We’re in a “Golden Age” - Visakan Veerasamy

Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Paul Millerd's conversation with Visakan Veerasamy about building sustainable creative careers, managing the psychology of unconventional paths, and thriving in the digital economy's golden age.

1. Long orbit friendships create deeper connections than daily interactions

Long orbit friendships represent relationships where people connect intermittently over extended periods, often years apart, yet maintain meaningful bonds. These friendships mirror literary correspondences where months might pass between letters, but each exchange carries substantial weight and depth. Visa describes these as fundamentally different from daily hangouts where people meet frequently but eventually run out of meaningful things to discuss.

The beauty of long orbit friendships lies in their adventurous quality. When friends reconnect after months or years, they bring rich life experiences to share. Each person has evolved, faced challenges, and grown in ways that create substantive conversation. This contrasts with sitcom-like daily friendships where repetitive interactions can become stagnant and potentially hinder personal growth.

For creators and entrepreneurs on similar journeys, long orbit friendships offer unique value. Paul and Visa demonstrate this perfectly - they hadn't spoken in four years yet immediately fell into deep conversation about their parallel paths. These relationships provide perspective, encouragement, and understanding from people who truly comprehend the challenges of unconventional career choices.

2. Preemptive defensiveness reveals insecurity about unconventional paths

When people embark on non-traditional career paths, they often develop preemptive defensiveness as a psychological shield. This manifests as aggressively defending their choices before anyone even questions them. Paul admits to experiencing this heavily during his first year after quitting his job, when he felt deeply insecure about his direction and would defensively explain his decisions to anyone who would listen.

The root of preemptive defensiveness lies in genuine uncertainty about one's path. When you don't know what you're doing, criticism feels particularly threatening because it echoes your own internal doubts. People in this state tend to over-explain and over-justify their choices, which ironically makes them appear less confident in their decisions.

The cure for preemptive defensiveness comes through experience and time. As Paul discovered, going through uncertainty repeatedly teaches you that not knowing is normal and manageable. Eventually, you stop defending your choices because you realize there's nothing to defend - everyone is figuring things out as they go. This shift from defensiveness to acceptance actually makes people more magnetic and persuasive because they embody genuine confidence rather than forced justification.

3. Focus on what you want rather than what you oppose

Visa emphasizes a fundamental principle that seems simple but proves revolutionary in practice: focus your time and energy on what you want to see more of in the world. This approach requires taking personal responsibility for your desires and preferences, which many people find uncomfortable. It's far easier to join the "against" movements that proliferate online, where membership only requires opposing something specific.

Being against things offers immediate relevance and easy community formation. You can quickly find others who share your opposition to particular ideas, policies, or trends. However, these alliances remain superficial because they're built on shared enemies rather than shared values. People who only know what they oppose cannot build lasting relationships or meaningful collaboration because they haven't defined what they actually stand for.

The path of focusing on what you want demands vulnerability and courage. You must articulate your vision, stick your neck out, and risk criticism for your positive choices. This approach proves more fulfilling and profitable in the long run, but requires patience and the willingness to follow your own heart rather than simply react to external circumstances.

4. Posting trajectories reveal different approaches to creative longevity

Visa introduces the concept of "posting trajectories" to describe how different creators approach their online presence over time. Some people show up intensely for a few years, make significant contributions, then disappear from public discourse. Others, like Visa himself, commit to lifetime participation in the public conversation, viewing their creative work as a decades-long endeavor rather than a short-term burst.

Both approaches have merit, and Visa emphasizes that anyone who contributes meaningfully to public discourse has done more than most people. Some creators naturally have "two albums in them" and should feel proud of sharing their gifts with the world, even if they don't continue indefinitely. The challenge lies in not demanding that everyone adopt a lifetime approach to public creativity.

However, Visa argues that sustained presence offers unique advantages. Longevity builds familiarity, cultivates voice, and provides reassurance to audiences. Value compounds over time as creators develop deeper expertise and stronger relationships. The key lies in finding sustainable practices that prevent burnout while maintaining consistent output over many years.

5. Replace your income mindset creates burnout and failure

Many people entering freelance or creative work become obsessed with replacing their salary as quickly as possible, often within a year. This urgency creates tremendous pressure that leads to burnout and eventual abandonment of their creative pursuits. Paul identifies this as one of the primary reasons people fail in self-employment - they go "super hard" trying to achieve financial replacement quickly, find it unsustainable, and quit entirely.

The psychological discomfort of existing in an intermediate state drives this rushed approach. When your income doesn't yet make conventional sense, social interactions become awkward. You feel like you're "between jobs" or unemployed, which carries social stigma that many people cannot tolerate. This discomfort pushes people toward aggressive monetization strategies that often backfire.

The solution requires patience and psychological management. Paul spent three years barely breaking even while living cheaply, but maintained faith in the long-term potential of his work. This approach allows value to compound naturally rather than being forced through aggressive marketing. Success becomes more sustainable because it's built on genuine value creation rather than desperate financial pressure.

