another excellent one, i could cry! after a long period of not writing anything as a passion project, i made this Substack account and attempted to spew out whatever was in my drawers. i am a sociology graduate; i am basically designed to dissect an issue, evaluate and analyze it, and try to fit it into any theory that would convince me that it is a reasonable explanation. after a time, it began to happen involuntarily. i'm slowly recognizing how much i neglected my creative side, and how this sociological imagining habit worsens the problem. i don't consider myself an online culture critic, but this was a necessary reminder and criticism; not only i was iterating others in my drafts (thats why those stay in drafts!!), but also myself. thank you!
This is so wonderful, it is refreshing to see someone else acknowledge their experience of the present through something other than critique. I have also tried (and horribly failed) at expressing my present sights through the lens of someone critiquing a current popular topic, but as it would turn out I am much too optimistic for that. It is instead so nice to be inspired by your surroundings and take away lessons and ideas than to dissect them and ultimately makes them more inflated and negative than they need to be!
thank you so much and yes yes, i agree! even though the conclusions i come to about my surroundings are sometimes negative, the way of which i reflect on them ultimately proves more rewarding than i’ve ever found traditional ICC to be.
Wow!! You’ve written this brilliantly (and reminded me how wonderful the voice-over option is). I find my “voice” or the essence of my pieces get lost when I’m deep in the ever-growing sea of substack letters offering various hot takes. I think it’s admirable when any one of us take the time to analyse the intention behind that initial urge to write something-especially when simply getting material out there to meet the demands of consumerism could arguably be considered favourable. I still only write essays/letters monthly (for the most part), but it helps me maintain a practice of introspection I find necessary for my craft.
thank you so much and yes you’ve articulated exactly how overwhelming it can feel sometimes, especially if you’re a bit of a “doom scroller” over here. (also, is the voiceover still available? i thought i had removed it; i made significant changes to the essay—too significant to warrant the keeping of the audio.)
Another great essay. I can absolutely sympathize with the need to be seen as interesting or worth while, to bring a new perspective despite the fact that we ( and most people) are hardly that different from the mold.
I´ve been surrounded by extraordinary stories, and yet I am at best the person recounting those stories to others, a narrator. And it has been hard to come to terms with my own banality.
About the internet critics, yes, there seems to be this need to always have this groundbreaking point or statement, how this thing in particular is an exceptional example of xyz. Some critics are deeply insecure about their own content, and it shows.
thank you very much! and yes, i have felt the same at times—until i realized my perspective on the banality was what had the potential to make me interesting rather than attempting to be something i blatantly wasn’t.
oh my gosh I literally wrote in my notes app the other day about how I wish I could write eloquently and think like some of the writers here, but then I'm betraying myself!!! what if that isn't ME that isn't how I write but I just admire it? Also, I don't always want to talk about mainstream stuff and after while it does clog my ears. the overuse of words causes me to abandon them altogether and ignore posts that use them- which I probably lose out on good essays... I don't want to be an online critic! though sometimes I like to critique stuff that genuinely annoys me and I find fault in. I'm not asking anyone to take something away from it (subconsciously, maybe I want them to agree) but more so throwing it into the air- see if anyone does feel the same or I'm just a complainer. I do struggle with the need of validation and find myself contemplating the mainstream, but I don't fit that shoe very well. Anyways, love thisss
the ear-clogging, the overuse of buzzwords—i’m the exact same way and am probably similarly missing out. but god, i don’t think i can stand to see the word “overconsumption” anymore…
thank you so much for reading and i’m happy this resonated!
another excellent one, i could cry! after a long period of not writing anything as a passion project, i made this Substack account and attempted to spew out whatever was in my drawers. i am a sociology graduate; i am basically designed to dissect an issue, evaluate and analyze it, and try to fit it into any theory that would convince me that it is a reasonable explanation. after a time, it began to happen involuntarily. i'm slowly recognizing how much i neglected my creative side, and how this sociological imagining habit worsens the problem. i don't consider myself an online culture critic, but this was a necessary reminder and criticism; not only i was iterating others in my drafts (thats why those stay in drafts!!), but also myself. thank you!
thank *you* for reading and i hope you’re able to rekindle your relationship with your creative side!
This is so wonderful, it is refreshing to see someone else acknowledge their experience of the present through something other than critique. I have also tried (and horribly failed) at expressing my present sights through the lens of someone critiquing a current popular topic, but as it would turn out I am much too optimistic for that. It is instead so nice to be inspired by your surroundings and take away lessons and ideas than to dissect them and ultimately makes them more inflated and negative than they need to be!
thank you so much and yes yes, i agree! even though the conclusions i come to about my surroundings are sometimes negative, the way of which i reflect on them ultimately proves more rewarding than i’ve ever found traditional ICC to be.
gotta love internet critiques of internet critiques!! (jokes aside, i love this essay. wonderful work ^_^)
😂😂 thank you very much!
Wow!! You’ve written this brilliantly (and reminded me how wonderful the voice-over option is). I find my “voice” or the essence of my pieces get lost when I’m deep in the ever-growing sea of substack letters offering various hot takes. I think it’s admirable when any one of us take the time to analyse the intention behind that initial urge to write something-especially when simply getting material out there to meet the demands of consumerism could arguably be considered favourable. I still only write essays/letters monthly (for the most part), but it helps me maintain a practice of introspection I find necessary for my craft.
thank you so much and yes you’ve articulated exactly how overwhelming it can feel sometimes, especially if you’re a bit of a “doom scroller” over here. (also, is the voiceover still available? i thought i had removed it; i made significant changes to the essay—too significant to warrant the keeping of the audio.)
At the time I read it it was, but I can’t see it anymore :)
Another great essay. I can absolutely sympathize with the need to be seen as interesting or worth while, to bring a new perspective despite the fact that we ( and most people) are hardly that different from the mold.
I´ve been surrounded by extraordinary stories, and yet I am at best the person recounting those stories to others, a narrator. And it has been hard to come to terms with my own banality.
About the internet critics, yes, there seems to be this need to always have this groundbreaking point or statement, how this thing in particular is an exceptional example of xyz. Some critics are deeply insecure about their own content, and it shows.
thank you very much! and yes, i have felt the same at times—until i realized my perspective on the banality was what had the potential to make me interesting rather than attempting to be something i blatantly wasn’t.
oh my gosh I literally wrote in my notes app the other day about how I wish I could write eloquently and think like some of the writers here, but then I'm betraying myself!!! what if that isn't ME that isn't how I write but I just admire it? Also, I don't always want to talk about mainstream stuff and after while it does clog my ears. the overuse of words causes me to abandon them altogether and ignore posts that use them- which I probably lose out on good essays... I don't want to be an online critic! though sometimes I like to critique stuff that genuinely annoys me and I find fault in. I'm not asking anyone to take something away from it (subconsciously, maybe I want them to agree) but more so throwing it into the air- see if anyone does feel the same or I'm just a complainer. I do struggle with the need of validation and find myself contemplating the mainstream, but I don't fit that shoe very well. Anyways, love thisss
the ear-clogging, the overuse of buzzwords—i’m the exact same way and am probably similarly missing out. but god, i don’t think i can stand to see the word “overconsumption” anymore…
thank you so much for reading and i’m happy this resonated!