
JC
@jonathancolton
1819 Following
5289 Followers
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I had a conversation today with @angelikakollin that reaffirmed something Iāve been feeling for years:
Artists need other artists.
Itās why I came to @farcaster. I was craving community. /itookaphoto became my home baseāand for a while, it felt like the Degen-aissance.
The tipping economy, the engagement metricsāthey donāt matter when youāre deep in the process, wrestling with an idea. What you do need are conversations with other creators. Ones that push you, inspire you, and keep you honest.
So, in the spirit of artists self-organizingālike theyāve always doneāIāve repurposed my channel ( /jc ) as the Artist Salon.
Inspired by the original Paris Salon, where artists exhibited, exchanged ideas, and gained recognition. But also in honor of the Impressionists, who were rejected from that Salon⦠and started their own.
This is for artists who want to think out loud, riff, critique, collaborate, and grow together.
https://farcaster.xyz/~/channel/jc/join?inviteCode=eAW5lRwC6XlGAJKwwEqpOg 7 replies
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Pain is Pull
Why the clearest path to traction starts with naming what hurts
Before users care about your product, they need to feel seen.
Not in the abstract. In the gut.
The fastest way to gain traction isnāt by pitching your solutionāitās by articulating the problem so clearly that the right people stop and say:
āYes. Thatās exactly what Iām dealing with.ā
This is the difference between push and pull.
Push is when you chase users.
Pull is when the pain does the work for you.
Pain Creates Demand
Pain has gravity. When you describe it honestly, in your users' own words, it draws in attention, trust, and conversation. Thatās distribution.
But hereās the catch: most builders gloss over it. They fall in love with their product, not the problem.
They lead with features. They hedge the pain.
Theyāre afraid to sound negativeāor worse, unpolished.
Thatās a mistake.
What Pull Looks Like
Pull happens when you talk about whatās broken, clearly and consistently.
When you share a real problem your ICP wakes up with.
When you quote a user describing their frustration in plain language.
When your marketing reads more like a mirror than a pitch deck.
Be obsessed with the pain.
Talk about it often.
Donāt ever stop doing that. Ever.
Especially in the early days, your audience isnāt looking for polish.
Theyāre looking for someone who gets it.
Thatās why pain is pull.
Make the Pain Loud
If youāre not sure what to say in your next post, landing page, or user interviewāstart here:
Name the pain.
Whatās the real problem your product solves?
Quote the user.
What exact words have they used?
Say it again.
And again. Until the right people nod along.
You donāt need scale yet.
You need signal.
You need pull.
And that starts with pain. 0 reply
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