6. Internet scale remains vastly underestimated by most people

Despite years of evidence, most people still fail to grasp the true scale and potential of internet-based opportunities. Paul and Visa both express amazement at how few people recognize the infinite upside available through thoughtful online engagement. Even those who understand internet scale often underestimate it - as David Senra noted, people who grasp internet scale still don't fully grasp internet scale.

The math supports internet optimism for creators willing to think long-term. Visa calculated that if thoughtful people represent even 0.1% of the population, a creator only needs to reach 2,000 people to find their first genuine connection. With consistent effort - perhaps five interactions per day - this takes barely over a year. Once you find that first real connection, they likely know others like them, creating exponential growth potential.

Paul's book sales illustrate this phenomenon perfectly. He hoped to sell 1,000 books over five years but sold 9,000 in a much shorter timeframe. Early notes show he would have been thrilled with 200 sales. The gap between realistic expectations and actual internet-scale results consistently surprises even experienced creators, suggesting we remain in the early days of digital opportunity.

7. Ten-year creative commitments separate success from failure

True creative success requires thinking in ten-year timeframes rather than annual goals. Visa references Hokusai, the painter who created the famous Great Wave, who at age 50 claimed he hadn't painted anything of note yet but outlined his plans for ages 70, 80, and 90. This perspective on lifetime craft development proves rare but essential for building lasting creative careers.

Most people who try to monetize creative work within a year crash into what Visa calls "the rocks." They become too forceful and rigid in their approach, making their work brittle and likely to break under pressure. The patience required for ten-year thinking allows creators to remain loose and dynamic, adapting to feedback while maintaining consistent effort over extended periods.

The compound effects of sustained creative work become almost magical after a decade. Visa's Twitter following grew from 400 followers to over 40,000 through steady persistence rather than viral growth strategies. His early projections proved wildly insufficient because compound growth defies human intuition. Anyone willing to commit to a ten-year creative journey while staying conscious and responsive to feedback will likely achieve results that exceed their most optimistic initial projections.

8. Specialization and trade create wealth in creative communities

Jane Jacobs argued that all wealth comes from specialization and trade, and this principle applies powerfully to online creative communities. When creators focus on their unique strengths and exchange value with others in their network, everyone benefits more than they could achieve individually. Visa illustrates this through his relationship with Sam, a physical therapist who fixes people's pain problems in Twitter replies while Visa helps connect Sam with larger audiences.

The magic happens when creators resist the temptation to become generalists who handle every aspect of their business. Sam shouldn't spend years learning marketing when he could focus on becoming even better at solving physical problems. Meanwhile, creators skilled at marketing can help talented specialists reach their ideal audiences. This division of labor creates win-win scenarios that benefit both parties and their shared community.

Creative ecosystems thrive when members view themselves as part of a larger community rather than isolated competitors. The key insight is that sustained presence in these communities allows for deeper specialization and more valuable trade relationships. Creators who stick around for years build trust and familiarity that enables more sophisticated collaboration and mutual support.

9. Money psychology requires conscious examination and adjustment

Money psychology represents one of the most crucial "inner games" that creators must master on unconventional paths. Most people carry unconscious anchoring to their previous income levels, which can limit their earning potential in unexpected ways. Both Visa and Paul noticed they initially earned roughly the same amount in self-employment as they had in their previous jobs, suggesting psychological homeostasis around money.

These internal money scripts operate below conscious awareness but powerfully influence behavior. Visa describes having clients who could easily afford his $500 per session rate while others bulk at basic ebook prices. The difference lies not in objective value but in individual psychological frameworks around money and worth. Creators must examine their own limiting beliefs about what they deserve to charge and earn.

The internet's global reach creates unprecedented opportunities for those who understand value creation. A skilled professional who speaks "internet English" can charge US rates regardless of geographic location. However, many talented creators, like Visa's wife from Taiwan, initially undercharge due to internalized beliefs about their worth. Conscious examination and gradual adjustment of these beliefs proves essential for realizing full earning potential in the digital economy.

10. Gratitude and paying it forward manage success psychologically

When creators receive unexpected financial success or recognition, managing the psychological impact requires intentional strategies. Visa describes feeling scared when someone paid $1,000 for his ebook, highlighting how sudden windfalls can create emotional complexity rather than pure joy. The key lies in developing frameworks for processing and redirecting success in healthy ways.

Visa's approach centers on "paying it forward" whenever he receives significant support or attention. Rather than keeping benefits purely personal, he consciously redirects energy toward supporting other creators and fresh voices in his network. This strategy reduces the psychological burden of feeling undeserving while creating positive cycles that benefit entire creative communities.

The practice extends beyond money to attention and opportunities. When Visa's content goes viral, he uses the platform to highlight emerging creators rather than purely promoting himself. This approach acknowledges that individual success often depends on community support and luck. By consciously distributing benefits, successful creators avoid the isolation that can come with rapid growth while building stronger, more sustainable creative ecosystems around their work.