letter 1.
“Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s. ” ― Anaïs Nin
You’d think a youtuber and influencer doesn’t need another place to share their opinion. Isn’t youtube enough? or instagram? or twitter / tiktok? No. A bit hypocritical of me, but I’m tired of being seen. While faceless accounts are becoming trendy, it’s great to have a place where these are just words and nothing else.
To fellow millenials, you remember blogspot, wordpress, myspace, and so on, and it feels with substack that things have come full circle. It’s refreshing to read in a world where 5-10 second videos are the favorite way to consume content these days. But, in a way, it’s scary and freeing to just write. to not follow algorithims, copy other influencers, or what others recommend, it’s just you, our thoughts, and the keyboard.
Speaking of influencers, I got my start on MySpace, but had my first real following in the Tumblr days, then later Instagram and YouTube, where many fascets of myself have been shown to the world for better or worse, but mostly better. I wouldn’t change a thing, much to the dismay of people who wished I’d be different than I am now. That leads into the above quote, “had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.” Anaïs Nin. (I found the quote on Pinterest , and upon research, found out she was one of the first women to write erotica, which, as someone born in 1903 was way ahead of her time, whether you agree with the concept of erotic writng or not, you have to admit it’s revolutionary for someone born then).
on the 11th, I turned 29, and each birthday usually fills me with dread. Yet also, the older I get, the more I’m reminded that this life is solely mine, and my actions are the only ones I can control. All 8 billion of us are tied together, but aren’t. We’re truly only there for ourselves and have 8 billion worlds we’re creating for ourselves. No, I’m not a nihilist by any means, but you are living in YOUR own world. Five siblings can grow up in the same house and have 5 different outcomes in life, because they live in five different worlds they’ve created with their own thoughts and beliefs on what is and isn’t possible for them.
So, welcome to my world. I look forward to sharing it with you.
current favorites - caudalie skincare, the Apple Tv series “Lady in the Lake”, postcardsbyelle’s substack, which inspired me to start mine, and Pinterest. Always Pinterest.
Tumi
