gm, world! ☀️

How is it that we’re already done nearly half of 2022? Of course time is flying, but it’s also making us feel: so much time to do more and be more. ⏱️

On that note, here’s what you’ll discover in this week’s Going Solo:

  • Neil Gaiman on ideas
  • How Polina Marinova gained 1000s of paid subscribers
  • Spotify allows artists to display NFTs on their profile
  • What childhood fairytales can teach adults

Neil Gaiman on Ideas

Whether it’s fiction or talking about creativity and storytelling, there’s nobody quite like Neil Gaiman. While there is a great deal one can learn from Gaiman’s Masterclass, his books like Art Matters or **The View from the Cheap Seats are a masterclass in writing, observation, and learning.

There’s something Gaiman said about conjuring ideas that made sense. 👇🏼


How Polina Marinova Gained 1000s of Paid Subscribers

Polina Marinova is an accomplished writer who is well-known in the media circuit. A go-getter for all intents and purposes — Polina started building her Substack profile while still working a full-time job at The Fortune Mag. It may have taken her two years to gain 5K followers, but she gained her next 5K followers in just 90 days.

Polina prioritises consistency, and her growth story is so incredible and yet grounding that even Dwayne Jonson tweeted about her. Really, what? 🤩

As stoked as we are with her story, we’re also bringing it to your attention. Here’s a Twitter thread you should check out to read her story. 👇🏼

Polina Pompliano’s Story


Spotify Tests a New Feature: Artists to Display NFTs on their Profile

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Spotify introduced this feature, and it has been meaning to introduce diverse creative-friendly features. It’s experimenting this with a tiny group of artists who can now display and promote their NFTs on their profile. 🤸🏼‍♀️

Steve Aoki and The Wombats are one of the first artists to participate in this experiment, and just to be clear Spotify won’t be taking any shares from the creators. Having said that, creators and Spotify users aren’t really excited about this.

While many users took to Twitter to express their displeasure, we think several Spotify creators can still monetise their art, allowing them diverse avenues to generate revenue. Recently, Spotify has also started hiring for Web3 and NFT roles, which is a nod in the right direction.

Read up more about it here 👇🏼

Spotify Allows Displaying NFTs On Artists’ Profiles


What Childhood Fairytales Can Teach Adults

Alberto Manguel’s essay for the Prospect Magazine starts with: “Because my father was a diplomat, my childhood was largely spent travelling from place to place. The bedrooms in which I slept, the words spoken outside the door, the landscapes around me constantly changed. Only my small library remained the same...”

The stories that we’ve read as children surely shaped our adulthood. 📚

What are some things that classic stories like Alice in Wonderland or Little Red Riding Hood can teach adults?

Read this article for all that and more. If there’s one thing you should read on the internet today, it’s this immersive piece.

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