Writer, musician, wizardly guide to platform independence
I’ve been on a lot of Zoom calls this week with my Escape Pod offering via Social Media Escape Club.
I remember being exhausted from scrolling through multiple social media channels everyday. Twitter. Instagram. LinkedIn. Back to Twitter. Over and over, throughout the day.
I would spend hours every day posting, replying, sharing, DMing, ping ping ping. All day long.
Now I spend hours every week with people who are engaged, filled with the energy of making good work.
Oooh, a wonderful resource of SLASH PAGES:
“Slash pages are common pages you can add to your website, usually with a standard, root-level slug like
/now,/about, or/uses. They tend to describe the individual behind the site and are distinguishing characteristics of the IndieWeb.”
Thanks Mikey Seay.
More record label clients would be great for my bank account, but I also know what it’d do for my sanity. Most industries have systems, but some just never manage to to get out of their own way.
Like Seth Godin says, “Choose your customers, choose your future.”
I attended his Freelancers Workshop many years ago. The biggest takeaway – get better clients.
“It’s possible, but alas, unlikely, that better clients will simply appear. That outsiders will realize how hard you’re working and will show up. Alas, while it may seem unfair, it turns out that you don’t get better clients simply by working hard. It’s much more productive to take the steps necessary to attract them and keep them instead.”
It’s true for clients, it’s true for fans, it true for customers.
Like most people, I’ve got a lot of shirts. Many fit better than others. Different cuts. Different weights.
I’ve since been checking out the tags of the shirts I like and ordering blanks from Blank Shirts.
I just ordered three shirts that cost me less than $15 (before shipping). I bought five last year (including a long sleeve) and with shipping it wasn’t even $50.
I still love my logo “graphic tees,” and the companies and bands that I support with my purchase. But sometimes I want to go outside without making any statement, or repping any brand.
This week I spoke with Angela Hollowell (Please Hustle Responsibly). She spent six months making a film.
“I’m getting a lot more recognition as a writer, producer, and film director… way more than I did in four years of writing every day on social media.”
In the present, hard work gives no clear indicator that it’s a good use of time.
Posting on socials feels like work, and if something gets just two likes, post again in an hour. It’s work, after all!
But which gets you the gig three years from now, or prepares you for a bigger challenge down the road?
Which builds a foundation?
“When artists stop waiting to be chosen, whole new economies open up. The most compelling models today come from artists who said: “I’ll start it myself.”
Noah Kalina investigated the Barryville Camel for Radio Catskill.
“The current Congress just slashed $170K from (the Radio Catskill) budget, so your support will help fill in the gap. These small-town stations are vital to the local community and culture.”
Read so much more (and watch Noah’s excellent video) here.
Reuse the material you post on social media (that probably 95% of your audience never sees) and put it in your newsletter.
From Jacob Bannon of Converge, on the passing of Ozzy Osbourne.
The vulnerability and aesthetic of of Ozzy’s early solo recordings has always been a high watermark. As a latchkey kid in the ’80s, I listened to those first albums obsessively. They were a friend when I needed one—and will continue to be until my own time comes.
Read more at Goodbye, Sweet Prince.
Update 7/23/2025: Oh, damn. I didn’t realize the shitty backstory to all of this.
CBS is ending The Late Show, hosted by Stephen Colbert. Not replacing Colbert, but ending the show.
In this clip, Colbert mentions how 200 people work on the show. TWO HUNDRED.
I had to look it up, but The Late Show started in 1993 with David Letterman.
I can only imagine that it costs a lot of money to run a show like that in Manhattan, week in and week out.
