Weekend Links: The accidental entrepreneur
This weekend: The cost of perfectionism, a future after social media, Jay-Z’s $5,000 cognac and more…
I often describe myself as an “accidental entrepreneur” because I didn’t grow up aware that I could build a business around my creative work. America has a way of making Black people, even in all of our excellence, feel uncomfortable for taking up space in a country our ancestors help build. So as a kid, the thought of claiming my own space on my own terms was beyond the pale.
Compare my experience with that of my 7-year-old niece, who launched her own business shaping modeling clay to make something out of nothing this year. Just this week, Miss Thing sold through more than half of her Christmas Collection of handmade magnets in less than two hours. You wouldn’t know it by talking to her though: She’s unimpressed with the hype we create around her and is laser-focused on her craft. We could all learn from her creative practice, right?
I feel history in repeat when I watch my sister and brother-in-law support Jordie Girl in the same ways my parents supported me. Mom and Dad never made my dreams feel too big for me and always believed in my possibilities despite my circumstances. I’m taking wild liberties here as a non-parent, but it’s so ironic to me how hard parents work to provide material support when all most kids want is for their heroes to believe in them.
Adults, it turns out, want the same thing too. Which is why I wonder if, during this giving season, the best gift we could offer someone we care about is to believe in their human capacity to create their dreams — even if they’re not our own? I think you’ll discover it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Weekend Links: 9 interesting things to read, watch or hear from the week that was...
What does it mean to be authentic?
Required reading: This deep-dive on the cost of perfectionism
VSCO, with its ad-free subscription-based business, is rewriting the social media playbook for Gen Z creators
It’s time to design a future after social media
Kamala Harris Electric-Sliding to Beyoncé’s version of “Before I Let Go” is giving me family reunion vibes 💃🏾
Of course, McDonald’s is testing a chicken sandwich…
When men feel disempowered to take paid family leave, it’s women who usually end up sacrificing the most
Rich people doing rich people stuff: Jay-Z had a $5,000 bottle of cognac produced to honor his 50th birthday
Three ways to overcome imposter syndrome
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Thank you for reading!
All love for life,
Michael