The Art of Perseverance
Trying to Keep Calm and Carry On...
You're reading J’Nae Writes a newsletter created by yours truly J’Nae Phillips. To get the latest editions delivered straight to your inbox, make sure you  subscribe here.
Image via Unsplash.
So here’s the thing, starting something new and venturing into a world you know little about is scary. I was doing everything I could to put off starting a newsletter, thinking of what could go wrong before I thought of what could go right, until eventually I just had to pull the plug and jump right in. This is my 11th newsletter meaning it's been 11 weeks since I started doing this. My first newsletter went live June 29th (what feels like forever ago now) and at the start my views were steadily increasing, until recently when they sort of plummeted. It left me wondering, why did I start doing this in the first place? What does someone with no formal writing training have to offer her readers that they can’t find elsewhere? Honestly, for a while I wanted to give up. Then I thought about it and remembered why I even wanted to start this newsletter at all.
In my first ever newsletter where I introduced myself, I stated a couple reasons as to why I wanted to begin writing a newsletter. Those reasons all still ring true. I wanted somewhere where I could be real, open, and honest, and I wanted somewhere where I could write freely without criticism. I wanted to create engaging content that I was passionate about and that I believe has value, and I wanted it to come straight to your inbox. That way it feels more personal, more intimate. I wanted to find a way outside of social media to connect with others, a way to spark interesting and thoughtful conversations, and a way to have frank and open discussions. I want to create a community with J’Nae Writes, and one day I’m hoping it can maybe, just maybe, become something that's bigger than myself.Â
I have a rough idea of what I want to achieve with this newsletter in the near future, and some cool ideas of ways I can diversify what you receive in your inbox. I’d like to interview cool people doing cool things, I’d like to do rapid-fire Q&A’s with people making waves across different industries, and I’d like to get my newsletter illustrated every now again. But keep in mind doing all of this takes a lot of energy, a lot of time, and a lot of resources. It takes away time that I could spend doing other work that’s paid, working at my part-time job, or working on my blog & other projects I have going on. For now I’ll always publish a free weekly version of this newsletter, but in order for this newsletter to survive in the future I’ll be offering paid subscriptions where you’ll receive exclusive content straight from me to you. Your input will be hugely important on this, in letting me know exactly what it is you want, and what it is you’re willing to pay for. More to come on that later!
So with this newsletter, and with my writing in general, I’m still finding my voice. I’m a newbie in the writing sphere, and I appreciate the fact it’s going to take time for me to find my flow. It’ll probably take me longer than most as I’m self-taught and learning how to better my writing as I go, so bare with me. Even though I’ve only been writing this newsletter a short amount of time, I’ve learnt a lot about myself as a writer, about the things I enjoy writing about and that spark a fire in me, and about what you enjoy reading. I enjoy writing about topics that I feel aren’t covered enough and that we need to be talking about more, and I enjoy covering a broad range of interests and discussing things that are important to me. At the moment J’Nae Writes is completely my opinion, and whilst it may not count for much, I’m happy to be putting it out there and I’m happy you're reading it. Remember I’m still learning, I’m still improving, and I’m taking this as I go. I’m not perfect (nor is this newsletter), but what is?
Moral of the story is as the old saying goes, ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. Whilst at times I’ve been frustrated that my newsletter isn’t expanding as rapidly as I want it to, whilst my subscriber count isn’t as high as I’d like it to be, I have to remember it’s only week 10! Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m learning the art of perseverance, and I’m learning to be gentler on myself if things don’t go exactly as I planned. I mean, if everything in life went according to plan, this would be a pretty boring journey we’re all on right? Your feedback is important to me, and it’s what’ll improve this newsletter each time it’s released. So don’t be afraid to sound off in the comments section. Thanks for being here reading this newsletter, thanks for being with me on this journey, I hope you’ll stick it out. I’m excited to see what the future of this newsletter holds, and I hope you are too.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see more of what I’m up to, and I’ll see you same time same place next week!Â
Catch you soon,
J’Nae
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
- I’ve been re-thinking the way I work and the way I do things recently, and this article by The Good Trade really made me think differently about how much I procrastinate. If you’re a procrastinator like me (and I’m a hardcore procrastinator) you may want to read this.
WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING:
- The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion on Netflix is a must watch if you're into Hip Hop and love fashion, it's a great (but brief) introduction about some of the behind-the-scenes tastemakers that have come to define the iconic style we know and love. I only wish this documentary was longer!
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
- If you haven’t watched Beyonce's music video for Already yet where have you been? When referencing Black culture, Black art, and Black history it's important to do so in a respectful way. I still can’t get over how beautiful this video is, and how important it is for Black people to voice their own history instead of having it dictated to them. If you’ve got 5 minutes, watch it.
WHAT’S CAUGHT MY EYE:
- The world of social media can be a dark place, there's no doubt about that. One account I follow that brings me a little slice of joy and never fails to make me smile is @upworthy. Worth following so you can see good news in your feed every now and again.
ON MY BLOG:
- This post is from a while back, April in fact, but if you’ve been finding comfort in the pages of a good book recently it's definitely worth checking out.