A Message from the Captain (aka Me)
Hold onto your wigs! Two years in and I'm becoming EXTRA extra.
My liege, I have news!
Today, almost two years to the day1 since I launched this newsletter, I am rolling the dice and turning on the paid subscriber tiers for The Stream. Yippee!2
Don’t panic!
If you’re a happy and contented free subscriber, I got you: the regular Monday post will remain free for all.
That’s current subscribers and any new ones who just want to read the Monday issue. Know that I appreciate you and your eyeballs for reading, whatever you’re able to commit to as a subscriber. 🥰
But…
There’s now more in-depth content available to anyone who wants it. I have additional thoughts on future bonus content beyond what I’m launching today, so I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber and join me for what is sure to be a wild ride down these rapids.
I ain’t no Squid. What are the Perks of Paid? Tell me the Perks!
Watch this video below. This is a sample episode of “Behind the Streams” aka a perk for the paid subs that will come out on Fridays from now on. This first one is a companion to the post: “Are You Playing the Shell Game?” which went live this past Monday.
I’ve opened up this first episode free for EVERYONE to watch so you can see the kind of stuff you’ll get should you decide become a paid subscriber.
As I mentioned, this new video series is called “Behind the Streams”—because of course it is—and it’ll be a combo of behind the scenes ‘how the sausage got made and mutilated’ juiciness, plus some creative housekeeping for the newsletter. Answering reader questions, responding to stuff—that kind of thing. You know, a ramble, like always. It’s not all ironed out yet, but that video format up there 👆 - that’s what the first perk will look like.
As you’ll see from the video, my skills are a bit rough around the edges, but it’ll get better as I get more comfortable talking in front of a camera about myself and my work, trust me. As I said, I do have ideas for additional bonus content down the line to be added to the paid tier—once I figure out how all the community features of Substack work and listen to what folks are interested in hearing or talking about—but this is what we’re starting with.
A video.
With my face and voice and awkwardness in it.
Watch it (above), and if you think it’s something you’d like to see every week, please consider becoming a paid subscriber so you can access it and the video archives (which will begin accumulating today).
So, you’ve gone paid. Congrats. What’s the end goal of this newsletter?
My dream isn’t just to have more eyes on my words—although that’s nice—but what I really want is for us to have a small and manageable space where we can share and talk about what it is to have a creative life and through those conversations create an encouraging and positive space for anyone who’s so inclined.
Lofty!
Hippy dippy!
People have tried this before! Ain’t nothin’ new!
I’ll take that on the chin. But I remember an interview I once listened to with Kevin Smith—from over a decade ago3—where he talked about your creative work being a campfire and how your job as an artist is to just keep the campfire burning. That’s your only job. The folks that are warmed by your fire will gather around it. That's how you get your audience.
That’s horribly paraphrased and possibly not even remembered correctly, but guys, I want you to gather around THIS campfire. I want us to talk art things and creative things and positive life-affirming things with warmth on our faces and the chocolate from our digital smores dribbling onto our fingers. You can do it. I can do it. Let’s do it!
Subscribe for Free, $5 a month, or $50 a year (best value!) There’s also a Founding Member option, which is basically for folks who want to give a little bit extra because they believe in me. I will have to figure out an extra special yearly bonus something for them…thinking.
To re-iterate: The free sign-up option will always be there. You will always be able to read that Monday post for free. But should you choose to throw some hard-earned coin my way, I’ll be absolutely chuffed for you to join me in this weekly extra-extra of me being extra me.
Subscriber breakdown at-a-glance
Free subs get
Free issue of The Stream, delivered to your inbox every Monday
Access to all free back issues to read at your leisure
Paid subs get
Free issue of The Stream, delivered to your inbox every Monday
Subscriber-only bonus “Behind the Streams” video, every Friday
Access to all archives, including Monday and subscriber-only Friday posts to read and watch at your leisure.
All subscribers will have my love and gratitude!
A quick note on Episode 1 of “Behind the Streams”
First, I hope you enjoyed the awkwardness of my first episode (above). You’re welcome!
This was my first attempt at content like this, and I didn’t have a script and barely looked at the few notes I had scribbled (excuses, excuses), but after editing it, I think winging it is more my style anyway.
Length-wise, I between 10 minutes and 15 minutes is fine (this was a bit over 12 minutes), but once I start honing in this skill, I’m hoping 10 minutes will become the new sweet-spot benchmark. I have a lot of ‘shooting video’ things to learn—reflection in glasses, sound, color correction, how to light myself properly—but there’s plenty of time for that.
I am not a professional videographer, I am a professional human. When I make mistakes, you learn too—another perk!
In my brain, I wanted to touch on some different types of body dysmorphias outside of the idea of vanity, but ‘your outside not matching your inside’ is a big subject and I probably would’ve just gotten lost in the weeds anyway.
In short. Be kind to yourself.
Until next week, love what you love.
I look forward to hearing what you think.
End.
Oh, what the hell. Here’s another button!
Also, Happy Anniversary to me. What is two years? Cotton. Weird. I just bought a sewing machine and ordered cotton online for it. I knew before I knew!
Possibly on The Nerdist?
You got this. Roll on!