Thank you for your encouragement. It’s been fun to document my journey. I can’t believe it’s going to be December soon - that’s when I started writing every week!
Thank you Mika 😊 I always feel better after reading one of your pieces. 🙏✨ Congratulations on your continued success ... You are doing so wonderfully 💖
Oooh so much to comment on here I had to do it as a separate note on my phone so I could refer back to the post!!
1. YES well done for doing the podcast, I totally get the vulnerability hangover and I love the term! Hope you feel fabulous about it now. I haven’t listened to any pods here yet but I did see Claire Venus saying they’re great for growth!
2. Stats to ignore - agreed it’s very hard. I’m taking a hard pass on open rates because I know inboxes must be choc-a-bloc - instead I’m mostly looking at reach and engagement. I think if you like writing something and it’s enjoyable for you then carry on, especially if you get really good feedback. Perhaps it’s the people who’ve been with you for a while that mostly comment on these posts which is why it’s not drawing many new people in compared to other types of posts?
3. Recommendations are the best - 143 subs through recs - amazing 🤩
You’re welcome, but it’s really no effort if that makes sense? I see something I like I can’t help but comment! You do the hard work making me want to engage ☺️
Thank you Chris. Sometimes it feels like a fluke, to be honest. It’s nice to find a place where showing up in alignment with myself is ok. I don’t need to contort or force anything. It’s pretty magical.
Glad it was helpful, Ruhie! (Autocorrect wants me to change it to Ruthie! You must get that a lot. For me, autocorrect changes it to Mike all the time. 😆)
This line really resonated with me: 'But we keep creating anyway—because it's the act of creating that matters most.' Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, and the act of creating is its own reward. Thanks for the reminder, Mika!
I think in this day and age, when it’s so easy to compare, we can easily fixate on the destination. I’m guilty of this. It takes effort to step back and see the value and joy that comes from the journey. So worth it!
Planning is not the plan Creating is not the creation. Both are a process aimed toward a desired result. We are not defined by what we do. What we do is because of who we are. Anything else may fall into the "imposter syndrome" which has an interesting history, especially the disconnects.
Thanks, Mika. I am a classic WYSIWYG, and one of the better things about Substack is meeting some people who are or, at least seem to be, always themselves - honest, open, genuine, caring and compassionate. Those connections are worth the time, effort and energy to nurture and sustain them.
I need this today when I woke up thinking...what am I doing?
"You pour your heart out, and sometimes it feels like nobody's listening. But we keep creating anyway—because it's the act of creating that matters most. Keep going. Someone out there needs your words."
The comments on the podcast were only possible for paid subscribers, otherwise I totally would have left a comment. I really enjoyed listening to your story. You definitely didn't sound nervous at all. Hope you're feeling a bit better by now!
Hey Mika, hope you're feeling well or better. By a curious coincidence I just posted a note asking how to do comments. The thing is: I often "just" leave a like. I would love to leave comments on everything I read, just as pure appreciation for the work the author has put in, and I know I looove comments on my own work. The reasons why I don't are several: sometimes I'm too struck by the work, I feel like I have nothing meaningful to say about it without dragging it down, that explaining in detail what I liked and what it did to me is pointless and will only devalue it - and only writing "I loved it" is too generic and meaningless to leave as a comment. Sometimes, especially with more popular posts, I find that anything I might say has already been said by other people commenting, that there is no point me writing the same thing again. Sometimes I have to think about it - go away, mull it over for a few hours or days, digest it. And yeah,I might have something to comment after three days, but the reality is, that I don't go back and do that.
So... I don't know... are emojis an acceptable way to comment if I'm out of words? Is it nicer to write something, even if it sounds quite generic, than to be silent? I'm honestly asking. What do you think?
I feel this way sometimes... I do know that comments are lovely to get, so I love to pay that forward myself when I read something that I enjoy. Mika's advice is lovely. You don't have to leave a long comment at all. Do what feels right to you?
I have definitely been in that position where I don’t know what to say, but I loved it and appreciated their writing.
It’s lovely to leave a wee note, even if it’s, “I enjoyed this! Thank you! 😊”
And if something really touches you, it’s lovely to restack it and leave a comment too!
