5 Things I Consumed Last Week (don't play defence 🛡️ )

on why I write, audience capture, can't handle this rant, i don't wanna and writer of passage

Some of you might know that I am an active writer on LinkedIn. When I scroll through the content, it makes me cringe. Maybe it’s my aversion to cringe writing, or cringe motivation no one needs, or cringe plagiarism without credits or cringe selfies but what’s the use of this rant?

If I am using a picture in the intro, it’s gotta be serious

I don’t consider myself as a prolific writer (cheers to imposter syndrome) but I make sure that I am not beating around the bush. This issue is all about good writing (a rant as well), all of it straightforward and pragmatic (and funny).

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I don't wanna! | visakanv's essays

Drafts, edits, re-drafts and more of it until you hit publish. That’s the life of a writer but inspiration doesn’t come so handy. At times it’s frustrating, if you let frustration take over, you end up delivering mediocre writing, doing things for the sake of it rather than enjoying the process.

I don't wanna!

Life is too short and past a certain threshold as an author or creator if you’re not careful you can end up spending all of their time playing defence, and what a miserable life that becomes.

In this stunning essay, Visakanav talks about dilemmas faced by a writer. It’s filled with wisdom, it’s humorous and oh so relatable!

I want to be free. I want to slam the page with zest and gusto. I don’t need a break from writing, I’ve been writing all my life and I can do thousands of words a day, no sweat. Putting words down isn’t the hard part. The hard thing about hard things is always managing your psychology.

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The Perils of Audience Capture | How influencers become brainwashed by their audiences | The Prism

When I started writing it was all about academics so, most of my audience are Chartered Accountants (like me) or students with a commerce background and often I am expected to share content related to finance/commerce/business/economics, sometimes I do, at others, I take the feedback with a pinch of salt.

Spongebob memes work everywhere

Not that I find reading about businesses boring but it ranks very low on my reading list because I am bound to read it for work (and that’s enough) hence, finance is a big NO for leisure reading.

The desire for recognition in an increasingly atomized world lures us to be who strangers wish us to be. And with personal development so arduous and lonely, there is ease and comfort in crowdsourcing your identity.

This essay is all about this (but more nuanced and anecdotal), audience capture at the expense of losing your personality.

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Why I Write | The Orwell Foundation

Orwell known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm and the dystopian novel 1984, is truly the maestro of dystopian fiction. Two books I’d recommend everyone to read.

Comic story by Geoff Draper

In this essay, he describes what ignited him to write about politics. He quotes:

I think there are four great motives for writing

(i) Sheer egoism

(ii) Aesthetic enthusiasm

(iii) Historical impulse

(iv) Political purpose

I am a person in whom the first three motives would outweigh the fourth. In a peaceful age I might have written ornate or merely descriptive books, and might have remained almost unaware of my political loyalties. As it is I have been forced into becoming a sort of pamphleteer.

He gives background of how his profession shaped his political orientation and shares a poem. Indeed a treat to know more about Orwell.

But born, alas, in an evil time,
I missed that pleasant haven,
For the hair has grown on my upper lip
And the clergy are all clean-shaven.

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Can’t Handle This Rant | Make Happy | Bo Burnham | Stand-up Comedy on Netflix

Spectacular piece of theatrical, comedic, artistic and musical genius

Ever though about a concert cum stand-up comedy?! It is theater and Bo does it so effortlessly (fangirling big time). Thanks to visakanv for linking this in his essay. I watched the whole stand-up and I am stoked.

There are always small dabs of honesty dotted across Bo’s canvas of a stage, and lines like “I’m in a service industry, I’m just overpaid” or even “I’m not honest for a second up here! Honesty is for the birds baby…” remind us that Bo is always aware of himself and his character.

It is a joy to watch someone take such visible pride in their work and every element of a performance, not just a song or a dance. I have never seen something like this.

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Writer of Passage Podcast | David Perell

There’s no way to talk about writing and not write about David. He has been the greatest influence on me this year. I started reading his long form essays, his advice on writing with abundance, his newsletter Monday Musings and so much more.

In this podcast he talks about all these ideas on better writing in a bite sized episode under 5 min.

I will still recommend you to go read his essays but you can use this as a starter pack. Linking some of my favourite essays from him:

Peter Thiel’s Religion

Against 3X Speed

Expression is Compression

Go check it out!

I use way too much Grant Snider and I don’t regret it

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Things I’m doing lately

I’m watching this.

I’m listening to this podcast.

I’m reading this.

See you next week 🙆🏻‍♀️

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You can write to me on bhumikasankhla12@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!

With love and gratitude,

The Hummingbird🌺

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