“The decision to stop at a location, to mentally frame a scene on your page, is the deliberate act of reducing your complex reality to simple lines and shapes.”
Nishant Jain of The SneakyArt Post
Month: January 2024
PRODUCING AND UPLOADING
“That article reads as a kind of elegy to SoundCloud’s heyday, before multiple pivots through chaotic monetization and promotion. At least Bandcamp still works – for now. It’s a simultaneous reminder that we need to build something new, maybe this time not for the investors, but for the eu-IVs – for each other. For a reason to keep producing and uploading, and a place to do it. And, importantly, for listening.”
Peter Kirn at Create Digital Media
I love this so much: “a simultaneous reminder that we need to build something new, maybe this time not for the investors, but for the eu-IVs – for each other.”
WordPress can have a steep learning curve, but get a few friends together, figure it out, and we’ve got a new “media outlet.”
I’ve seen some music newsletters on Substack, but I fear shit like that can implode at any point, too. Sure, I’m sure as heck using it, but making sure this blog is updated, secure, and the domain name ain’t gonna lapse.
Like… we need need to stop waiting for the next MUSIC PUBLICATION to figure their shit out, and just make it ourselves, like we used to back in the day.
Our bands couldn’t play the big venues, so we rented VFWs and firehalls and made it happen.
Like, Spotify and Apple Music will not magically start paying artists more.
The big outlets aren’t going to feature you, and even if they do, it probably won’t amount to much because the big outlets have devolved into showcasing death and drama, turning their readership into gossip-hungry zombies.
I’m jaded as fuck at this ‘cuz I’ve seen it devolve for the past 20 years. The fix ain’t waiting for tech-bros to develop new platforms – the power is with the people on the streets and the bedrooms to make it happen.
“Large parasocial platforms transformed the internet into a hostile and impersonal place. They feed our FOMO to keep us clicking. They exaggerate our differences for “engagement”. They create engines for stardom to keep us creeping. They bait us into nutritionless and sensationalist content. Humanity cannot subsist on hype alone.”
Taylor from Potato.cheap
DNA LOOP
Haven’t made any of these in a few years, but I’ve got a new laptop now, and some headspace for creative output, so here’s a little boop.
I make the music in Abelton Live. This is a fresh install, so it’s factory setting sounds and effects, but I’m happy with it. I need to bring over my plugins and such from my external HD.
When I went to look for videos on Pexels to use I was surprised to see Google DeepMind on there. They’ve got a bunch of videos and still images, so it looks like I’ve got a bunch of material to work with for future clips.
“The key to success wasn’t slowly working your way up, grasping for small opportunities. Instead, she decided to channel her energies into one exceptional piece of work.”
Jacqueline Novak
I AM THE LEAD MAGNET
Over on Substack Notes, Sarah Styf asked about using a lead magnet, to which I replied with this meme because I am a very serious email marketing thought leader.
Do what you want with your thing, of course, but seriously, for Social Media Escape Club, I am the lead magnet.
NOAH KALINA TALKING ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHERS IN COMMERCIALS
You might know Noah Kalina from his “Noah takes a photo of himself everyday” project that started in 2000.
Now, he’s making videos from his studio about… whatever. In the video above, he’s talking about photographers in commercials, which I find very funny.
Noah is making the sort of video I love – calm, quiet, not over produced, just a few funny edits here and there.
See more of his videos here.
“I think it’s part of why I love running. It removes me from the internet for a bit. I listen to music. I can just think about the music for a while and have experiences with that. I can focus on one thing so it is not so fractured. I think it goes back to slowing things down. Slowing things down is a way to spend more time with stuff.”
Brandon Stosuy
YOUR MARKETING ISN’T SLEAZY OR GROSS BECAUSE YOU’RE NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS
Today, I want to talk about feelings. Specifically, the feeling that you want your people to have when they get an email from you or see something you wrote online.
When I got the idea to start posting metal trivia on Twitter in 2011, I knew I wanted people to feel stoked when answering metal trivia questions on Twitter.
See, I could ask a question like, “in what year did Metallica’s ‘… And Justice For All” come out?” and the answer would be 1988.
But I thought about it, and no one gets excited yelling “1988” in line at the grocery store or hitting reply while at a show.
