People get addicted to going viral. Before they know it, they turn into clowns dancing for the algorithm.

I’ve witnessed dozens of incredibly talented writers, artists, entrepreneurs and creators sacrifice originality for virality.

They try and rationalize their decision by claiming they're growing an audience they can later put deep, meaningful work in front of.

But, this rarely happens.

These creatives take one step into the limelight and transform into clowns, selling their souls to feel its warmth.

It never ends. They jump from trend to trend to trend like a bullfrog who can’t swim. The moment their previous party trick runs out of claps, off they go to hijack another. Before they know it, they’re no longer capable of doing purposeful work because it doesn’t receive the same attention.

That’s the cold, hard truth of the matter. Deep work will never receive the same applause as shallow work.

Not to mention, the audience they’ve built isn’t interested in deep, meaningful work. They didn’t follow the artist. They followed the clown. I can speak candidly on the matter because I’ve been the clown. I’ve been the moron dancing in the limelight. We all have.

It’s fun.
It’s fun until it’s not.
It’s fun until nobody takes you seriously.

You are far better off doing work you believe in for people who believe in it too. You won’t experience the same growth as “the guy with the sign”.

But, you will build a career for yourself that has the legs to run the distance.