LONELY CONTENT MACHINES

I like this quote from New Creative Era:

THE CREATIVE STATUS QUO HAS MADE US LONELY CONTENT MACHINES
PRESSURED TO POST WITH UNNATURAL QUANTITY AND FREQUENCY
TO PURSUE OUR LIVELIHOODS AND EXPRESS OUR WORK
WE PLAY SOMEONE ELSE’S GAME

I’ve been thinking about that first line a bit, as I sort of felt isolated as a writer, as someone trying to offer up ideas. I feel like it’s me vs everyone, stacking up against everyone else trying to offer solutions and ideas in a busy, hyper-competitive world of music and culture.

Makes me think back to my high school days. I hung around creative musical people all the time, for years. The result was creative musical projects. These days, I’m not so creative with music anymore.

I wrote this in 2018:

We can’t do the “real life” thing if we’re scrolling through an app for hours a day. That’s not “keeping up” or “staying informed,” that’s taking time away from our creative pursuits! And emailing friends! Calling people. Have coffee with friends.

We are lonely content machines, cooped up in our rooms and studios trying to make everything ourselves.

The real life hangs and interactions came to an end in 2020 because of the pandemic, and I think it’s gonna take a minute to get back to that.

RIDING

Since my half-marathon I haven’t run. A full week without running is odd for me. I haven’t been injured in a long time, and I just sort of always get out there, but for now I’m just letting my guts heal and stuff. No rush.

In the meantime, biking is a lot easier on the bones, so I got in this quick 12 miler or so after working at a nearby Starbucks. Nice way to end the day.

BYE, TWITTER

I joined in 2006, user number 2700 or so. Done. Later.

I also deleted the Metal Bandcamp Gift Club Twitter, too. We’ve got a buzzing email list, and an active Discord. No one was really signing up from Twitter, so fuck it.

My main email newsletter HEAVY METAL EMAIL got 38 new subscribers in May. One of them was from Twitter, so whatever.

And 30 or so a month is fine with me, because that’s 300 over the course of 10 months. If I get tired of Substack I can export them all and move somewhere else.

Will I miss things from other folks? Sure.

But I miss things because I’m not at the food court, too.

Or at a show three nights a week. Or a bar, or a group ride, or a group run.

I want peace and quiet, and that doesn’t happen on Twitter, or social media in general. If you’re reading this, you found me. Say hello: hi@sethw.xyz

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

Found this interview via CHRIS WONG’s newsletter UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS, from the 18:15 mark:

“I don’t know what it’s going to become, but do that because one day you’re going to wake up and you’re going to be 40 years old like me, and you might be dying of cancer, and you may have spent your entire life doing something that you never truly loved.”

Instant listen, and wow… so good. Lots of blog talk, and following your passion inspiration.

BANDCAMP UNION WINS

Very glad to see this:

“Bandcamp United and Bandcamp management are committed to working together to continue to advance fair economic conditions for our workers and the artists who rely on us. We look forward to negotiating with an open mind and working in good faith to promote the best interests of all of our staff and the artist and label community we serve.”

More here.

ECONOMIC EVENTS

I haven’t posted anything to Twitter since May 8th.
Haven’t posted to Instagram since April 11th, aside from some Stories here and there.
I don’t remember the last run or bike ride I posted on Strava.

So when I saw this from Sara Eckel, something clicked:

If my husband and I go for a hike with our dog, Polly, nobody is making any money. If I snap a picture of Polly and post it on Instagram, I have turned this into an economic event. I’m providing Meta with personal data to sell to other companies, and free content to place alongside advertising.

If I asked you to send me all your photos and I would post them on my site, and then place banner ads on the site so I could make money, you’d tell me to piss off.

Well, that’s what social media platforms do, though with much bigger technology, and making a shit ton of money in the process.

Read the rest of ‘The People Who Don’t Want You to Sleep‘ for more.

PAIN

Seen tonight on a nice adventure run. Got dropped off 2.5 miles outside of town, had to run back home on some sketchy roads with no shoulders. Wasn’t too painful, but always on edge when dancing on the pavement with multi-ton vehicles.

IRONTON TRAIL

I guess I really ramped up my half-marathon training, as I ran eight miles yesterday on this gorgeous, if a bit noisy, paved trail through the suburban landscape. The Ironton Rail Trail is about 13-ish miles of paved path.

Part of this trail goes right next to a shooting range. Like, DIRECTLY next to it. It’s sort of terrifying, since, well, this is America.

Continue reading “IRONTON TRAIL”