(about 40% of the full text you will find here on Ko-fi)
Choosing your first independent project can feel like standing at a crossroads with no signs. After university, many of us discover that support networks vanish, replaced by the pressure to get “any stable job.” While some family guidance can help, it’s your own self-knowledge — your skills, interests, and resilience — that will guide you through burnout and uncertainty.
When I went to Japan for my thesis in Religions and Philosophies of Eastern Asia, preparation was my lifeline: language skills, a strong network of local friends, cultural immersion, and precise planning. These steps let me collect rare research materials, connect with people beyond the textbook, and still have space for rest and community.
Solo doesn’t mean isolated — it means building a quiet network that will carry you through. In my full post on Ko-fi, I share practical advice, field lessons, and preparation tips for making your first project truly yours.
Read the full article and get early access to upcoming posts on the future of research mobility and global talent flows — available through Membership (on Ko-fi) only.
This post is part of my upcoming Ko-fi series on independent research and creative work.
Supporters will get early access to the next two articles:
🔹 The New Geography of Research: Why Mobility Still Matters in a Fractured World (Coming Soon)
🔹 Where Talent Gets Stuck: Countries That Are Losing Their Researchers (Coming Soon)
🌱 Finding Community Without a Department
Solo work can feel isolating—but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, community isn’t made of colleagues in your field. It can be found in artist collectives, local archives, librarians, or online writing rooms.
I’ll offer some unconventional ways I’ve stayed connected while working outside the system.
🤍 Why “Solo” Doesn’t Mean “Alone”
One of the myths we’re breaking here is that independence means isolation.
Instead, I believe in quiet support systems: the friend who checks in, the online group that reads your drafts, the quiet reader sipping tea in another part of the world who sees your project and says “yes.”
This space—right here—is one of those systems.
— Cyn
the Inkwell - by CynthiaC. 