Janet & Goethe & Reddit

Sunday Read

Years ago, my first job out of university was working at one of the big advertising agencies in Los Angeles. This was before the internet. So, unbeknownst to me, my boss was a titan of the advertising business. She had come up in the hothouse of New York City in the 60s. Apparently, she was one of the first women to have her own agency. A creative powerhouse, watching her work was amazing. Brainstorming was like water flowing. Ideas just poured forth from her mind.

On top of this, she was a strikingly beautiful woman of an indeterminate age. Soft-spoken, highly intelligent, her presence was regal when she entered a room. Everyone, but particularly the naughty boys, calmed down. Of course, she drove a pink Corvette.

My time with Janet was short. Soon enough, I moved on to another agency. Before I left, she sat me down and quoted Goethe. He is to German literature as Shakespeare is to the English canon. I’ve subsequently learned the translation of the quote was wrong (!) and misused for over a century by famous motivational speakers. Nonetheless, the gist of what Janet told me has stayed with me ever since. Indeed, I have acted on it many times and the advice has proven prescient.

“Just act. Take action. When you do, people and opportunities you never imagined will appear.”

This injunction is something I’ve always had an instinct for. Most notably, my previous life in theater came about in this way. By taking action, one initiates a spiritual chain of creative events. Moreover, whatever you do, taking action will force you to hone your craft. If you want to be a writer, you must write every day. If you are any good and share your work, someone will take notice. This very Substack, The SoS Bunker, is a good example of this dynamic.

Reddit

To market this Substack, I have spent some time on various social media platforms, including Reddit. I know, I know. Big mistake. But, in fairness, Reddit’s business is about delivering eyeballs to marketers. Someone is making a living selling those eyeballs scrolling through chit-chat. Of course, on Reddit, there are forums for all types of gaming and their accompanying chit-chat.

In a recent forum, a poster asked if it was a good idea to create a meet-up focused on solo games. Of course, I thought it was a fine idea. I offered encouragement and outlined some ideas based upon my experiences.

However, my enthusiasm was clearly in the minority. My post of support got a single upvote. The most popular post got 45 upvotes. It explained, while the idea could have merit, it simply wouldn’t work. This post represents the way of the world. This is what my boss, Janet, inveighed against. The world is full of people who will, often quite reasonably, tell you that failure is quite likely. Thus, you shouldn’t even try.

My advice to each and everyone of you is to act on your creative ideas, be it gaming related or otherwise. The reason I landed a job at Victory Point Games was because I had ideas and I started sharing them out on BGG. Years afterwards, I was forced to make copies of some of my favorite States of Siege games: maps, cards, cubes for counters. Did I know what was doing? No. Yet, figuring things out forced me to think through problems and come up with solutions. The end results were not always ideal. But, the journey was most satisfying. My old boss, Janet, was right. People and opportunities appeared. This dynamic continues to play out today.