I know how you feel. What the fuck am I doing and who gives a fuck. I instantly thought of the song "It Ain't All Flowers" by Sturgill Simpson. I do hope that your travels are smooth and full of joy despite the worries. As Sturgill says at the end of the song "Grab a glass of wine and a seat to dine and go ahead and eat the whole damn pie!"
Wandering in the desert and feeling lost is something we all experience, but it's how we respond to the adversity that makes all the difference. I don't like the process of aging, the uncertainty of money, or other exhausting challenges, but I've learned to embrace it the best I know how, and know each is beneficial in its own weird way.
Thanks for the kind words and song. We're gonna keep truckin' and living the dream as long as we can, and should it have to end, we'll be thankful for all the experiences we enjoyed.
Thanks for the refreshingly honest take. I hope things start looking up for you soon. I work in marketing too, so I totally get what you mean about writing, AI, the travel industry…honestly, all of it. It’s a bit chaotic right now, and hard not to get swept up in the doom spiral.
On the upside, you have family in the Netherlands. Plus half Dutch? That’s a golden ticket. I’d be out of here in a heartbeat if I could.
Ahhhh, yeah that is a bit more complicated with the Dutch citizenship. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems. 😆
With regard to technology, AI has been a huge time-saver for me, especially when it comes to analyzing campaign data and idea generation. The annoying part? A lot of junior marketers don’t really know how to use it. There’s way too much copy-pasting without editing, and the writing just falls flat. You still need solid writing chops to make AI outputs actually work. But instead of hiring stronger writers, our company sees AI as a reason to bring in the cheapest option and expects someone else (hi, me) to train them. Honestly, you can’t teach writing instinct and I wasn’t hired to be a writing coach, so it gets frustrating to say the least.
It sucks how people abuse AI and creatives to the point it's a no-win situation for many. It's always a race to the bottom, even more so these days. I've used AI for some meta descriptions, ideation, and other small needs, but I also believe what you say -- you can't teach great writing instinct. I think writing from the heart is more effective, though at some point, that may change.
We are all expendable, yet valuable. How we balance this is still unknown.
Well-put, amigo. Expendable, yet valuable. I just feel like a lot of writing is going to hell in a hand basket. Yes, total cliché. But at least AI doesn’t know all those. lol 💅
Thank you for taking the time to read and for your thoughts!
I think a lot of us are wondering what's next or how we will find ways to make a living in a rapidly changing and uncertain world. However, challenges can make us stronger and better, so sometimes adversity is a good thing.
We could easily buy a one-way ticket to Europe, but there are complications with visas and work. If my dad had been Dutch, I could have had dual citizenship, but since it's my mother, I would have to renounce my American citizenship, which doesn't sound that bad at times.
How are you adapting to the technology changes in the marketing world?
Thank you! Having been to Europe multiple times and having family in the Netherlands (I'm half Dutch), I agree that many people seem to understand that most of us are not like the idiots in the political / MAGA world. Some Americans don't always help those stereotypes either, though. We love the European way of life, so I think we will probably be over there for a year or more as soon as we can make it happen.
Loved your honesty here! Yes people tend to only hear false stories about how perfect this style of living is instead of the honest truth of how it varies day by day and choices need to be reevaluated. Great pics too! The Dino eating the garden gnome had me chuckling.
Thank you, Joe! So glad to see you on Substack! The Dino decoration was at the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glenrose, TX. If they had had one for sale, I would've bought one.
My long-term goal is long-term travel, but I’ve lived the last few years trying to choose between the security of a full-time job or the freedom of just “figuring it out”. So coming from a twenty-something - thanks for this refreshing prospective on life. Looking forward to seeing what y’all do in the future!
Hey Andrew! Welcome to the club and thanks for being a part of the community.
Choosing between the FT job or just winging it is hard, especially when we cannot guarantee we will be here tomorrow.
If I could tell my 20-something self what I know now, I'd say to work hard at making AND saving as much money as possible, then travel after getting 6-12 months of cash in the bank, but find a way to keep making money while you do it. There is no security in a full-time job anymore, but having a good savings account makes life easier.
I know how you feel. What the fuck am I doing and who gives a fuck. I instantly thought of the song "It Ain't All Flowers" by Sturgill Simpson. I do hope that your travels are smooth and full of joy despite the worries. As Sturgill says at the end of the song "Grab a glass of wine and a seat to dine and go ahead and eat the whole damn pie!"
