Fame Is Just the Tax - Featured Image

Fame Is Just the Tax

Fame is just the tax you pay for having something to say.

by Riley Schatzle
November 14, 2025

its not about fame.

in fact i hate the idea of being known just to be known.

but here's the thing—

to affect change in the world, you have to communicate. you have to say something. and when u say something loud enough (or for long enough), people notice.

and thats weird.

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bc i dont particullarly care for the ideas of fame.

i just want to make/create/build things that matter. want ppl to feel something. be apart of a shift. maybe see the world a little differently.

but to do that? you have to be seen.

and being seen feels like selling out sometimes.

like ur chasing attention when all u wanted was connection/collaboration.

maybe fame is just the tax you pay for having something to say?

or maybe im justifying why i have to do the thing i dont wanna do.

either way—silence is preferred, but we live in a strange time.

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think abt it.

most communication now is one-way. user to the world. the world... holds breath. nothing.

bc in reality everyone's talking at the same time.

we listen to others talk at us, but the dialogue? fragmented. broken. we used to use follows and likes to communicate. that still exists sure, but now its more like impressions and views.

if people view it, thats conversation?

damn. what a world.

so where does that leave ppl like me?

the ones who want to create. who have things to say. who actually care abt the work.

but dont want the spotlight. dont want the performance. dont want to become the brand.

idk.

maybe the answer is just... do it anyway?

make the thing. say the thing. let it reach whoever its supposed to reach.

and if that means some level of visibility? fine. but not in a way that feels like chasing views or clout or whatever. the fame isn’t the point.

the work is the point.

the communication is the point.

the connection—even if its messy and one-sided and filtered through screens—thats still the point.

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fame? thats just a side effect maybe.

but using you voice matters.

keep talking. keep making. keep showing up.

just i guess be sure not to confuse attention (fame) with the intention (the process).

riley

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