Jay Clouse

This is going to be a big year for you.

Believe it.

I had writer’s block this weekend.

But then I just wrote about what felt real to me in that moment.

It felt scary—but when you give yourself permission, the words just flow.

Friendly reminder that most “opportunities” are actually distractions in disguise.

Yes, you could play around with Claude Code.

You could also read a book!

Yes, you could create an app today.

You could also just keep writing!

Could ≠ Should

I don’t really care about “peak performance.”

But I do care about avoiding deep valleys.

I’ve been locking myself out of social apps on my phone a lot lately, and it’s remarkable how much more spacious my days feel.

Plus my inner state is much calmer.

If your phone is a tool for creation, great.

But for me, it was becoming a tool for consumption and comparison—and that was a problem.

Attention can be bought—trust has to be earned.

I firmly believe that it’s far better to share less and blow people away each time rather than share more at a lower standard.

There’s a cost to how often you stay top-of-mind, but the benefit is so much trust. When you truly honor people’s time, they notice.

Trust > Attention.

I’ve been ignoring Bluesky.

Mistake?

If you believe success is inevitable, it will be.

Content without personality has become a reputational liability.

I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the 90s.

To see and come of age *alongside* the internet, not *with* today’s internet.

Millennials understand the past and think of the future differently than any other digital native generation.

This week marks 8 years since I quit my job and became a creator.

Took a minute, but turned out to be a good move. 🙏

There’s a special feeling when the puzzle you’re trying to solve in your mind clicks into place.

Almost nothing beats it.

Sometimes I have a great idea for an essay and then I realize I already wrote it a few months ago 😅

this was fun!!

Should you still build in public? Peldi (Balsamiq) and Jay Clouse (Creator Science) Peldi is the founder of Balsamiq and pioneered transparent business...

New episode of The Panel: Should you still build in public? Peldi (Balsamiq) and Jay Clouse (Creator Science)

What do you think? Reply here with your thoughts!

This upcoming episode of @thepanel.bsky.social was so fun.

@peldi.bsky.social, founder of Balsamiq, came with questions about #buildinpublic and building community.

We got @jay.blog on the call to teach us everything he's learned building Creator Science. 🔥

panelpodcast.com/subscribe

Most creators don’t think about how they use their time when building their creative business.

That’s why I admire how @jay.blog navigates life as a creator and a new dad.

Recently, he shared how costly it’s been *not* to be 100% dialed in when it’s time to work.

If I am not injected with coffee very soon I fear I will perish

In today’s social media, followers are only marginally more likely to see your content than non-followers.

Followers are a vanity metric, not a distribution system.

Friendly reminder that email will never be banned in the US.

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

So if you’re beating yourself up for not doing X or Y thing, ask yourself what you ARE doing.

You’re not a failure — you’ve just made different choices and chosen different priorities.

really appreciate this perspective!

I’m naturally optimistic, but I’m not naturally cheerful.

That’s something I’m trying to work on.

#238: OK I have some thoughts on AI (and its impact on creator-educators) [Voice Memo] Creator Science · Episode

New 7-min voice memo on the podcast:

"OK I have some thoughts on AI (and its impact on creator-educators)"

open.spotify.com/episode/2zU0...

If you feel yourself losing momentum, you probably need to regenerate your enthusiasm.

Find the fun.

Set yourself up for small wins.

Small, positive outcomes will generate enthusiasm and start to rebuild momentum.

Creator businesses are tied to the creator's enthusiasm.

more enthusiasm → more momentum → more enthusiasm → more momentum...

But it goes in reverse, too:

less enthusiasm → less momentum → less enthusiasm → less momentum...

If you’re stuck consuming everyone else’s content, you are likely lacking clarity around your own priorities.

When you are clear about your vision, you don’t want to spend time doing anything else.

As more creators join the scene, the expectations for all content increases.

If you aren’t constantly improving, you're falling behind.