Rethinking Thinking about Thinking
On my revamped, niche-free approach to Substacking
There is a lot of niche pressure in the online writing world, and Substack is no exception. Identify your particular area of expertise. Provide content that solves people’s problems in that area. Offer value. Or so the advice goes. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. People have definitely made it work. But it is absolutely zero fun.
I am a thinker. I muse. I question. I wonder. So much so that when I run out things to think about, I’ve been known to think about thinking (thus the title). And when I think, I write, but not about a single, marketable topic. That is not how my mind works.
Here is how it works for me.
Thoughts buzz around my brain on a constant basis. I mean pretty much all the time. It gets wild in there. Some would call a maelstrom. Eventually, one of those thoughts grabs my attention, and I think about it more. I don’t know why; it just happens. Best not to question it. If that thought (at this point, you might call it an idea) sticks around long enough, I assign it a medium (essay, poem, song, video, memoir, story, or whatever). Then I think about it some more, and eventually, I make something. I think what I am describing here is the process of creativity.
So moving forward, if this page is organized around anything thematically, it’s the following:
A dedication to remaining niche-less. The internet already has enough control of my life. Algorithms will not dictate what I create or how I create it.
A desire to focus on the funny and let meaning follow. I aim to do seriously good work but not at the cost of taking life too seriously. Let’s laugh and have fun.
Deep interest in human behavior, creative expression, and life’s meaning and purpose or whatever.
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In addition to regular personal essays and cultural criticism, the following features are now available on Thinking about Thinking with Craig Patrick:
Diary of a First Time Novelist Track my progress as I stumble through writing my first novel. Practical insights, opinions, humorous observations, and commiserations available in video and occasionally, written form.
The Diving Board Analysis of all kinds of music and the process of making music by songwriter/musician Giants of Diving (aka Craig Patrick).
Highly Sensitive Memoirs True stories about coming of age as a highly sensitive person.
How-To Videos for a Better Life This informative and entertaining (satirical) instructional video series is 100% guaranteed to deliver you a better life! Watch and learn. From slicing pie, to breaking down a cardboard box, to filling bottles with a funnel, I’ll teach you every essential skill you’ll ever need to be a success in life, now and forever, one incredible clip at a time!
Nobody Cares About Poetry Audio and video recordings of original and favorite poems with occasional written analysis. Nobody Cares About Poetry, and you can too!
I hope you’ll join me!