Fifteen years ago I started a blog. For the first three years, no one liked, commented, or followed me. And that was okay because I didn’t know what I was doing. You can call those first three years my online diary.

I remember the first time someone reacted to one of my posts and how surprising it was. Like, who is this person? And why do they like my post? Do they really like it or are they just saying that?

And then over time it grew. I even went viral twice, for as viral as viral could be. My phone kept bleeping and it was both annoying and wonderful because it felt like an affirmation. We were living in Europe and otherwise disconnected from notifications so it became my connection to some perceived world. And over time that relationship with some perceived world changed and grew, and got weird.

The artist is a rare breed of insect, bird, leopard, or fish who finds a small place to inhabit and subsist. I cherish all of you for being a part of my habitat! If there is a “minimal viable audience” for me to continue posting here it’s very small. Yes, it is for my mom (hi mom!) and yes, it is for you if you’re reading now (hi Mike! hi Erica!).

I’ve spent the last few weeks posting newsletters on LinkedIn as an experiment because a) I’m doing a ghostwriting gig for a client who wants to post there so I’m trying to understand how it works, and b) I’m trying to grow my audience.

My new content series is called Gig Work: how to find fulfillment at work. It’s built on the premise that all work we do is a transaction, though calling it transactional may sound cold to some. That’s because a lot of people expect more from their jobs, they want an experience. And that can be a problem or an opportunity depending upon how much meaning you assign to work and how you identify with it.

I’ve had a lot of fun teasing out these ideas around meaning and fulfillment with work. I get to use memoir-style scenes dating back 40 years to my first jobs as a paperboy or temp and wrap it into pithy, provocative advice for professionals.

I also feel like a bit of a whore. But a guy’s got to eat, and I feed on attention.

So I’d love if you checked me out over there sometime! I’m coming up on my tenth edition and even did a live stream on LinkedIn (you read right: live stream!) earlier this week, if you can believe that.

I also feel like I’ve let some of you down who really can’t stand LinkedIn or don’t have a reason to go there. Maybe now you will (right Ross)? In either case, I’ll be back. And thank you for being a part of my 15-year WordPress journey!

Categories: identity, writing

Tags: gig work, linkedin, work