Shouting into the void

No one likes the feeling of not being heard.

We all want to be validated in our thoughts, opinions, and ideas.

If people aren’t listening to what we say in conversation, it can be frustrating. It feels as if they don’t care – and what they say is more important than our input.

But what if no one’s there to listen at all? How do you go about sharing something worthwhile even when there’s actually no one listening?

This is what it feels like to share on the internet.

If you want to build and grow an audience, there’s no escaping the beginning period of shouting into the void.

The Journey to 55 Email Subscribers

I sent the first email of this newsletter, The Stoke Seminar, on January 14th, 2023.

That email went out to a total of 15 people. And no pun intended, I was stoked about it. 🙂

I committed to sending out an email each Saturday for the foreseeable future. Honestly, I had no idea how this project would evolve, but I knew it was something I would enjoy creating.

More importantly, I had confidence in my ability to stay consistent with the newsletter because of this:

  • I was already writing (~1,000 words) every day, and the newsletter would simply be a curated portion of this consistent flow of words.

I was already practicing my craft (and loving doing it), it was just a matter of creating a public place for people to read what I’d written.

(Key point: Your “public work” should be an outpouring of the work you’re already creating.

If you start creating something only for the sake of sharing it online, the chances of remaining consistent with it are slim to none. Find your craft, practice it in private until you’re confident you can share that value in public.)

For a few weeks after the initial launch of The Stoke Seminar, I gained a few new subscribers each week.

By week #5, I had 30 subscribers on my email list.

And just as you might imagine, I began growing exponentially after that, retired at age 25, and moved to a massive home in the mountains of Fiji.

Just kidding – it kinda felt like the opposite.

A year later on January 13th, 2024, I had reached a total of 55 subscribers. To be honest, it wasn’t the most encouraging year of growth.

Love It or Leave It

If you want your voice to be heard, there’s only one option: You must be persistent.

I believe the only true way to push through this stage is having a genuine love for what you do. If you aren’t doing it for yourself first, you won’t have the ability to make an impact on others in the long term.

Realistically, if you’re doing it for external validation only, you won’t be able to endure this stage to begin with. You must love what you do for the sole purpose of enjoyment and satisfaction before you will see any kind of “external” success with it.

Although the recognition, the followers, the subscribers, and the kind comments are nice – if you aren’t content with yourself before these things come along – you never will be afterwards. And you won’t find a reason to continue with your craft as your life’s work.

Overcoming the Void

If you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or creative of any kind – you’re gonna have to shout into the void.

There’s no way around it. It’s a part of the dues you must pay.

To put it lightly, shouting into the void doesn’t always feel great.

  • Awkwardness
  • Fear of failure
  • Fear of success
  • Lack of value
  • Incompetence

All of these things cross your mind when you spend weeks (or years) sharing your work with little to no validation.

The Power of One Person

Fortunately, there’s hope. And a lot of it.

I can say with utmost confidence that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

But, when you’re in the tunnel, it’s dark. It’s scary. It’s uncomfortable. And you aren’t sure when it’s gonna end.

Most people don’t make it through the tunnel. It’s as simple as that. Every single person that you “look up to” in a sense, started with:

  • 0 followers
  • 0 listeners
  • 0 viewers
  • 0 customers

What did they do? They started… and kept going. That is the undeniable truth with creative pursuits of any kind – you must continue even when no one’s listening.

And eventually, there will be a turning point in your journey that changes everything. Not in the sense that you’ll be an overnight success, retire early, or be loved by everybody.

But you’ll learn that something you created made an impact on one specific person.

And you’ll come to realize that that’s enough to keep going. That one person is enough of a reason to keep practicing your craft. That one person is enough of a reason to keep pushing through the tunnel. That one person, when encouraged by your work, is standing up a bit taller that day.

Because even when you thought you were shouting into the void for weeks or years on end – there was somebody listening all along.

The void wasn’t as empty as you thought.

And it never is.

Takeaways for You

I want to emphasize the importance of this:

Your public work must be an extension of your private work.

Before branching out into sharing something publicly, think to yourself:

  • Is this something I feel confident in doing simply for the love of it, regardless of external validation and success?

If you can answer yes to this question, I’m confident you’ll be consistent in sharing your craft.

And when you’re going through the dark tunnel, remember that it’s all a part of the process. Someone is listening even when you doubt it’s true.

I could have written a year’s worth of emails to zero subscribers… but I was fortunate enough to have 55 amazing people get stoked from my emails last year. That’s double the size of a normal classroom.

I’m forever grateful for each of those early subscribers – and you know who you are!

It’s chugging along through the dark tunnel where a majority of people call it quits. But there’s only one way to see the view on the other side of the mountain:

Keep going.

–Eric Pfohl

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