Using your own lived experience for illustration/contrast, you've put your finger on something I've been seeing a lot lately, too: authenticity as just another desperate branding gimmick. Just as the common wisdom says, "Notice how someone treats you when you have nothing they can use; when you are useless to them," mutatis mutandis, "Notice what kind of authentic someone is when the authenticity mask slips."
Poetry writing is an interesting case study, an authenticity laboratory from one end to the other. There's no way around making your own life lived-in and accessible enough to offer space for others; making something of your own sense(s) of things well enough for others to feel them with you. This is subtly different than making your own life and internal conflicts the product.
I've gotten a lot out of Marvin Bell's "32 Statements About Writing Poetry" over the years. My favorites change from season to season, but I return again and again to 20: "At heart, poetic beauty is tautological: it defines its terms and exhausts them." And 21: "The penalty for education is self-consciousness. But it is too late for ignorance."
The obsession with 'authenticity' is just the latest trick of the ego. When you turn 'being yourself' into a goal, a brand, or a product, you instantly kill it. You are already yourself—you cannot try to be what you already are. That is why your mind spins in circles, creating sophisticated procrastination through endless analysis.Stop performing for the algorithm and drop the desire to convince the crowds. Truth is not a marketing strategy; it is an invitation. The moment you stop selling what they want and start acting from your genuine depth, the right people will find you. You don't need a clever vocabulary or a certified archetype. Just drop the luggage of who you think you should be, and simply look at what is.
Philipp, This is very well written for someone that doesn’t consider themselves a writer; it’s excellent, in fact. The word authenticity has accumulated so much cultural baggage of late that we often use it to describe several very different things: honesty, vulnerability, self-expression, nonconformity, even emotional impulsiveness.
The challenge then, as I see it, is with the assumption that somewhere beneath all the conditioning there is a finished, pristine “real me” waiting to be uncovered and expressed.
I’m increasingly skeptical of that being true. We are contextual creatures. We have personas, roles, adaptations, contradictions, shadows, aspirations, and so on…
Jung posited that the persona (the mask) is not inherently false. We need it to participate in the world. The work, as he saw it, is not to strip away every mask until some pure self finally appears. It is to become increasingly conscious of what is wearing the mask, why, and whether the life being lived remains in relationship with what we actually value.
That makes authenticity about congruence; not simply expression. Even congruence is not entirely static. Sometimes the most truthful thing I can do is behave in a way that does not yet feel “like me” because I am trying to become someone capable of something my current identity cannot yet hold.
So I might modify the proposed injunction slightly: stop trying to appear authentic by becoming more conscious. Choose more deliberately, if you will. Integrate more of yourself and then let whatever authenticity exists be the consequence.
My sense is that authenticity, ultimately, is something that emerges through the long work of becoming.
I don't know why but your way of writing and the perspective you bring to the table is always unique and something to ponder for a few moments. ¡Excelente! Keep going. I like your article as always. You inspire me to align myself with the work I enjoy instead of just trying to fit myself into a business model or work. I feel grateful to have found you and your newsletter.
P.S: The first article I read was 'How to grow your audience without creating content.' It was insightful and helpful as always.
-Best wishes from a fan and supporter. May your Substack and business both grow more and reach the right people at the right time.
Your lengthy ramble speaks to the immense trial and error you have experienced. One, I sense, that is far from over. The Sisyphean rock you have been forcing uphill. The discovery of “authenticity” as inauthentic. Where it’s beautiful is that your inner sonar keeps you in touch with what’s working or not.
Here’s something Zen Buddhism said a few millennia ago. “Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.” Meaning, we are inherently Consciousness with no fixed identity. We see people, trends, events, and grab onto them, praying they give us substance. They cannot. They can only reflect, trigger, or catalyze us.
Zen also says, everything passes. Don’t be attached. Just witness. Don’t stop creating. Love what you love. But don’t get your shorts in a twist either.
This is deeply thought provoking! I can relate to probably the first half of the article, as I find myself in a similar pivot (and still in the confusion stage). But I can’t quite follow your reasoning through the later parts…I honestly don’t grasp the meaning of the points you’re making, I wonder if we just have a different way of understanding or using the word ‘authentic’ ?
Regardless, you’re giving me much food for thought - and thank you for sharing your process & journey with us, Phillip 😊
Just to say that the first half was very helpful. I could connect it with my own situation and learn from it - thank you very much. 🙏🏼
I do not know if it is just me but got lost with the second half starting with authenticity. Try reading twice but could not make much sense out of it.
The life that feels most like yours may not be the one that looks best from the outside.
Using your own lived experience for illustration/contrast, you've put your finger on something I've been seeing a lot lately, too: authenticity as just another desperate branding gimmick. Just as the common wisdom says, "Notice how someone treats you when you have nothing they can use; when you are useless to them," mutatis mutandis, "Notice what kind of authentic someone is when the authenticity mask slips."
Poetry writing is an interesting case study, an authenticity laboratory from one end to the other. There's no way around making your own life lived-in and accessible enough to offer space for others; making something of your own sense(s) of things well enough for others to feel them with you. This is subtly different than making your own life and internal conflicts the product.
