Writing fan mail - a lost art?
A few thoughts on the value of writing fan mail, and being grateful.
I saw a post from Sarah Brin last week in which she talked about her recent job search and shared some advice.
Sarah Brin
In her post, Sarah recommended that people "Write fan mail to the people whose work you admire. You can write it to people you've worked with or have never met. People like sincere recognition and you can't go wrong. The most important part: have no expectations for this person."
This really resonated with me.
I love being enthusiastic about people's work and it's one of the things I have always found almost magical about the internet, that you can get in touch - often directly - with almost anyone.
I don't know if this is a personal thing, or something more universal, I am well aware I am a chronic recommender of things.
But if I enjoy something I also enjoy seeking out the person who made it, and telling them that I enjoyed it.
It feels nourishing and energising, to have reached out into the void and made a positive addition to the world, even if you don't get anything back.
As someone who has been on the receiving end of a few messages like this over the years it is always really heart-warming and gratifying to hear that something you made or wrote or said or shared has resonated with someone else.
I suspect there's also something generally useful and good about being grateful on a regular basis.
Research indicates that "gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships."
I guess I'm saying that I agree, really quite strongly, with something that Nick Cave wrote in a recent edition of his Red Hand Files:
"In this therapeutic age we are told that our self-worth should not be dependent on the validation of others, that it is an inside job, but the truth is that we are social animals who depend greatly on respect and commendation from others. This is what binds us together, it is what dignifies us – a true and common regard. Small acts of ordinary kindness or courtesy, or the simple gestures of appreciation toward each other, speak into our increasingly individualised world saying, "I believe in you.""