Do you need a personal brand? Does anyone?

When you introduce motive to content, intent to promote or to monetize or to convert, it becomes so joyless-- almost not worth enjoying at all.

I’ve now woken up twice in the middle of the night, tip toed to my office, and rabidly *unscheduled* a Substack that was set to send early the next morning. Even in my sleep, there’s a niggling subconscious that says “Wait! That letter isn’t good enough to send yet!”

What is that? I get so many Substacks a day where people are like “Hey, do you like these pants? They’re cool. Here’s a book I read.” Not every email needs to be my Magna Carta, but I do think that— the fact that people hit send on not much more than a shopping list— is the very reason I like to at least get within spitting distance of a well written, tight and coherent letter each time I hit send (or schedule).

I was catching up with my friends Nate & Lisa last week and they were speaking kindly to me about my newsie and we were discussing some of my ambitions— some of the spaces I want to grow into in this next year— and how this newsletter has never felt like the right vehicle to discuss, explore or, perhaps more aptly …