Building in silence

The case against building in public now:

When you are creating something that is important to you - move in silence. Too much outside energy disturbs the delicate process. Many people suffer from unlived potential, as Jung has pointed out, and when you begin to create something beautiful, they only want to humble you and ruin the process because what you create reminds them of the life they are too afraid to live. The most important creative work happens deep underground before it is revealed to the world. Make the roots of your creations deep, before you show the blooms to the world, so it will be unshakable.

– @lauramatsue

I think building in public worked for a time, maybe in the 2010s, because the maker community on Twitter then was still more community-oriented, geeky and focused on fun/craft.

But once it went more mainstream, the group dynamics changed. People who didn’t care about helping one another, joined the build in public bandwagon. They would steal without batting an eyelid. They shamelessly clone your SaaS, and then email you to ask if you want to partner up. They post click bait, start dramas where there’s none, trigger outrage, because it brings attention. And attention now can be monetised. Even if you just want to build in public calmly, people will hunt you down and find ways to disturb you, especially when your reach is big. And this happens even if you’re building open source stuff, free tools, hobby thinkering, or not-for-profit, social good projects. No one is exempt. The anonymous, faceless, ugly mobs always wins, in the end.

So building in silence now, is the way.

Build first. Talk later, if ever.