Linart

If you are new here, welcome!

This is part of a 5-week series where I interview a few of my favorite writers and share our conversations with you.

You can learn more about each of them in the last post.

My Favorite Substack Writers Answer A Few Questions

First up, Linart.

Linart is the first writer I have connected with on Substack. Nothing would have happened if it wasn’t because of him.

1. Tell us about yourself and what's on top of your mind.

My name is Linart, born and raised in the Philippines. I call myself a writer, marketer, and educator because of the work that I do. But I generally have been moving away from labels. I don’t think a single person could ever be captured perfectly with a bunch of labels.

I’m a recent graduate, having earned a Math degree back in 2023. My life has revolved around mathematics for a very long time. I always thought I’d be a math professor at a university. But in my 4th year, I found myself being interested in data science. So I self studied the subject for a year. But by the time I finished college, I decided not to be a data scientist anymore.

It was unexpected. But there was a shift that prompted me to explore something different—a kind of work that I have never done before. This led me to my current role as a marketer at a B2B startup company. And eventually, I did more explorations that led me to becoming a writer.

It’s crazy how much can happen in a year. I don’t regret any of these explorations at all.

2. How do you feel at this moment in life?

Tired and hopeful. There’s a lot that happened this year with my family. I recently lost my grandmother and was surprised to see how Filipino families really come together in times like this. And with the year ending, I feel like there’s a ton I want to do before we wrap up the final month.

I say hopeful because I learned to ground myself more. I think life is filled with abundance and this abundance is available to everyone. There is abundance in the trees and the waters and the air. The more I started seeing what life has to offer for me, the more I started feeling like there’s really no point stressing over work or goals or whatever.

I still do stress out, by the way. But I like reminding myself that I actually have everything I truly need right now.

3. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from your parents?

My parents taught me how important it is to appreciate what you have.

I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family, but our house was always filled with food and water. My siblings and I have good clothes to wear and we all studied in good universities.

While I was studying, I had the full support of my parents. My Papa would enroll me in extra classes if he knew it would help my education—no matter how expensive they were. And my Mama always told me to go study instead of helping out with chores.

Being a student is always tough, but I didn’t realize for a long time how much easier it is for me because of my parents. Now that I have a job and a stable income, I’ve been making an effort to give back as a way of saying thank you to them.

I’ve also been paying more attention to the things I can be grateful for.

4. What have you experienced that has changed the way you live?

When my grandmother was hospitalized, I watched as my Mama’s siblings took turns caring for her. It was rare to see all five of them together, especially with one aunt living in the US. But they all came to be with their mother, no matter how difficult it was.

I think this was the first time I really understood how important family is. In the end, they’re the ones who will really be there for you.

5. How do you define happiness?

I think happiness, for me, is more about letting go of any desires. When I start to feel like I don’t need anything, I believe that is when I become happy. Because that will also be a time when I am completely satisfied with who I am and where I am in my life.

6. Who is your favorite writer, and why?

This is tough. I don’t think I have a particular favorite writer—at least for now. But I’ll make a choice based on how much this person’s writing has influenced my life.

Tommy Dixon has some of the most beautiful essays I’ve read. It’s interesting to note that he’s around my age—a time when an individual is most pressured to chase success—and yet, he decided to step out of the game of success completely. Instead, he decided to live. Really live.

Whenever I find myself being too caught up with external goals and desires, I try to look for a Tommy Dixon essay to gain some perspective.

7. Imagine this writer was standing right in front of you and you can ask one question, what would you ask?

I’ve been meaning to reach out to Tommy, but I guess if I had to ask one question, it would be this:

How do you learn to let go?

He might have written an essay about it that I haven’t read yet. But regardless, I’m curious to know what he would say in response.

Linart has shown me what it means to love. I know time has been tough for him lately. There is nothing more I could’ve ever asked for. Before you go, check out his YouTube channel.

Up next, kev.

See you next week.