One year on Substack
the War of Art
Good evening! Tomorrow, I go back in to the studio to finish my new album. So, there I was, just taking it easy tonight, enjoying my candles and fireplace heater, watching a movie…. when I realized something about today’s date had a familiar ring to it.
And then it hit me: today is my one year anniversary of launching a Substack!
What a cool milestone. Thank you all for being here on this journey! One whole year!
A few years ago, maybe like 2022, I heard about Substack and I wanted to start one, but I was too intimidated to do it. Basically growing up with the internet, I was fully used to posting on social media and I had no problem with putting a photo up on Instagram without a moment’s thought really, but something about actually writing, sharing more deeply, getting vulnerable… it felt a little scary.
Plus, it was easy to tell myself no one would really care what I had to say, and that perhaps writing about myself and my life would be narcissistic, and almost certainly embarrassing. It can be tempting to want to keep things “mysterious” and “cool” because you can hide behind that.
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield was gifted to me by a friend back in 2016, and it changed my life. I recommend this book to anyone with a creative pursuit.
I was once in a drunken conversation at a bar in a small town in Texas with a musician who wanted to take his music more seriously. I could see how much he loved music and how his identity aligned with being a musician, but he was unhappy about his situation. He told me how he didn’t have enough time for his art, how much he really wanted to be a full time musician but couldn’t figure out how to make it work.
I bought this book for him on my iPhone during our conversation and had it shipped to his house. A little pushy? Yes. I hope he read it.
There is a lot in the book and I hope you read it, but one thing Pressfield goes into is his concept of “resistance”. He defines resistance as a malevolent force inside of us all that acts against any creative, personal, or spiritual growth.
All of the ways that we keep ourselves from doing the thing we want to do, that’s resistance. The little voice that told me no one would care about my substack? Resistance. The part of me that was afraid to step a little bit out of a shroud of mystery and “coolness”? Resistance. The place where I thought this might be embarrassing, or maybe that too many people already had substacks so I waited too long to start one? Resistance.
You have to start somewhere. It kinda sucks starting at zero and being new at something. It can be intimidating to learn a whole new website, a new online culture. So yeah, I put it off for a long time. And it’s crazy remembering how nervous I was about publishing that first post! Actually, now that I think about it, I was nervous about announcing that I started a substack. Not even the post itself, the announce. I was afraid to be judged for having the audacity to launch a Substack.
And then last week I got an email informing me that I’m now a bestseller here. Wow. It feels like a really big deal to me y’all. I’m honored! I smiled so big when I got this email!
The whole point of launching the Substack a year ago was two fold - I wanted to be able to connect with my audience in a more meaningful way, and I heard that you could make money here. And in this economy? We need all the help we can get.
So thank you thank you thank you all for being here with me on this journey! The Year of the Fire Horse is upon us now, and I will soon have lots to share! New music, touring, a whole new era in JW land. I appreciate so much that I’ve gotten to build this online place with you. I’m excited for all thats ahead and thrilled to write about it here as it all unfolds.
Until next week,
Jess
Congratulations on your one year anniversary. Love your content and your music!
Congratulations! Looking forward to the new album