Robert Reich had been drawing since a young age, but it wasn't until he started combining writing and illustrations on Substack, that he found a creative trademark
Thank you for this section of "Dear Writer"! I had no idea that Robert Reich, whose articles I have enjoyed for many years, also draws! And I love the cartoons. His advice -- "to bring your personality to your Substack " -- is something I'm exploring right now (as an absolute novice), and the timing of this confirmation is perfect.
Breathe in: writing. Breathe out: drawing. They follow one another naturally. I love and emulate Nishant Jain’s Sneakyart substack for just that reason, in my own work at Road2Elsewhere. The irony: I didn’t even discover that I loved it until after a long career as a words-only guy in the magazine biz. I much prefer where I am now! Thx for that James Thurber. Sorry I ignored your example personally for so long.
Hey E. Jean Carroll! Thx for the “like.” Do you realize that for about five years I was your editor at Playboy? We worked on a lot of great stuff together, including your epic journey to Sri Lanka! Or was it Borneo. Some damn place!
Now that you mentioned it, I'm interviewing for the position of "The Oracle of Orinda" (Calif., that is, a nearby town), a foodie position that predicts what subscribers will cook for dinner on a certain night of a week during a certain month of the year, which should make me rich, maybe.
That's an easy one . . . Friday night is always pizza night! You can make your own dough, buy dough at a groc, or buy a boxed pizza. I do the last for convenience sake, plus I toss some extra cheese on it, save the leftovers, since I can't eat a whole one and my wife's pie is not my pie, to have the following Friday, so one pie efficiently covers two nights, which is another trick to eating, that is eat your meal at least twice to cut down on thinking about meal planning, list making, shopping, and cleaning up.
I LOVE this. Truly. I am sharing a 7-day on awakening your senses to find Insight and I keep thinking to myself if my sharing is too "ME". But then this personality advice comes in and I feel so much motivated. Thank you again.
Thank you Robert! I used to write a lot more and now I am primarily a visual artist. Most of my work is painting and it is abstract. Recently, I created a line of coloring books and I have been having a tremendously good time in doing so. I saw an interview with one of the creators of Substack the other day and I decided to go for it! I had a great time writing yesterday but I was having a bit of a hard time getting at it today. It was wonderful to listen to you and thank you for sharing! Sometimes we all just need little love. (or a little nudge) PEACE
This is such an encouraging and timely post. The advice to “just do what delights YOU” was especially reassuring (I have a doodle+writing Substack myself). Substack is a great playground for experimenting with communication and trying something off of our usual beaten paths—and isn’t that what creativity is all about?
I love this! I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a kid, but it somehow never occurred to me to illustrate my own newsletter… what a wonderful way to complement a piece!
Thanks for sharing this. I am fairly new to substack but love being able to combine my writing, recipes, and photography all in one place. I also agree about the podcasting feature. I'm starting to add little notes to preface my newsletter - it feels like that extra little bit of connection with my audience. I like to think they're sitting across from me at the dinner table, clinking glasses and having a casual conversation.
"Go with what you’ve been trying to do for as long as you remember. Don’t worry about whether it’s great writing — or even whether it’s writing at all. It’s you, and it tickles you — and that’s enough."
Thanks for these words of encouragement! Made the difference between quiting and accepting tickles as sufficient reward.
What did your parents do to instill in you the desire to pursue a creative project? I have been amazed over the years at the many children who complain that school is boring and they have nothing to do.
Robert Reich's integration of writing and drawing on Substack embodies a delightful blend of creativity and insightful commentary, offering subscribers a uniquely engaging experience. I am the IT Manager at https://www.guides-verbier.com/fr/ , It is informative and you are a gem. Your illustrations are mind blowing.
Thank you for this section of "Dear Writer"! I had no idea that Robert Reich, whose articles I have enjoyed for many years, also draws! And I love the cartoons. His advice -- "to bring your personality to your Substack " -- is something I'm exploring right now (as an absolute novice), and the timing of this confirmation is perfect.
Like your illustrations very much!
Thank you, Wayne.
Breathe in: writing. Breathe out: drawing. They follow one another naturally. I love and emulate Nishant Jain’s Sneakyart substack for just that reason, in my own work at Road2Elsewhere. The irony: I didn’t even discover that I loved it until after a long career as a words-only guy in the magazine biz. I much prefer where I am now! Thx for that James Thurber. Sorry I ignored your example personally for so long.