I try to comment where I can, but on occasions I don’t. And you don’t need to overthink your response too much. Also, don’t worry if it’s already been said by others. ☺️
I guess there's some overthinking going on on my part. You're right, even a not-perfectly-thought-out answer is better than just silence. Thank you for your thoughts on this! ❤
It’s so easy to try and measure our value by likes or comments, but numbers rarely show the full picture. I’ve bookmarked your podcast to listen to when I have a bit of time. :-)
Absolutely. I think it can get especially tricky if a post gets a bit of traction because when things settle down, it can play with your head a bit. So always remembering that it’s our creative practice that is the most important! Thanks Shinjini!
Hi Mika - I've really enjoyed following your progress on Substack and seeing what can be achieved if you put in the effort to build a following. It takes a lot of time and effort to engage with others and to reciprocate engagement, to monitor your stats, to see what works and what doesn't (and why). I wish I had your energy! I hope you're feeling well again and enjoying life in and out of the Substack world. BTW I wrote about my collaging today - and thought you might be interested seeing you are actually arty (while I just dabble on the edges!) :)
I’m feeling a lot better today, thank you!! I haven’t had the energy to read many newsletters over the past couple of weeks, so I’m looking forward to getting back into that. You’re right it does take time and effort to engage etc. During those times that I don’t engage as much, I still get subscribers through recommendations - which is pretty wild!
I really enjoy chatting with people, so I can’t wait to get back into it all.
Mika, I enjoy these diaries, since I'm also a fellow writer here. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for reminding to be brave and confident at the start. I'll head on now to check out your podcast!
Thank you for your encouragement. It’s been fun to document my journey. I can’t believe it’s going to be December soon - that’s when I started writing every week!
A year does fly pass! I am considering writing weekly soon if I can somehow plan it out in limited calendar. :)
Thanks for all this Mika! I read your posts as a well of support! And I really needed that reminder to keep going in the void, timely. 🙏
I’m glad I could be a cheerleader for you! You’ve got this!!
You are doing great! I forgot who said this, but to paraphrase, your work is worthy because you put work into it. That has stuck with me ever since.
Thank you so much! 🥹
Thank you Mika 😊 I always feel better after reading one of your pieces. 🙏✨ Congratulations on your continued success ... You are doing so wonderfully 💖
I feel exactly the same way with yours!🥰💕✨
Awww Mika 🙏 thank you
Oooh so much to comment on here I had to do it as a separate note on my phone so I could refer back to the post!!
1. YES well done for doing the podcast, I totally get the vulnerability hangover and I love the term! Hope you feel fabulous about it now. I haven’t listened to any pods here yet but I did see Claire Venus saying they’re great for growth!
2. Stats to ignore - agreed it’s very hard. I’m taking a hard pass on open rates because I know inboxes must be choc-a-bloc - instead I’m mostly looking at reach and engagement. I think if you like writing something and it’s enjoyable for you then carry on, especially if you get really good feedback. Perhaps it’s the people who’ve been with you for a while that mostly comment on these posts which is why it’s not drawing many new people in compared to other types of posts?
3. Recommendations are the best - 143 subs through recs - amazing 🤩
Thank you so much for being a fabulous cheerleader! It means a lot!
You’re welcome, but it’s really no effort if that makes sense? I see something I like I can’t help but comment! You do the hard work making me want to engage ☺️
I remember when you just started - it's been wonderful to see your growth these last few months! Glad it's helping so many people :)
Thank you Chris. Sometimes it feels like a fluke, to be honest. It’s nice to find a place where showing up in alignment with myself is ok. I don’t need to contort or force anything. It’s pretty magical.
Thank you for your encouraging comment, Chris!
😀
So inspiring Mika! ❤️
Glad it was helpful, Ruhie! (Autocorrect wants me to change it to Ruthie! You must get that a lot. For me, autocorrect changes it to Mike all the time. 😆)
Hahaha I’m so used to that! It did try to get me to call you Mike 😆
This line really resonated with me: 'But we keep creating anyway—because it's the act of creating that matters most.' Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, and the act of creating is its own reward. Thanks for the reminder, Mika!
I think in this day and age, when it’s so easy to compare, we can easily fixate on the destination. I’m guilty of this. It takes effort to step back and see the value and joy that comes from the journey. So worth it!
Planning is not the plan Creating is not the creation. Both are a process aimed toward a desired result. We are not defined by what we do. What we do is because of who we are. Anything else may fall into the "imposter syndrome" which has an interesting history, especially the disconnects.
https://medium.com/@matt_7263/a-brief-history-of-imposter-syndrome-0123960d7c45
I’ve been thinking of the masks we wear, so thank you for this article, Gary.
