How the hell is this comment threat not brimming with people talking about their experiences with scarcity traps?
This really speaks to me. Notes has been great but I already feel the need to check it constantly, and I’m looking at my subscriber counts more than ever.
I'm so glad that this post resonated, and I hope you feel a bit better about the fact you're not alone, and that you find some ways to shake those traps off.
Just found your Substack, and read this April post. I appreciate you defining that free-flowing feeling of anxiety I often have about my fiction writing, newsletter, social media, etc. Scarcity traps! I'm starting to see them in other area of my life, too. I'll be checking out the NPR podcast you recommended, plus more of your posts. Thanks!
Apr 22, 2023·edited Apr 22, 2023Liked by Suw Charman-Anderson
Great writing. "I have seen writers whose social media presence and newsletters became phenomenally self-centred, to an extent that goes well beyond basic self-promotion. They talked about nothing else but themselves, their books, their cover reveals, their events. There’s no give, it’s all ask." <-- too many of these, it's why I dislike LinkedIn.
Scarcity makes anxiety which saps creativity, for sure. I learned to avoid worrying about numbers and concentrate on quality on my own terms, not worrying if what I write meets other people's expectations or appeals to readers widely. I'd rather have a small, dedicated audience than be in the numbers game.
I would say, though, that it's easy not to worry about numbers if your income (current or future) doesn't depend on them. It is, of course, important to always focus on quality on your own terms, but I don't judge anyone who's looking at numbers if they are trying to make a living here.
I suspect (empirical evidence not available) that writing what you think people want. ie what will drive subscriber numbers, is a bad idea. I suspect (again, zero proof) that writing what you enjoy and what is interesting to you is the thing that actually attracts readers. Maybe it's just magical thinking, but at least it leads to a better experience doing the actual writing.
I completely agree with you. Your heart needs to be in it, and what you write needs to be authentic and genuine. I think that comes through in the writing, somehow, and people connect to it.
Doing what you think other people want because it drives the metrics up is called audience capture. There was a fascinating, and tragic, piece about this by Gurwinder, which is well worth a read:
Thank you for the great article. Scarcity can be a trap, indeed. I remind myself all the time that I can control my writing and what I decide to publish, etc., but I can't control what happens after that, whether people read it, react, etc.
I was going to mention the Gurwinder article and then saw your comment. It is indeed a read well worth it.
Yes! So much plays on scarcity as a driver of action. With social media, it’s often scarcity of connection that drives people to post. That cycle of wanting to share to connect, then getting disappointed no one has liked or replied, then feeling more disconnected. Confirmation of a negative thought pattern.
Dating apps would have to work much harder with UX if people weren’t starting from a place of scarcity and feeling they have to sign up if they want a chance of meeting someone.
Not sure how to stay in that place of abundant opportunity mindset though! Get better at identifying areas of contentment to start from?
Yes, scarcity has been baked in to how we think about almost everything. And it makes sense from an evolutionary perspective – if we didn't care about scarcity of food or water or love, we'd not survive as a species. But as with lots of things that made sense as we evolved, it can run amok if we let it.
I was working in social media before the term was even coined, and it was clear to me that lots of social networks were created by people who felt a scarcity of connection to others and thought that technology could fill the gap. Only one of the founders I knew or was aware of turned out not to be a complete arse.
I think you're right about trying to stay in a mindset that sees abundance rather than scarcity, and that finding areas of contentment is key. I think perhaps my own starting point is just recognising when the panic I feel is actually a symptom of me focusing on what isn't rather than what is. It's so easy to focus on the negative space instead of the concrete things within it.
Having a scarcity mindset has brought a lot of inner struggle with my own writing as I compared myself to other successful Substack writers. This usually ended up with me not writing for long periods of time. Changing my focus inwards to why I write has helped as well as making small changes in how I write has given me the confidence to keep writing. However this is a fragile peace and constant awareness of the scarcity traps is needed. Thanks for the reminder! 🙏🏽
They say comparison is the thief of joy, and they're not wrong! I think a lot of us are in the same place as you, so don't feel like this is your battle alone. Lots of us are there with you!
How the hell is this comment threat not brimming with people talking about their experiences with scarcity traps?
This really speaks to me. Notes has been great but I already feel the need to check it constantly, and I’m looking at my subscriber counts more than ever.
