The Line I Won’t Cross

This week I came across (yet another) great Mark Twain quote while reading Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational:

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” — Mark Twain

It immediately struck a nerve.

Just last week, I wrote about how The Algorithm Isn’t the Audience, asserting:

“I want to stay independent. I’d rather create from a place of joy than bend to an algorithm I don’t believe in.”

This quote from Twain reinforced that point — perhaps even better than I had tried to say it myself. And though it might feel redundant, it’s worth writing about again.

To me, what I do is play.

I’m not obliged to create.

I do it because I want to — to fulfill a need to see and shape the world, and to share that view with anyone who’s interested. I’ll do the bare minimum to give my work a fair chance of reaching people. But I won’t do it at the cost of making what feels like play turn into work.

That’s the line I won’t cross. Not now, not ever.

If you’re a creator and you’re feeling increasingly frustrated by engagement metrics, here’s something to remember:

🔸 Why did you start creating in the first place?

🔸 Was it ever really about the numbers?

🔸 Is it work… or is it play?

Don’t get bogged down by metrics. Don’t get discouraged by other creators getting millions of views. That doesn’t matter.

What matters is expressing yourself in a fulfilling way.

What matters is your intent — to share what you’ve made with others.

Believe it or not, that takes guts.

It takes courage to put your work out there — to share your perspective in a saturated space, to open yourself to criticism, to still choose optimism in a world that often rewards cynicism. But in doing so, you create space for others to do the same. To be inspired. To keep going.

That alone is a cause worth standing for.

And that’s why I’ll keep creating — as play, not as obligation.