Wandering in the desert and feeling lost is something we all experience, but it's how we respond to the adversity that makes all the difference. I don't like the process of aging, the uncertainty of money, or other exhausting challenges, but I've learned to embrace it the best I know how, and know each is beneficial in its own weird way.
Thanks for the kind words and song. We're gonna keep truckin' and living the dream as long as we can, and should it have to end, we'll be thankful for all the experiences we enjoyed.
Thanks for the refreshingly honest take. I hope things start looking up for you soon. I work in marketing too, so I totally get what you mean about writing, AI, the travel industry…honestly, all of it. It’s a bit chaotic right now, and hard not to get swept up in the doom spiral.
On the upside, you have family in the Netherlands. Plus half Dutch? That’s a golden ticket. I’d be out of here in a heartbeat if I could.
Ahhhh, yeah that is a bit more complicated with the Dutch citizenship. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems. 😆
With regard to technology, AI has been a huge time-saver for me, especially when it comes to analyzing campaign data and idea generation. The annoying part? A lot of junior marketers don’t really know how to use it. There’s way too much copy-pasting without editing, and the writing just falls flat. You still need solid writing chops to make AI outputs actually work. But instead of hiring stronger writers, our company sees AI as a reason to bring in the cheapest option and expects someone else (hi, me) to train them. Honestly, you can’t teach writing instinct and I wasn’t hired to be a writing coach, so it gets frustrating to say the least.
If it were easy, we'd all do it, right? LOL
It sucks how people abuse AI and creatives to the point it's a no-win situation for many. It's always a race to the bottom, even more so these days. I've used AI for some meta descriptions, ideation, and other small needs, but I also believe what you say -- you can't teach great writing instinct. I think writing from the heart is more effective, though at some point, that may change.
We are all expendable, yet valuable. How we balance this is still unknown.
Well-put, amigo. Expendable, yet valuable. I just feel like a lot of writing is going to hell in a hand basket. Yes, total cliché. But at least AI doesn’t know all those. lol 💅
Brandi,
Thank you for taking the time to read and for your thoughts!
I think a lot of us are wondering what's next or how we will find ways to make a living in a rapidly changing and uncertain world. However, challenges can make us stronger and better, so sometimes adversity is a good thing.
We could easily buy a one-way ticket to Europe, but there are complications with visas and work. If my dad had been Dutch, I could have had dual citizenship, but since it's my mother, I would have to renounce my American citizenship, which doesn't sound that bad at times.
How are you adapting to the technology changes in the marketing world?
I think most Europeans understand that the US "administration" does not represent many Americans. You'd be welcome.
Thank you! Having been to Europe multiple times and having family in the Netherlands (I'm half Dutch), I agree that many people seem to understand that most of us are not like the idiots in the political / MAGA world. Some Americans don't always help those stereotypes either, though. We love the European way of life, so I think we will probably be over there for a year or more as soon as we can make it happen.
He he, well technically I am not European any more, but you’d be welcome anyway
Loved your honesty here! Yes people tend to only hear false stories about how perfect this style of living is instead of the honest truth of how it varies day by day and choices need to be reevaluated. Great pics too! The Dino eating the garden gnome had me chuckling.
Thank you, Joe! So glad to see you on Substack! The Dino decoration was at the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glenrose, TX. If they had had one for sale, I would've bought one.
Check out a fellow traveler who went abroad.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thebenthalls/p/a-ghost-abroad?r=5gsttv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you for reading and for sharing!
My long-term goal is long-term travel, but I’ve lived the last few years trying to choose between the security of a full-time job or the freedom of just “figuring it out”. So coming from a twenty-something - thanks for this refreshing prospective on life. Looking forward to seeing what y’all do in the future!
Hey Andrew! Welcome to the club and thanks for being a part of the community.
Choosing between the FT job or just winging it is hard, especially when we cannot guarantee we will be here tomorrow.
If I could tell my 20-something self what I know now, I'd say to work hard at making AND saving as much money as possible, then travel after getting 6-12 months of cash in the bank, but find a way to keep making money while you do it. There is no security in a full-time job anymore, but having a good savings account makes life easier.