There’s not an iota of doubt that I’ve learned so much because I could discover some amazing people on social media. Had they not been on Twitter or LinkedIn, silently publishing their work on their own blogs instead, I would have never found them. They created something awesome and felt the need to share it with the world. And we all benefited greatly from it.
When I’ve learned enough about things and feel it’s time to share my work, I find myself following in their footsteps—going online to build an audience. After all, what’s the point of creating great content if there’s no one to read it?
But we have a problem here.
Creating the work you love and serving an audience are two different things. Many (actually, most) people don’t understand this, as is evident from their actions on Twitter. There are much-sought-after experts who eventually resort to doing mediocre stuff just to serve the audience. The algorithm is brutal and spares none. Manas explains it well here.
Substack initially brought light, allowing genuine experts to share their work in the most authentic way. But with its social media features, like notes and engagement, it’s becoming another Twitter.
Some manage this by letting their team handle social media, like Cal Newport. He lives by his deep work philosophy and runs a podcast to meet new-age needs. He remains off social media, with his YouTube content managed by his team, allowing him to stay focused on his work.
I think the message is loud and clear. If you want to focus on your craft and do your best work, simply publish your best work without worrying about who’s reading it.
If you have a business that depends on readership, that’s a different ball game. In that case, you’re no longer just an artist or creator—you’re a businessperson, and the rules change.
However, if you create purely for the joy of creation, you stick to the craft, not the audience. You pursue your curiosity irrespective of fleeting trends and evolving expectations. When you focus on what you genuinely care about, you keep refining yourself and become your best version.
That’s a rare state to reach, especially when everyone’s chasing “distribution.”
When you do your work for the joy of it and don’t chase people, ironically, people find you more attractive and end up following you.
You may even become a cult figure to them. But the point is to keep reminding yourself—it doesn’t matter.
And keep creating! For the love of it.
Parth Choudhury 