This is how I deal with Rejection
Weekly Newsletter #1
Hey friends,
Had a bit of a tough week, to be honest.
I got a professional rejection from a coaching program I was excited about, with the feedback that my channel was still too small. I kinda hyped myself up about it for a few days, and got email rejection the day before the interview.
I got a particularly mean comment on a YouTube video suggesting I should just become a faceless channel (ouch). So... I didn't put on makeup for that video... but you know, trolls can be really harsh about one zit. Then you notice that and can't get it out of your head.
It's a bit depressing and I am still dwelling on it. But I do understand why...
The problem with getting negative feedback only comes when you take it too seriously. Part of me really feels that pressure to retreat from creating because when you put yourself out there, you get a lot of signals about:
What you should be doing
That what you are doing right now is not good enough
And why aren't you doing it properly?
If you try to study how the big successful creators do things, you will get advice like:
Find your niche. This is important for the algorithm to be able to recommend you to other people who will like your content and the riches are in the niches.
Sell a transformation. Write for your readers. Focus on how you can help people and sell the vision, the transformation that you are providing instead of just writing for your own sake. Because you are writing for the readers, right?
Post every week. Make sure that you have animations every 1.7 seconds and and you know, be well dressed, have studio lighting, have good audio, have motion graphics, have a coherent brand identity with the colors, the style, and even the type of video that you're making (challenge? tutorial? vlog?)
This is all really good advice, but right now for a new creator, this is also a lot of noise. It creates pressure, and it leads to task paralysis and emotional burnout.
As in, if you keep thinking about trying to satisfy the algorithm or what a mean commenter could say,
You're going to struggle with perfectionism
You are going to raise standards before you even start
It's going to make producing a video so much harder.
This is how a task becomes so overwhelming that you don't even start.
It is important to listen to audience feedback, but we need to remember why we started in the first place. It wasn't for the readers or the viewers. At least for me, I write because this motivates me to learn more.
Learning in public serves as a clear record of what I was doing, this helps me document my life and to learn better. I write to share with others but first and foremost I write for myself.
A quote that really struck me this week was,
You won't lose your life in a single moment... You'll trade it away in small comforts.
The question here goes: Is this creator's lifestyle still the path I want over the alternatives?
The answer, for me, is still a definite 'yes'. I don't want to go get an AI researcher job, even if this is possibly the best time to be one and I have spent five years getting the PhD for this.
It made me rethink about what I actually want to do with my life.
And.
I am sure, this is what I want to do with my life.
With a caveat: I am going to stay comfortably in my comfort zone and I don't want to become a super driven creator that focuses only on the hustle, and making money by all means.
Probably not what the quote was meant to do, but I think, life is short and we should live in a way, that won't leave us with regrets in the future, but also not kills us dead in the present.
I won't give up my ambitious goal for the small comfort of not feeling rejected or overwhelmed today. I am going to listen to this signal, and adjust what I am doing.
I am pivoting.
From "how do I become a successful creator like Dan Koe" to finding success by my own definitions. What do I enjoy about creation? My original purpose for creating... did involve 'passive income' but also just how it felt to learn in public, that sense of progression (there is a reason this is a core game mechanic) and also building up my skills. I enjoy trying to make videos following a style I saw elsewhere, breaking down what other people have done and trying to puzzle out why it works.
So, here's what I'm doing to re-focus:
I am shifting my attention to what I can control. E.g. Making an aesthetics style video instead of getting distracted by things I can't control (like virality or views). Very stoic? Hehe
Spending time in my Zettelkasten. Thinking in my second brain and refining my workflow there, through iteration. I am going to be exploring AI-Canvas workflows and possibly making another plugin for this, instead of just posting about my existing Zettelkasten.
Exploring video creation by copying styles. The goal is to make lots of short tiny videos, and test out various styles of producing videos. Cinematographic, motion graphics, handwritten 'back of the napkin' whiteboard videos.
I think, this early stage of being a creator (50 subs on Substack, 943 subs on Youtube) is all about exploring, and failing. Learning what I like and don't like by trial and error.
We always want to skip past failures by learning from how others did, but perhaps a big part of their success came from the failures. It formed the experience (exp!) that gave them the firm foundation of taste they have now (leveled up their perception).
My goal right now isn't to go viral or even build a huge audience; it's to try things out, discover what I enjoy making, and learn the craft. You can't know your perfect workflow or your ideal niche until you've actually tried a bunch of stuff. This is the fun part.
Hope that resonates with some of you.
Have a great week!
Pamela Wang
♥️ My Favourite Things
🎧 Podcast – The Nudge. I've been loving this podcast for creator insights (listening as I add notes to my Zettelkasten). The episodes are short, and packed with actionable tips based on behavioural science. For example, I have changed my subscription callout based on the "Zeigarnik Effect". You can see it below.
▶️ YouTube Video – The Insane Logistics of YouTube's Biggest Production. A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at MKBHD's studio. Love the audio segment. I'm trying to watch more videos on how professional teams operate to get ideas for my own production workflow. This one is definitely very high production value, but goals!
💡 Tech Tip – Bearded Spice. The Arc browser is great, but it’s a notorious memory hog, especially when playing music. I’ve switched to playing my YouTube Music in a Safari tab (it really does save RAM), but my keyboard's play/pause media keys don't work natively. Solution: Beardie is a free little app that brings that functionality back for pretty much any browser tab (you need to install the safari extension).
☕️ Coffee – "Tuesday" from First. (Singapore) I’m really enjoying these specialty beans this week. It's medium-roasted 100% Arabica, Ethiopia, Guji beans. Definitely has high acidity, with mellow berry notes and I love it cappucino style (with lactose free milk + dash of cream).
✍️ My New Content
This week, I shared some behind-the-scenes breakdowns on Substack Notes:
How I breakdown videos from top creators like Ali Abdaal.
Color coded breakdown of Ali Abdaal’s Video (Look at the Hook)
Deconstructing the animated paper backgrounds used by Vox.
My remake of Vox paper backdrop (faded figures & diary writing)
I wrote two articles focused on the practical aspect of building a Zettelkasten.
I went to the library, it was amazing. Inspiring! Found a new favourite book on writing and discovered font-pairing, which I wrote about here:
Week
You won't lose your life in a single moment... You'll trade it away in small comforts.
Arthur Schopenhauer (German) - He is known as The Philosopher of Pessimism.