I've gotten a lot out of Marvin Bell's "32 Statements About Writing Poetry" over the years. My favorites change from season to season, but I return again and again to 20: "At heart, poetic beauty is tautological: it defines its terms and exhausts them." And 21: "The penalty for education is self-consciousness. But it is too late for ignorance."
I haven't much experience with poetry, but played around with for myself. It's very liberating.
Dropping bombs here Phil. Really enjoyed the article.
The obsession with 'authenticity' is just the latest trick of the ego. When you turn 'being yourself' into a goal, a brand, or a product, you instantly kill it. You are already yourself—you cannot try to be what you already are. That is why your mind spins in circles, creating sophisticated procrastination through endless analysis.Stop performing for the algorithm and drop the desire to convince the crowds. Truth is not a marketing strategy; it is an invitation. The moment you stop selling what they want and start acting from your genuine depth, the right people will find you. You don't need a clever vocabulary or a certified archetype. Just drop the luggage of who you think you should be, and simply look at what is.
Still navigating the difference between my authentic self and my life’s work. A hard nut but a win we even got here
And the authenticity theater may be something we all go through at some point.
It takes about 14 to 18 years of education and training to become a fully qualified brain surgeon. Why do we think finding your life's work is easy?
I don’t think it is easy. However, it is doable and the most honest way to live.
Philipp, This is very well written for someone that doesn’t consider themselves a writer; it’s excellent, in fact. The word authenticity has accumulated so much cultural baggage of late that we often use it to describe several very different things: honesty, vulnerability, self-expression, nonconformity, even emotional impulsiveness.
The challenge then, as I see it, is with the assumption that somewhere beneath all the conditioning there is a finished, pristine “real me” waiting to be uncovered and expressed.
I’m increasingly skeptical of that being true. We are contextual creatures. We have personas, roles, adaptations, contradictions, shadows, aspirations, and so on…
Jung posited that the persona (the mask) is not inherently false. We need it to participate in the world. The work, as he saw it, is not to strip away every mask until some pure self finally appears. It is to become increasingly conscious of what is wearing the mask, why, and whether the life being lived remains in relationship with what we actually value.
That makes authenticity about congruence; not simply expression. Even congruence is not entirely static. Sometimes the most truthful thing I can do is behave in a way that does not yet feel “like me” because I am trying to become someone capable of something my current identity cannot yet hold.
So I might modify the proposed injunction slightly: stop trying to appear authentic by becoming more conscious. Choose more deliberately, if you will. Integrate more of yourself and then let whatever authenticity exists be the consequence.
My sense is that authenticity, ultimately, is something that emerges through the long work of becoming.
That's an excellent summary and I love your comment on Jung's persona. It's not about demonizing the Persona, but being aware of its existence.
That's exactly right.
I don't know why but your way of writing and the perspective you bring to the table is always unique and something to ponder for a few moments. ¡Excelente! Keep going. I like your article as always. You inspire me to align myself with the work I enjoy instead of just trying to fit myself into a business model or work. I feel grateful to have found you and your newsletter.
P.S: The first article I read was 'How to grow your audience without creating content.' It was insightful and helpful as always.
-Best wishes from a fan and supporter. May your Substack and business both grow more and reach the right people at the right time.
Thanks for your support.
Your lengthy ramble speaks to the immense trial and error you have experienced. One, I sense, that is far from over. The Sisyphean rock you have been forcing uphill. The discovery of “authenticity” as inauthentic. Where it’s beautiful is that your inner sonar keeps you in touch with what’s working or not.
Here’s something Zen Buddhism said a few millennia ago. “Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.” Meaning, we are inherently Consciousness with no fixed identity. We see people, trends, events, and grab onto them, praying they give us substance. They cannot. They can only reflect, trigger, or catalyze us.
Zen also says, everything passes. Don’t be attached. Just witness. Don’t stop creating. Love what you love. But don’t get your shorts in a twist either.
Many blessings on your journey.
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Nicely framed. I can relate to this journey.
The meandering is so familiar 😩
Some wonderful points in this article that I expect will hit home for a lot of people. Thank you for sharing
This is deeply thought provoking! I can relate to probably the first half of the article, as I find myself in a similar pivot (and still in the confusion stage). But I can’t quite follow your reasoning through the later parts…I honestly don’t grasp the meaning of the points you’re making, I wonder if we just have a different way of understanding or using the word ‘authentic’ ?
Regardless, you’re giving me much food for thought - and thank you for sharing your process & journey with us, Phillip 😊
What exactly you can't follow?
thank you so much for sharing this deep, raw and honest peace
I love you had a wake up call and how you reacted to it
Thank you for sharing. 😇
Thank you for this. I resonate with it. I’m in the process you’re describing and I deleted all other socials last year and only have substack
Sacrificing and compromising, two tricky concepts that will test your principles
Just to say that the first half was very helpful. I could connect it with my own situation and learn from it - thank you very much. 🙏🏼
I do not know if it is just me but got lost with the second half starting with authenticity. Try reading twice but could not make much sense out of it.
Thank you again. 🙏🏼
At which point you got lost?