Part Two

Shooting Hoops in an Empty Gym

On writing in public when almost no one is reading, and why I kept going.

Sixty-Nine Subscribers

On April 30, 2024, after more than a hundred hours spent writing and publishing thirteen articles, my newsletter Design with AI had sixty-nine subscribers.

Looking at that number now, it’s hard to believe.

But back then, I didn’t think about giving up at all. I even had a quiet, odd belief that I’d rather not have many readers in the early days. I was too self-conscious about my writing and about sharing my thoughts in public.

Either way, I wanted to play the long game.

Writing in those early days felt like shooting hoops in an empty gym. Relaxed. Following my curiosity. Before I started worrying about who was watching.

And it was in those quiet reps that I slowly found my voice.