weight. It didn’t. I think heavy is more about time taken and effort spent in consuming. An hour is not just 60 minutes spent over a month. It’s an hour’s sitting.
I just detoxed Instagram for this exact reason, what the fuck am I doing. Then after 4 days off it I felt lost but know feeling found is not on there. This has inspired me to get to work on the deep and heavy things with no one watching, the theatre of online really does distract from us going deep within ourselves. Thank you for this.
This is a read that will sit with me for a long time. Thank you.
thank you Janet 🙏
Brilliant writing, and hits me right in the soul.
I've taken a liking to architecture recently because, by nature, permanence is a key feature in a building. The world grows and changes around the building rather than consuming and moving on.
This piece calls me to make something not to be consumed, but to be lived and experienced for years to come even as the world around it changes.
Thank you so much for sharing
thank you for reading, architecture is underappreciated, the almost pop culture mention with The Brutalist!
It's very difficult to write something with severity while still remaining tender and humane. I love this :) thank you for writing
severity is descriptor I hold dear 🙏
the timing of this article was so impactful on me. i'm new to substack, but i've been publishing stories that i've been working on as early as 2022. they are based on interviews, which has been particularly time-intensive as i'm portraying someone else's story and experience. i get in my head because it feels "silly" to invest so much time as if i am working at a publication; it's just my free substack after all. but then i remind myself that it is the successful writers like you and other long-form advocates that have created work that inspires me and sits with me for weeks (not just a fleeting moment). there is no way around time and effort when you are fully immersing yourself in creation that you'll remember forever.
There’s certainly virtue in both, heavy and light, but the heavy things—at their best—are the ones you remember, from my experience. Just a matter of finding the right mix, kudos on searching for yours!
I just joined too, Laura! Looking forward to your articles.
Utterly brilliant writing. This resonated hugely. Thank you & thanks as ever to @IndiaKnight for leading me here.
💛 thank you for reading
Modern creators merely muddy the waters to make them seem deep. Heft is the only way out.
Heft is lindy
Pre-Heavy and post-heavy is very useful!
I also think that we will see bubbles of physicality pop up (e.g printed newsletters)
Interesting thought! Do you mean with regards to making newsletter more "weighty" in the way of magazines?
Thank you! I mean sending things in the mail and sidestep the bastard distribution algorithms
True, though that will still be downstream of people signing up to receive them based on engagement online.
I think there are ways around this 🤓
I didn't know I needed to read this. Might even journal about it. Thanks
Love that, if it's public, please share back!
"Creating for 24-hour cycles is just renting your time." this post has so much depth. Thanks for your writing, this was a wonderful post.
Much appreciated! Thanks for reading
I built a heavy startup for 6 years and it eventually broke me. Now I’m enjoying (more than any work I’ve done) the manageable mid-weightness of posting on my publication. And you never know, all those posts might one day add up to something heavier like a book!
Understandable! There’s some balance of both, and the current moment has skewed many people towards one I believe. Agreed on the posts adding up to a book or something else weighty, that kind of intention is one I find helpful to have.
I can't just re-read this, I've got to marinate my brain with this piece. Thank you so much.
🧘♀️🙏
This mindset helps one in prioritizing what they should be focusing on at any given moment.
I had never looked at this concept from this perspective before. Thank you for writing this, Anu.
🙏 Thanks for reading
Cannot agree more. I wrote a similar post about mass * velocity = momentum.
All preparation and no action gives you a boulder: impressive, stable, unmoving.
All action and no preparation gives you a pebble: fast, but easily deflected.
https://xianli.substack.com/p/the-equation-of-momentum
🤝
This hit heavy. I spent many years creating many light things in hopes that it will add up to something with weight. It didn’t. I think heavy is more about time taken and effort spent in consuming. An hour is not just 60 minutes spent over a month. It’s an hour’s sitting.
Agreed, have more thoughts on the time factor!
I just detoxed Instagram for this exact reason, what the fuck am I doing. Then after 4 days off it I felt lost but know feeling found is not on there. This has inspired me to get to work on the deep and heavy things with no one watching, the theatre of online really does distract from us going deep within ourselves. Thank you for this.
“The theater of online” is exactly it, and some theaters even offline, but theater being the point of distraction.