Hey E. Jean Carroll! Thx for the “like.” Do you realize that for about five years I was your editor at Playboy? We worked on a lot of great stuff together, including your epic journey to Sri Lanka! Or was it Borneo. Some damn place!
Let the world take note of Peter Moore! He's about to become The New Yorker's newest phenom!!!
Blush. It’s a good thing you don’t make a living as an oracle, Wayne. But, well, I wouldn’t mind….
Now that you mentioned it, I'm interviewing for the position of "The Oracle of Orinda" (Calif., that is, a nearby town), a foodie position that predicts what subscribers will cook for dinner on a certain night of a week during a certain month of the year, which should make me rich, maybe.
Let me know what I'm making for dinner tomorrow night, so I can acquire the ingredients. (No more than five, including herbs, pls.) Good luck with it!
That's an easy one . . . Friday night is always pizza night! You can make your own dough, buy dough at a groc, or buy a boxed pizza. I do the last for convenience sake, plus I toss some extra cheese on it, save the leftovers, since I can't eat a whole one and my wife's pie is not my pie, to have the following Friday, so one pie efficiently covers two nights, which is another trick to eating, that is eat your meal at least twice to cut down on thinking about meal planning, list making, shopping, and cleaning up.
This was a perfect piece for me to read at this point, just when I was considering exploring adding illustrations to my stories... thank you...!! :)
Best of luck with adding illustrations, Edith!
Beautiful illustrations and thanks for sharing your enriching experience.
What do the subscribers appreciate more? The illustrations or the writing behind them?
I LOVE this. Truly. I am sharing a 7-day on awakening your senses to find Insight and I keep thinking to myself if my sharing is too "ME". But then this personality advice comes in and I feel so much motivated. Thank you again.
I was also hesitant to share my drawings at first, but I've enjoyed it immensely since.
I am absolutely blown away!!
Thank you, Professor Reich!
Thanks for your thanks.
Thank you Robert! I used to write a lot more and now I am primarily a visual artist. Most of my work is painting and it is abstract. Recently, I created a line of coloring books and I have been having a tremendously good time in doing so. I saw an interview with one of the creators of Substack the other day and I decided to go for it! I had a great time writing yesterday but I was having a bit of a hard time getting at it today. It was wonderful to listen to you and thank you for sharing! Sometimes we all just need little love. (or a little nudge) PEACE
This is such an encouraging and timely post. The advice to “just do what delights YOU” was especially reassuring (I have a doodle+writing Substack myself). Substack is a great playground for experimenting with communication and trying something off of our usual beaten paths—and isn’t that what creativity is all about?
I love this! I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a kid, but it somehow never occurred to me to illustrate my own newsletter… what a wonderful way to complement a piece!
Thanks for sharing this. I am fairly new to substack but love being able to combine my writing, recipes, and photography all in one place. I also agree about the podcasting feature. I'm starting to add little notes to preface my newsletter - it feels like that extra little bit of connection with my audience. I like to think they're sitting across from me at the dinner table, clinking glasses and having a casual conversation.
It is nice to hear a writer of note talking about combining drawings in a post. I have done so already on Substack - glad I'm not alone. https://steebasso.substack.com/p/on-gilbert-gottfried?s=w
"Go with what you’ve been trying to do for as long as you remember. Don’t worry about whether it’s great writing — or even whether it’s writing at all. It’s you, and it tickles you — and that’s enough."
Thanks for these words of encouragement! Made the difference between quiting and accepting tickles as sufficient reward.
What did your parents do to instill in you the desire to pursue a creative project? I have been amazed over the years at the many children who complain that school is boring and they have nothing to do.
I'm sure I got it from my mother, who was an amateur painter.
What an adorable photo of you. Your parents must have been so proud. I like your drowning in stuff drawing, as I am a hoarder.
Robert Reich's integration of writing and drawing on Substack embodies a delightful blend of creativity and insightful commentary, offering subscribers a uniquely engaging experience. I am the IT Manager at https://www.guides-verbier.com/fr/ , It is informative and you are a gem. Your illustrations are mind blowing.