During the first year of the pandemic, my wife and I spent a lot of time cooped up in our studio apartment in downtown Toronto. While we knew our travel options were very limited, and we didn’t know if a vaccine would be coming out, we found solace in a Korean variety show called Running Man. It was a great bundle of jokes, physical challenges (particularly the name tag elimination), and travel. 

Between 2020 and 2023, I must have watched hundreds of episodes of Running Man, including many of the earliest. Somewhere along the way, I crossed into the realm of fandom.

As the show progressed, the concepts also changed. For example, the physical challenges caused each cast member to experience a herniated disk, which required surgery. The show needed to evolve to accommodate the cast. 

If you watch the first 100 episodes of Running Man, and the most recent 100, they’re practically two different shows. I have found myself watching the show less and less, occasionally watching the cast on their respective YouTube channels. (A more mainstream, relevant, example would be what’s happening with fans of The Simpsons.)

As a fan of the show, my interest in the show has waned. Still, I remain a fan, and I revisit the classic episodes every so often.

Sometimes, when I’m on the other side of this dynamic—for example, when I write at this blog or my book Creative Doing—I try to keep it in mind. A person can be a fan of my work, even if they haven’t been paying attention to what I’m doing, or what I’m doing is no longer that interesting to them. 

If I want to promote new work, a great way to do that is to make an effort to stay top of mind.