Ashley Evans

Why Meaningful Work Often Looks Like Failure And what do you love about creating even if no one sees it?

Some of the most meaningful work looks exactly like failure from the outside.

wannabewisdom.substack.com/p/why-meanin...

The invisibility wound is what happens when you grow up feeling ignored, unseen, or emotionally invisible, and then find yourself reliving that ache as a creative adult. I wrote an essay about it. You know where to find it. 👆

#writers

….And the answer to that question nourished me in a way that external validation never can.

Keep going!

I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it a hundred more: what else are we going to do with our time here?

Keep on writing! Your voice is searching for its tribe.
I’ve been writing on Substack for two years.
Last week I was at 136 subscribers.
Today I just passed the 1000 mark.
At times it was a lonely journey but that very feeling made me dig down deeper to ask myself “why I write…” #writer

For days when no one sees your work. These journal prompts will help you see it. #writer

The intrigue happens when it’s specific…emotional, WEIRD, alive.

We expect that in novels, so why not in essays too?

I’m leaning into the weird this week. I want you to taste watermelon bubblegum with your eyes.

How weird can you make your first line?

Anybody else with me?

It’s the opening scene of a movie. You’ve got one shot to make us lean in.

That first line’s gotta transport us. Make us feel something about where you’re taking us.

But so many openings are just… meh. Cliché City.

(I do it all the time. 🙋‍♀️but I can hold myself to a higher standard).

It just hit me like a lightbulb falling into a bathtub… how crucial the first line of an essay is. #writer

Why Meaningful Work Often Looks Like Failure And what do you love about creating even if no one sees it?

I wrote something about why meaningful work often looks like failure...and why it’s still worth doing.

Sometimes the quietest growth is the truest kind. #writer

open.substack.com/pub/wannabew...

I know I should shouldn’t scroll on my phone first thing in the morning, but it’s the first thing I do. Working on it… #writing

Still doing the thing I love. Writing.

And still keeping an open, loving heart while doing it.

It’s almost laughable now that I thought I was the only one.

Thank you for showing me that.

A gift I don’t think I’ll ever forget. #writer

Despite the embarrassment of pouring so much into my articles and getting little attention, even from close friends and family.

And still, carrying on.

Despite the stories I told myself about my worthiness and value.

I gained 800 subscribers on Substack in the last 48 hours by admitting my failure.

I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing… but it was.

It came from a very human necessity: figuring out how to carry on.

Despite the heartache.

Despite feeling alone.

We’re all failures…every single one of us.

Anyone parading their life as one big success story is either masking or missing the real power of intimacy. That’s where trust is built.

I’m learning this in real time.

Procrastination Is a Signal: Here’s How to Read It When you procrastinate, what emotion are you dodging—fear, self-doubt, boredom, or something else?

Procrastination isn’t the enemy. It’s the message. I wasted a day, and this is what it taught me ↓ #creativity

wannabewisdom.substack.com/p/procrastin...

Lately, I’ve been tempted to add a column for the fleeting thoughts that drift in and out of my mind. Why? Because I’m kind of obsessed with documenting the evolution of my soul. Are you weird in this way too?

That’s why I build my own tracking systems. I log states of being, my writing, dance, content creation, mental health, and the books I read.

Visibility of growth in creative pursuits isn’t always obvious...you don’t get quarterly reports on the state of your heart and mind.

Procrastination is a signal that the mind is avoiding a feeling it doesn’t want to face. This is where the investigation begins…

Something I’ve been thinking about this morning: Jesus has a branding problem. If I were his friend, I’d tell him to fire all his publicists, skip the middlemen, and start a Substack. Just his own words, straight to the inbox. Imagine the comments section. #jesus

Something that I’m thinking about today is, that Faith is not a religious thing but in fact, my belief in what I pursue with my whole heart. Faith in my writing…is my faith. Also, Faith is: posting to Bluesky everyday like someone might see it… like it…and maybe even share it. #writer

Why I Love Logging My Words, Workouts And Rhythm Do you track anything in your life—creative, personal, or otherwise? And what do you choose not to track?

So I heard you want to learn how to track your writing in less than 10 minutes without turning into a robot? I share my process in my newest Substack! #writer

wannabewisdom.substack.com/p/why-i-love...

Why I Love Logging My Words, Workouts And Rhythm Do you track anything in your life, creative, personal, or otherwise? And what do you choose not to track?

wannabewisdom.substack.com/p/why-i-love...

Tracking doesn’t have to be rigid. For me it’s proof I’m making progress, even when I feel like I’m moving through life in slow motion. I’ve been logging my writing, workouts, even (now) dance classes. And it’s helping. Do you track anything in your life? Or purposely not? #writer

According to my Fitbit I’ve burned 876 calories from outrage today. My soul is exhausted.

Creatives: how are you managing or alchemizing your outrage right now? Let’s share. I’ll go first. I’m writing my substack once a week and dancing multiple times a week.

I’ve been thinking about this all week: What is that leap between being enraged by words and believing violence is the answer?

We have to talk to the animal part of ourselves that wants to destroy in the name of protection. Outrage is contagious. So is restraint.

Outrage Is Contagious. Here’s How to Protect Yourself When was the last time you caught yourself spiralling into outrage, and what helped you loosen your grip?

wannabewisdom.substack.com/p/outrage-is...

✨ Outrage is contagious. The radical act is refusing to catch it.