Thanks for this. Especially the tips. 🙏🙏
IKR?! 😂
I'm so glad that this post resonated, and I hope you feel a bit better about the fact you're not alone, and that you find some ways to shake those traps off.
Definitely a little better. You made a different in this persons life today - know that!
That makes it all so worth it! I'm getting a little verklempt here! ❤️
Yep, scarcity traps are real! And bloomin hard not to fall into, it’s a whole body experience as your nervous system goes into overdrive/meltdown.
Absolutely!!
Just found your Substack, and read this April post. I appreciate you defining that free-flowing feeling of anxiety I often have about my fiction writing, newsletter, social media, etc. Scarcity traps! I'm starting to see them in other area of my life, too. I'll be checking out the NPR podcast you recommended, plus more of your posts. Thanks!
Thanks, Craig! I'm so glad that you found this post useful and hope that you enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
Great writing. "I have seen writers whose social media presence and newsletters became phenomenally self-centred, to an extent that goes well beyond basic self-promotion. They talked about nothing else but themselves, their books, their cover reveals, their events. There’s no give, it’s all ask." <-- too many of these, it's why I dislike LinkedIn.
Scarcity makes anxiety which saps creativity, for sure. I learned to avoid worrying about numbers and concentrate on quality on my own terms, not worrying if what I write meets other people's expectations or appeals to readers widely. I'd rather have a small, dedicated audience than be in the numbers game.
Thanks, Dean!
I would say, though, that it's easy not to worry about numbers if your income (current or future) doesn't depend on them. It is, of course, important to always focus on quality on your own terms, but I don't judge anyone who's looking at numbers if they are trying to make a living here.
I suspect (empirical evidence not available) that writing what you think people want. ie what will drive subscriber numbers, is a bad idea. I suspect (again, zero proof) that writing what you enjoy and what is interesting to you is the thing that actually attracts readers. Maybe it's just magical thinking, but at least it leads to a better experience doing the actual writing.
I completely agree with you. Your heart needs to be in it, and what you write needs to be authentic and genuine. I think that comes through in the writing, somehow, and people connect to it.
Doing what you think other people want because it drives the metrics up is called audience capture. There was a fascinating, and tragic, piece about this by Gurwinder, which is well worth a read:
https://gurwinder.substack.com/p/the-perils-of-audience-capture
Thank you for the great article. Scarcity can be a trap, indeed. I remind myself all the time that I can control my writing and what I decide to publish, etc., but I can't control what happens after that, whether people read it, react, etc.
I was going to mention the Gurwinder article and then saw your comment. It is indeed a read well worth it.
Yes! So much plays on scarcity as a driver of action. With social media, it’s often scarcity of connection that drives people to post. That cycle of wanting to share to connect, then getting disappointed no one has liked or replied, then feeling more disconnected. Confirmation of a negative thought pattern.
Dating apps would have to work much harder with UX if people weren’t starting from a place of scarcity and feeling they have to sign up if they want a chance of meeting someone.
Not sure how to stay in that place of abundant opportunity mindset though! Get better at identifying areas of contentment to start from?
Yes, scarcity has been baked in to how we think about almost everything. And it makes sense from an evolutionary perspective – if we didn't care about scarcity of food or water or love, we'd not survive as a species. But as with lots of things that made sense as we evolved, it can run amok if we let it.
I was working in social media before the term was even coined, and it was clear to me that lots of social networks were created by people who felt a scarcity of connection to others and thought that technology could fill the gap. Only one of the founders I knew or was aware of turned out not to be a complete arse.
I think you're right about trying to stay in a mindset that sees abundance rather than scarcity, and that finding areas of contentment is key. I think perhaps my own starting point is just recognising when the panic I feel is actually a symptom of me focusing on what isn't rather than what is. It's so easy to focus on the negative space instead of the concrete things within it.
Having a scarcity mindset has brought a lot of inner struggle with my own writing as I compared myself to other successful Substack writers. This usually ended up with me not writing for long periods of time. Changing my focus inwards to why I write has helped as well as making small changes in how I write has given me the confidence to keep writing. However this is a fragile peace and constant awareness of the scarcity traps is needed. Thanks for the reminder! 🙏🏽
They say comparison is the thief of joy, and they're not wrong! I think a lot of us are in the same place as you, so don't feel like this is your battle alone. Lots of us are there with you!
It's easy to think that this is only happening to me, so thanks for your kind words of support. :)