Remember Tumblr? Also wtf is up with LinkedIn?
It was this little corner of the internet where you could exist unashamedly in as many different communities as you wanted. Don't fit in? You'll find a place (or two, or three, or four) on Tumblr where you do.
For me, it was a place for I made friends online back when my parents and even people my same age still thought that was weird because I must totally be befriending a girl named Laura that has a hairy ball sack and is actually a pervert who is going to pull me into his sketchy big white van.
Anyway, all the strangers and friends I made helped me really see and accept myself. I'd never really felt like I belonged.
Tumblr was my first glimpse into the power of content, community, and leaning into the magic that is creating for the sake of creating because you fucking love it.
Now, I log into social media and it feels like the soul is gone.
Bots and people with the wrong intentions have always been there. Except now, thanks to AI facilitating so many things (both good and bad) the bad is now amplified.
I tried being present on LinkedIn because it seemed like the most relevant platform for my goals but I don't know...it just felt...off? I'm still not sure what to label it.
I loved posting to Tumblr and I loved building out my Instagram.
But then I got busy building VEED and entered an era of quietly doing my part of building the company. I also went through the pain of a miscarriage and the beauty of having my first kid.
Fast-forward five years later and I got the itch to create again. I posted for two weeks to LinkedIn and Instagram.
I recognize this is a super short window of time to cast judgements on social but it was enough.
I don't hate AI. In fact, I love using it. But AI has stripped social media of what made it feel special. Rather than entering slowly scrolling through a feed I mostly find interesting I feel like I'm whacking weeds in the feed, DM, and comments to maybe find something I like.
There's so much automated "humanity" and I hate it.
So I stopped posting again. I love creating but not like this. I may still post just to scratch that itch to create but I'll be thinking and then deciding on what I feel will be my next move to both create and connect in a way that feels meaningful to me and to others.
I'm looking but also not looking for a job...
Since quitting my job I've been neck deep in the ✨mAgIc✨ of being a stay-at-home mom.
Actually, I do love it.
But you can both love something and not want it forever because you also want other things for yourself. Defining when it's time to go back to work has been so hard!
When is it right?
Right is subjective. So, how do I know when it will feel right for me?
But also until when can I afford to stay at home.
I figured I needed to answer the financial part first to know if this is something I can truly do indefinitely since I contributed about 50% of household income. We've been extremely frugal, and based on our calculations, it seems we could make it work on a single salary as long as we are incredibly frugal. That's fine by me, although I do miss my weekly pizza.
But still, I miss work but not just work for the sake of working and making a nice salary.
I miss the stuff fueled by passion.
I miss building for a product I believe in with people I believe in.
This thought has made me realize I have the luxury of time right now to be discerning. Picky is probably a better way to describe it.
So right now I'm not actively applying for jobs, but I have sent one email to a founder of a company whose product I love. They responded but I'm not sure they're open to hiring in the US at the moment. Bummer but let's see...
I'm going to do the same thing that worked for me last time. Approach people who are working on products I already love and see what comes of it. Worst case scenario I get no response and that's ok.
