If you’ve stumbled across this, it’s likely because you know me, the algorithm gods surprisingly worked in my favor, or you discovered some guy who describes himself as:
Writer. Artist. Maker of Things.
And now you’re curious about what comes next (you’re not alone, friend!)
Maybe I should lay some ground rules, outline expectations, share my ethos in this creator economy, blah blah blah…
Or not.
But then again, I also want this experience to be pleasant and transparent. So forgive me as I share a few helpful things to help you decide if you want to keep coming around.
I’ll be sharing about the arts, broadly speaking. That includes writing (poetry, prose and all the sub-forms), artwork, painting, and music. And perhaps things I’m yet to discover.
This content will be open and free (unless the overlords establish paywalls on content in ways I’m yet to learn). If you want to subscribe, great. If you want to donate, more power to you. But there is zero expectation from me, of you. I’m not an inspiring influencer with a delusional expectation of passive income. No, I’m just glad you’re here.
I will share my work and nudge you toward literary magazines and galleries that took the time and effort to publish/share my work. And I will share the work of other artists, too, as I want this to be a place of discovery — for you and for me.
If you discover artwork here you love, I’ll point you to non-spammy places where you can inquire about it. This is not about building affiliate links, but helping you find what you want.
I will do my best to respect your time and keep things fairly short — a tall task for a writer who can ramble on about all the passions. But unlike the other socials, I will share and work out more thoughts here.
I will make it visual — and also drop a music track. Because life is better with a soundtrack.
I will likely not stick to some rote publishing schedule. While this is a labor of love, it falls behind the labor of a day job, the labor of writing, painting and making, and the labor of doing life with other human beings in my orbit. That means fewer and hopefully welcome posts rather than being on the receiving end of a carpet bombing campaign.
And if I go silent for too long, find me at my website or on the other socials where brevity is a requirement.
There.
And welcome.
I’ll leave you with this, a recent little painting to fulfill my promise to keep things visual.
Recently I received several photos from the daughter of dear friends of mine. She posted a photo on Instagram, I messaged her and raved about it, and she sent me the outtakes that didn’t make her feed. She lives in Chicago and makes her way to Point Beach State Forest in Wisconsin — her favorite stargazing spot. It made me stop and think: do I have a favorite stargazing spot? And why not? Why haven’t I made stargazing a formal activity or act of appreciation, with or without friends?
Anyway, her images informed this painting. She said she’s been able to see the northern lights from her spot along Lake Michigan. The images she sent in early summer were of an obscured sky with smoke from the Canadian wildfires pushing its way through the jet stream. A few stars. A lot of ominous smoke. Some light pollution peering through from Green Bay in the distant left frame.
I got to thinking about her stargazing place, the lapping of Lake Michigan’s waves on a sandy shoreline. A place to feel small and in awe and question and — be still.
For a moment, I felt like I was there.
Here’s a 3 minute soundtrack to help you get there, too.
“So I get a little feeling / there could be a place for us /
drive through the night / drive through the night”
Until next time…