Headed North
After time at the crossroads
A few editions ago I talked about how I was at a crossroads. I mentioned how I needed more and I didn’t think my current situation was enough for me. Following that I wrote about the anxiety I have been facing as of late. Writing these feelings and thoughts down in pixel form helped me box up what I needed and presented it to myself in a digestible fashion. Since writing these letters, it has been all I have thought about. So, last Friday was my last day at my job. Technically, it is a leave of absence, but we will see how my next month+ unfolds.
I’m writing this on a Monday morning. Normally at this point I would have had 2-3 calls, triaged 100+ emails, skimmed 50 Slack messages, and perused dozens of Basecamp notifications. But today I am writing this letter with no meetings, no messages, no anxiety. This is because today is my first day without a day job in years. It feels so liberating! As mentioned in my letter a few weeks ago, I am only able to do this due to a large amount of privilege, which I busted my ass for over the last decade++ to achieve.
My plans for this time varies and might take a whole path of its own, but to keep the metaphor of crossroads going – I am headed north.
To start, I am going to finish my documentary series. I hope I can knock it out in a few weeks, but it might take longer. Secondly, I plan on using this series to start focusing on my true passions and strengths. I think my new social bio sums it up:
Storyteller • Minimalist • Environmentalist • Remote Work Advocate
I plan on using my skill of storytelling to impact those three topics, starting with remote work. With all the interviews I have done and the questions and topics they touch upon, I think I have a solid docu-series. But even more so, tons of follow up content to share with others. If this is done right I might be able to show the industry how I feel about remote work and how I can spread further stories to help the cause.
So this brings me to this letter. I plan on contributing to it a lot more. I don’t know the exact cadence yet. My focus is the documentary, but I hope to write something a few times a week, no less than the bi-weekly editions. Additionally, I think it is time for a rename to coincide with my refined focus. I have started it, but it is not quite finalized yet – ”The Gray Area”. This name stems from the root of my documentary series – The Gray Area of Remote Work. I think that I can use this base as a springboard to make my next films, maybe extend those to podcasts, and of course add refinement to this letter. Looking back over the last 28 editions, there are more “Gray Area” topics than “Full Stack Creator” topics. Since I have more of a refinement of who I am and what I want to accomplish I think “Full Stack” spreads me a bit thin and makes people think I am a developer. Of course I will learn as much as I can and use my diverse skills to create, but I need to focus more now than ever. Tell me if you think my new about page sums up what I am going for: https://fullstackcreator.substack.com/about
Now that I am focusing on me – building on my following, a brand of sorts is more important than ever. So if you have found this letter helpful in any way or if you like my social content, please share this or those other accounts if possible 🙏.
Links:
If you are in a similar place or have thought about doing something similar I’d love to chat about it. Maybe we can even work together on a project! Please reply to this email or comment below. By the time you see this I hope to have a nice rough draft done for one episode of the documentary 🤞.
Extra
Putting in a leave of absence has been a really bad experience for me. I hope you never need to feel as unappreciated as I did, but I hope sharing my experience helps people that might have undergone similar. If you want to see how that all unfolded, check out this Twitter thread:
