Everything's in motion. So why does it feel stagnant?
And how do I create momentum when I’ve tried so hard already?
INT. APARTMENT – DAY
Neima twiddled her thumbs after publishing the latest episode of her series, pretending she wasn’t watching the likes rise. She sat in an air conditioned living room, scarfing down homemade tacos, provided by her best friend, when an acquaintance interjected her bite.
ACQUAINTANCE: I love your show! That’s the kind of content I like to consume!
NEIMA: For real? Thank you!
Neima was flattered and shocked, but then her wheels began to spin. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that. She wondered, if people loved it so much, why the project still felt stagnant. Stuck. Like it had hit a glass ceiling. Why isn’t the love translating to motion?
She realized at that moment that she didn’t have a creativity problem (although she already knew that), or an execution problem (which she also knew). She didn’t even have a reach problem either, because people were watching. She was just facing the reality that her work had just begun.
You did the thing and it feels like no one cares. Well, people care. There are enough likes, bookings, clients, sales, shares, comments, or accolades to prove that you didn’t flop.
But there also aren’t enough to feel like you “made it.”
It’s this strange limbo to see things moving, but also still see the destination ahead of you – just out of your reach. You’re not where you were, but you haven’t arrived. You’re on the road, but you need to refuel and maybe handle that check engine light.
For me, every project feels like its own, unique journey. And along each windy road, I’ve faced blocks. They aren’t always obvious and usually don’t come with instructions.
They’re a stalled car on the side of the highway. AAA is taking an hour and a half to arrive. I have to get a tow, just to wait another hour for a mechanic to tell me what’s wrong. I don’t know how much it’s going to cost, just that it’s going to cost me something.
And I was just on my way, on the road with my eyes on the destination. I was angsty with anticipation. I wanted to be there already. Now, I feel like I’m behind. I’m not on the road anymore. I’m in the middle of nowhere sitting in a mechanic’s dirty lobby, staring at a dead cockroach.
How the hell did I get here and how am I going to get back on my way?
People from back home call, saying, “Dang, you’re lucky you made it that far.”
Meanwhile, I’m frustrated that I’m not there yet. That I couldn’t pick up enough speed to get there faster. If only I had a brand new Ferrari, a Porsche.
Okay, maybe I’m getting a bit too deep into this vehicular journey metaphor. But it does bring me to a question I’ve been tossing around for a year or so:
Is momentum internal or external?
Is it created by the “yeses” and opportunities from others, or is it created by our own actions? Because I’ve taken many actions that don’t produce the results I was hoping for. I’ve taken the actions that produced fruit for others while I was still staring at a mound of dirt.
What happens when you’re reaching for motion but don’t know how to grab it? Is it something to grab, something to surrender to, something to align with…or is it luck?
I recently decided to stop waiting for permission.
Since starting my writing journey in television, I’ve found myself always in a ready stance, but never actually going or doing. That’s how that side of the industry is set up. You wait your turn until you’re called on, chosen, staffed. And after a few years, I realized it had been so long since I had anything to show for the many sample pilots and features that I’d written. No one had seen my work sitting on my laptop, waiting to be submitted and sent out by my manager.
So, I went back to the drawing board and crafted a series that I could shoot.
After months of (honestly cringey) trial and error, figuring out how I wanted to show up on the internet and what stories I wanted to tell in the content space – and whether it actually aligned with the bigger works I was creating (novels, tv series, features) – I landed on something that felt like me.
As creatives, we often struggle with that balance between authenticity and interneting. There are so many ways to do it and, sometimes, none of them feel right. And we spin our wheels figuring out how to be relevant enough to attract the jobs and clients we want. So, when I found it for myself, I thought I was on a straight path toward the destination.
But, the car stalled. I had to pull over when I realized I needed money to make that project a reality.
I had to get crafty and ask myself: how can I get closer to the destination while working with what I already have?
So, I created an MVP (minimum viable product), if you will; and so birthed Salon Talk.
An extension of what we do here – real women getting their hair done by a real hair stylist, having the real conversations about community, love, friendships, and life’s ups and downs that we have in hair salons. A salon, a place where we gather to discuss art and society and culture and literature.
And it felt good to greenlight myself, to put something out that went directly to my people. I still have work to do. I want more people to see it. I want to do more.
But it was an exercise in leaving that stalled car where it stalled and putting one foot in front of the other – to just start walking. Along the road, I found people that would help: a free location, friends that said yes to being on camera, homies that lent me cameras for the low.
The lesson? Decide it’s happening and the luck will show up.
The car might stall, but what are you doing while you wait for the mechanic? Are you sitting there waiting for a miracle or are you moving?
So, I’ve landed on this – momentum is both internal and external. You have to have the spirit to persevere and pivot. You have to be open to new avenues, new side streets, new methods. That’s how you find the luck, the external, the opportunities, the “yeses.” By showing up, moving as far as you can on your own, and making yourself known to the external.
After launching the video series Salon Talk, it got me thinking about what this space means here on Substack – its birthplace. I’ve decided to pivot Salon Talk on Substack a bit, to have it be an extension of my journey creating and the lessons that I learn along the way. It’s still real talk, it’s still salon talk, but I learn far too many nuggets along my journey to not share them here with my OG audience.
So are you riding with me?
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Thanks for visiting the Njoy Salon. See you at your next appointment!
xoxo, Neima
instagram: @neima.tenay
tiktok: @njoynei
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Njoy Salon provides stories to navigate the coming of age and the “coming to” of life. We curate content and timely discussions to be your partner in crime during growth spurts and life transitions. As a Hollywood trained writer/producer and former stylist, I discuss culture and trends from odd angles, ways to learn and relearn ourselves, and resources to navigate culture, art, fashion, entertainment, and literature for when you’re ready to level up.
Neima, this has to be one of my favorite reads on substack so far. Your writing style is incredibly fun to read and experience. You did a phenomenal job of setting the stage, creating emotional investment, building momentum, and delivering your introspective reflection. Can't wait for future reads <3