Thanks, Mika. I am a classic WYSIWYG, and one of the better things about Substack is meeting some people who are or, at least seem to be, always themselves - honest, open, genuine, caring and compassionate. Those connections are worth the time, effort and energy to nurture and sustain them.
Thank you for your transparency, Mika! At some point, I hope to dig in a bit to your posts and the podcast. I hope you are feeling much better!
I woke up today, feeling sooo much better! Thank you ☺️
I need this today when I woke up thinking...what am I doing?
"You pour your heart out, and sometimes it feels like nobody's listening. But we keep creating anyway—because it's the act of creating that matters most. Keep going. Someone out there needs your words."
Thank you Mika and I appreciate the mention!
I’m so glad it was helpful!
Cheering you on, Jill! 💕
The comments on the podcast were only possible for paid subscribers, otherwise I totally would have left a comment. I really enjoyed listening to your story. You definitely didn't sound nervous at all. Hope you're feeling a bit better by now!
Oh wow! I had no idea about the comment restrictions! 😆
Thanks for letting me know. xxx
You’re the sweetest. 💕
Thank you, Mika. Your words are always so grounding and supportive. Just what I needed to read today!
I’m so glad it was helpful, Emily xx
Hey Mika, hope you're feeling well or better. By a curious coincidence I just posted a note asking how to do comments. The thing is: I often "just" leave a like. I would love to leave comments on everything I read, just as pure appreciation for the work the author has put in, and I know I looove comments on my own work. The reasons why I don't are several: sometimes I'm too struck by the work, I feel like I have nothing meaningful to say about it without dragging it down, that explaining in detail what I liked and what it did to me is pointless and will only devalue it - and only writing "I loved it" is too generic and meaningless to leave as a comment. Sometimes, especially with more popular posts, I find that anything I might say has already been said by other people commenting, that there is no point me writing the same thing again. Sometimes I have to think about it - go away, mull it over for a few hours or days, digest it. And yeah,I might have something to comment after three days, but the reality is, that I don't go back and do that.
So... I don't know... are emojis an acceptable way to comment if I'm out of words? Is it nicer to write something, even if it sounds quite generic, than to be silent? I'm honestly asking. What do you think?
I feel this way sometimes... I do know that comments are lovely to get, so I love to pay that forward myself when I read something that I enjoy. Mika's advice is lovely. You don't have to leave a long comment at all. Do what feels right to you?
Thank you for adding to the conversation, Melissa! ☺️
I have definitely been in that position where I don’t know what to say, but I loved it and appreciated their writing.
It’s lovely to leave a wee note, even if it’s, “I enjoyed this! Thank you! 😊”
And if something really touches you, it’s lovely to restack it and leave a comment too!
I try to comment where I can, but on occasions I don’t. And you don’t need to overthink your response too much. Also, don’t worry if it’s already been said by others. ☺️
I guess there's some overthinking going on on my part. You're right, even a not-perfectly-thought-out answer is better than just silence. Thank you for your thoughts on this! ❤
Thank you so much for commenting, Anna!! ☺️
It’s so easy to try and measure our value by likes or comments, but numbers rarely show the full picture. I’ve bookmarked your podcast to listen to when I have a bit of time. :-)
Absolutely. I think it can get especially tricky if a post gets a bit of traction because when things settle down, it can play with your head a bit. So always remembering that it’s our creative practice that is the most important! Thanks Shinjini!
Hi Mika - I've really enjoyed following your progress on Substack and seeing what can be achieved if you put in the effort to build a following. It takes a lot of time and effort to engage with others and to reciprocate engagement, to monitor your stats, to see what works and what doesn't (and why). I wish I had your energy! I hope you're feeling well again and enjoying life in and out of the Substack world. BTW I wrote about my collaging today - and thought you might be interested seeing you are actually arty (while I just dabble on the edges!) :)
I’m feeling a lot better today, thank you!! I haven’t had the energy to read many newsletters over the past couple of weeks, so I’m looking forward to getting back into that. You’re right it does take time and effort to engage etc. During those times that I don’t engage as much, I still get subscribers through recommendations - which is pretty wild!
I really enjoy chatting with people, so I can’t wait to get back into it all.
I’m off to go check out your post!