Sara, this is so well said! I think we are conditioned from a very young age to see external validation as the only metric we should trust (grades at school, praise from an authority figure, etc etc), which then makes it very hard not to give credence to those perceived external metrics ('the marketplace and online spaces reflecting distorted determinations of our value back at us'.) This is something I've struggled with increasingly in recent years. It can be tricky conditioning to undo, because it really does go against everything we are taught. Looking inside for an internal sense of motivation, finding joy that is unique to the self, following what excites and makes YOU happy—this is key to sustainability as a writer but it can be hard to learn to balance and trust! I love the way you've put this and I am going to read it again. Thank you! xx
Hi Kim, I'm so glad this resonated with you! It's such a tricky balance trying to work with all these different values, but staying centred on what we love is surely vital! Knowing the market is important too, but I'm convinced we can do that in ways that don't overwhelm us or discourage us from our unique creative potential. x
Sara, this is so well said! I think we are conditioned from a very young age to see external validation as the only metric we should trust (grades at school, praise from an authority figure, etc etc), which then makes it very hard not to give credence to those perceived external metrics ('the marketplace and online spaces reflecting distorted determinations of our value back at us'.) This is something I've struggled with increasingly in recent years. It can be tricky conditioning to undo, because it really does go against everything we are taught. Looking inside for an internal sense of motivation, finding joy that is unique to the self, following what excites and makes YOU happy—this is key to sustainability as a writer but it can be hard to learn to balance and trust! I love the way you've put this and I am going to read it again. Thank you! xx
Hi Kim, I'm so glad this resonated with you! It's such a tricky balance trying to work with all these different values, but staying centred on what we love is surely vital! Knowing the market is important too, but I'm convinced we can do that in ways that don't overwhelm us or discourage us from our unique creative potential. x