Could you imagine a heavy metal trivia show on TV in the mid 90s and contestants yelling out 1988? No way.
So I asked, “This ‘bass-less’ Metallica album came out in 1988.”
And I could imagine people excitedly tapping their phones and replying, “AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!” This led to people talking about the production of that album, discussing their favorite song, or talking about Cliff Burton (sorry, non-metalheads, if I lost you here haha).
Now, reverse engineer all this for whatever creative project you’re producing.
How do you describe what you’re doing in a way that would make someone feel something?
Say you’ve got a book tour coming up.
- Instead of “BOOK TOUR ANNOUCEMENT,” your subject line could be “Will I see you in Boston? New Haven? What about Providence?”
Wait, what? My favorite author is coming to Boston? The New England area?! That’s where I am – I better click! - Instead of “I have a new course,” say, “If you want to learn how to write a month’s worth of newsletters in one sitting, sign up for my new course.”
People want to save time and make money and make an impact – make them FEEL that. - Instead of “join my sci-fi community,” say “we’re debating the best / worst sci-fi movies in our Discord and you should join us.”
People have thoughts about sci-fi movies. I have a sci-fi tattoo. People don’t get tattoos that say COMMUNITY (unless they’re big fans of Dan Harmon, I guess). - Instead of “come see me at the market next week,” maybe say “my favorite things about setting up at the local market.”
Sure, you’ll be selling at the market. But talk about all the things people love about markets – the food, the smells, the people, the dogs!
You don’t have to outrun a bear; you just have to outrun your friends.
You need to outrun people writing bland subject lines and boring social media posts. You just need to get people to feel something when they get your emails or visit your website.
Stop being precious and “trust the wildness in your heart.” Get a little wild, or loud, or weird. It’s how you’ve built a following, an audience, an email list.
”Your readers have signed up to go on the ride you decide for them. Be bold and lead the way,” said Nishant Jain of The SneakyArt Post.
Be bold and lead the way, indeed.
:: LIKES LIKES LIKES ::
Since we’re on social media less, we need to share the work of other artists and creative individuals in spaces like this. Enjoy.
“Creators talk about Instagram as a game, a conversation forever circling “gaming the algorithm.” But the game is less like monopoly and more like poker. The house always wins.”
From ‘Algorithm is Gonna’ Get You: How Instagram Failed the Creative Class’ by Danielle Evans.
“Every night after the house is quiet and our work is done for the day, we’ve been checking in to see the daily videos that photographer Noah Kalina has been creating since the start of January – have you seen any of them?”
From ‘Clearing the Snow and the Mind’ by PappasBland.
“Recently I was asked to do an interesting illustration job. I spend many hours cooking up a proper job proposal, as it was quite a project. I asked a really fair price for my work too. A week later I got an email saying they went with another illustrator, as my social media audience wasn’t big or fitting enough.”
From ‘Is Instagram holding me back?’ by Marloes De Vries.
“On my USB, I have a folder for mail. Friends leave files in the mailbox. And then I go through the front door. There’s the TV. I have videos in the TV folder. I can go out and continue to the table where some PDFs are lying around. I go to the closet. There’s a suitcase that’s a zip file. It goes on and on”
From ‘Yatú Espinosa: USB Club’ by Naive Weekly.
“What does it tell us about progress if the most influential technological innovation of the century is clearly destroying lives on a massive scale?”
From ‘I Ask Seven Heretical Questions About Progress’ by Ted Gioia.
- VIDEO: “Do you volunteer for big tech?”
- VIDEO: ”How Phil Edwards Handles Creative Compromise” via The Publish Press
MISSING OUT?
What will we do if we don’t follow all our friends on every social media platform?
Read more books.
Make more music.
Listen to more records.
Go on long drives.
Meet friends for breakfast.
Stare out the window.
Visit a local shop.
Write in our journals.
Paint a picture.
Take a photograph.
Watch the sun come up.
It was social media platforms that incentivized us to connect, and to bring everyone into their walled garden.
Yes, it felt great for a minute, but nothing run by capitalistic techbros was meant to last.
The good ole days are gone, and there’s no one to come and tell you what to do next.
Fucking figure it out.