Somebody Just Like Me

19. Is it any good?

There are four kinds of good…

It’s not a hierarchy, and in fact, they might be in conflict:

• “This is what I saw in my head.” (it’s good to me)

• “This is accepted and admired by a specific circle of people.”

• “I got paid well for this.”

• “This is really popular, it’s a hit.”

• The kind you can’t get is: Every single critic likes it.

Prompt: Which kind of good are you looking for? The work you’re doing, is it that kind of good? How do you know?

Does arguing with people about how hard you worked or what they don’t see helping? What if you could see what they see?

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My Adoring Fans

Which kind of good are you looking for?

• “This is what I saw in my head.” (it’s good to me)
• “This is accepted and admired by a specific circle of people.”
• “I got paid well for this.”
• “This is really popular, it’s a hit.”
• The kind you can’t get is: Every single critic likes it.

The two bolded statements are the places I want to be. When I pre-plan my writing (I start on paper and move to the computer for typing), it usually comes out exactly like I expect.

But sometimes, I’m not sure what I see in my head. Sometimes I want to describe raw emotions, and I just put down whatever comes to mind. Most of these creations are not elegant, but they are raw and brimming with potential, so they too are more products from the working head of myself.

I’ve never had the desire to be adored for who I am or what I create. It creates a rising sense of expectation and you gradually lose the sense of authenticity the greater your shadow casts. My ideal scenario would not necessarily be having a small community of fans, but a small community of positive and inspiring individuals that welcome others into the fold with open arms.

That being said… being widely popular wouldn’t be a bad thing. Being overwhelmed is the abundance of opportunity, Scott remarked at one of the Student Huddles, and have a greater audience to broadcast to can lead to new opportunities and adventures waiting to unfold.

The State of the Fandom

The work you’re doing, is it that kind of good? How do you know?

“This is what I saw in my head.” (it’s good to me) I am IMMENSELY proud of the work I’ve conjured up to this point. A bit too proud quite frankly :sweat_smile:. What I now need are gears to grind against in the form of a stable writing community within my genres. We will ideally always have something to share at each writing meeting, and give amazing constructive feedback so we can be just 1% better each week.

The other half of my work is Virtual Reality development, and that’s a journey I have just started this summer. I found a small online group focusing on VR App Development for total beginners… in VR, so once this series of classes end, I will have to re-evaluate how to move forward, whether it being finding tutelage under another mentor OR just striking out on my own and seeing where the wind blows. One neat thing I didn’t consider is presenting my work iteratively in the form of my dailies. The people are craving content, and giving them a sneak peak at what’s in the works could very well retain my community engagement :wink:.

“This is accepted and admired by a specific circle of people.” I never really found myself to be a leader, because that wasn’t the mentality I was taught growing up. The older I get, the more upset I get at the current “leaders” in whatever space I want to grow in. That frustration leads to me taking the mantle despite having no idea what I’m doing, and slowly I’ve garnered a community of unique individuals, waiting for direction and inspiration to get to the next level. I never really liked the idea of having so much sway in the livelihoods of others… but if I am truly to create a ruckus, this is a mandatory step in the process.

Each Battle, A Chance to Grow.

The Search For Empathy

Does arguing with people about how hard you worked or what they don’t see helping? What if you could see what they see?

I HATE small talk, and pointless arguing falls right into that category. Whenever I feel the safety of the conversation quickly eroding, I just leave. And for the most part, this works in consolidating the channels of communication that can reach me. But something about this feels… incomplete.

Yes, it’s true some people can be absolutely stubborn to a fault, but I’m not practicing what I preach in conversation with these heated individuals. I want everyone that crosses my path to become a practitioner of empathy, and in order to do that, we have to walk out of our own emotions to be able to explore the feelings of others. Why is this person being so stubborn and argumentative?

The hardest pill to swallow is that there is no magic silver bullet to suddenly making someone else empathize with you; they have had a lifetime of buildup and this argument is just another stepping stone in their experiences. The only thing we can really do is be patient and extend an open invitation for mutual understanding.

Another hard pill to swallow is that no matter how much you can invest into others, sometimes, the results never pan out. What we need to realize is that the only person we have complete control over, is ourselves. How we decide to collide with the various realities of the world is what will truly bring change into existence.