Being An Open-Node | #32

Being An Open-Node | #32

No. 32— read time 4 minutes

Welcome to The Soloist, a weekly newsletter where I share timeless ideas and insights about life, business, and art.

Today at a glance

• Being An Open-Node

• Article: The Ant, the Grasshopper, and the Antidote to the Cult of More

• Tweet: Ray Bradbury Advice To Writers

Being An Open-Node

This past week I got to hang with some internet creator buddies at a meetup in Williamsburg Brooklyn co-hosted by Khe Hy and Paul Millerd.

Not only was it a blast seeing so many faces from Twitter (sorry, not calling it X) in real life, it was a reminder that behind the usernames and the tweets, there are real humans out there pouring their blood, sweat, and tears onto the internet to share their thoughts.

Going to physical meetups again after the weird pandemic hiatus is an amazing feeling. We are social creatures after all. But on the train ride back to Boston the following day I was reminded of the greater lesson of meeting people from your community, in person. The lesson of what it means to be a good citizen of a community first.

Many people embark on creator journeys because they have something they want to share with the world. They have stories, lessons, and tips they want to be recognized for. They want attention.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeking attention, but what most people seem to miss that in order to be interesting, you must first be interested.

In the terrific book Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, he discusses this exact dilemma. “If you want fans, you have to be a fan first… You have to be a connector” The writer Blake Butler describes it as being an open node.

When I asked Paul what was his biggest lesson looking back on 6 years of his creator / Pathless Path journey, he summed it up simply: “in everything you do, be long-term focused.”

If you’re looking to grow on social media, it’s easy to get in a mode of “gaming the algorithm”. But while that may drive followers to your profile, it doesn’t drive fans. And if you remember the lesson from Kevin Kelly, you only need 1,000 true fans to make a living from this creator thing.

Sure, you can join social media engagement groups till you’re blue in the face. But if you don’t make real connections with real people, you’ll have a hard time going the distance. Real people who know you and want to see you win. Nothing beats that.

The internet can be an incredibly supportive place for creative endeavors. But you should avoid the instinct to go it alone. Instead, be the connector. Give before expecting to get. Make the extra trip to meet folks in real life. Be the open node.

This advice is not only useful for the creator game, it’s universal in all business endeavors.

As Austin Kleon wrote, “you want hearts, not eyeballs.”

Till next week,

-Tom

Article: The Ant, the Grasshopper, and the Antidote to the Cult of More: A Lovely Vintage Illustrated Poem About the Meaning and Measure of Enough

A beautiful take on our culture of materialism and what enough really means, told through the poetry of John Ciardi. A quick read but perfect for a rainy summer weekend. Enjoy.

Read the post

Tweet: Ray Bradbury Advice To Writers

College is terrible for writers. You don’t want intellect, you want feeling when you are writing. Ben has become a friend in this creator journey and the videos he finds always make me question what beliefs I’ve held. I think you’ll enjoy this.

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. If you save a lot of bookmarks on Twitter (like me), try dewey. —
   the easiest way to organize Twitter bookmarks.

2. If you're looking for social media growth coaching book a slot here.

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