the diary of a failed influencer

It's the last day of 2022 and the last episode of Season 1! It's only fitting that we're coming full circle to reflect on how quitting a 9-5 to become an influencer is going--or more accurately, how quitting my 10-10 to become a writer (and almost necessarily by extension, a content creator) is going. To be honest, I'm pretty lost, which is why I spent a few hours this week researching three artists to see how they handled the art vs. money issue, AKA selling out. Did Kurt Cobain really mean it when he said that there's more to life than living out your rock & roll identity? Why did Jonathan Franzen have to write a personal letter of apology to Oprah after his novel was selected as an Oprah's Book Club pick? Did Gaby Dunn ever get rich, or did they die vlogging?Substack: https://cecexie.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecexie/[timestamps]0:00 - intro1:51 - kurt cobain11:10 - the pain of unintentionally selling out13:21 - jonathan franzen17:10 - gaby dunn20:39 - degrees of selling out[references]https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/26/why-is-selling-out-ok-nowhttps://www.rollingstone.com/feature/nirvana-inside-the-heart-and-mind-of-kurt-cobain-103770/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/my-time-with-kurt-cobainhttps://slate.com/culture/2013/08/jonathan-franzens-the-corrections-and-oprah-winfreys-book-club.htmlhttps://splinternews.com/get-rich-or-die-vlogging-the-sad-economics-of-internet-1793853578https://www.gabydunn.com/abouthttps://www.vox.com/the-goods/21538544/kim-kardashian-private-island-birthday-twitter-tahiti--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/currently-workshopping/message This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cecexie.substack.com/subscribe