Bluesky To The Rescue
From "NSFW Problem" To "NSFW Solution"
Just before the New Year started, I realized I might be flying too close to the sun and could get in serious trouble—with the credit card processor—if I kept making NSFW videos the same way I had been.
Seems some billionaire bureaucrats really hate nudity, especially full-frontal nudity. Such small-dick energy.
So I decided to change the way I think about NSFW and focus more on what I consider “erotic” and less on what I consider “explicit.”
Words, like paint colors, are all so subjective. And not everyone was thrilled with my definitions or new direction.
But after months of fighting quixotic battles with YouTube over sharing links to art photo sources—which cost me months of momentum and money—I decided not to fight the credit card processor’s arbitrary rules.
While I detest censorship as much as anyone else, I can’t afford to lose the ability to monetize my work. Like it or not, this is my job. And as weird as it may seem and sound, Substack and YouTube are what I do to make a living.
Several folks bolted for the door in protest. A few left comments and/or sent emails about their “disappointment.” (For the record, please drop the “disappointment” and “shame” games…my daddy and mama died a long time ago. Don’t poke this bear.)
Oh. Well. I can’t please everyone, but fuck me for trying to explain the situation reasonably. Reasonable minds can differ, but disagreeable minds can stfu.
Frankly, I didn’t appreciate how my work’s worth was becoming being measured by how many inches of dick I did or didn’t show. No tea or shade to those working in the adult entertainment industry—I love porn stars and sex workers—but I didn’t sign up to be anyone's dick dealer.
I make what I consider artistic and creative compilations. Clothing optional. I like appreciating naked men as much as the next gay in the village, but I’m way more interested in what’s going on above the belts. Always was, always will be.
I was just “born this way” too, I guess.
I enjoy focusing on the art, beauty, and allure of found footage and photos, but I don’t enjoy having to censor myself—or having to classify every image or video that catches my eye as “erotic” or “explicit.” It’s as exhausting as it is ridiculous.
Long story….a bit shorter: I’ve been noodling on the “NSFW Problem” for weeks.
The best “NSFW Solution” I’ve stumbled upon is so simple I feel stupid: Just post and share on another platform too. Duh! I’m a little slow sometimes.
For me, the platform options boiled down to Bluesky or X/Xitter. And given my strong opinions about F. Elon Musk, Bluesky is the winner-winner of this full-course chicken dinner!
So if you’re interested in seeing more SFW and NSFW content, follow me on Bluesky.
For those not familiar, Bluesky is a microblogging social media platform that launched last year and is giving X/Xitter and Meta refugees like myself a new way to connect—and share all kinds of content—with other grown-ass adults.
The only limitation I’ve found so far is that Bluesky limits videos to 60 seconds or less. So I plan to make—on occasion—short compilations of photos I love…just for Bluesky.
Today’s Studio Saturday, so I’ll be playing around on Bluesky.
Feel free to drop by and see what’s new and what I’m up to.
Have a great day and weekend!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. For fellow fans of Tumblr, I may post there occasionally, but Bluesky is my “official” social media account. Like anyone—but me—cares. 😜😎
A few people asked me to remake a t-shirt from one of my favorite vintage photos. So I finally did.
ON THIS DAY = JANUARY 25
BIRTHDAYS
1759 = Robert Burns = Scottish poet and songwriter
1874 = W. Somerset Maugham = English writer 🌈
1882 = Virginia Woolf = English writer 🌈
1938 = Etta James = American singer
1943 = Tobe Hooper = American filmmaker
1952 = Peter Tatchell = British human rights activist 🌈
1978 = Volodymyr Zelenskyy = Ukrainian actor, comedian, and politician
1981 = Alicia Keys = American singer-songwriter
EVENTS
1554 = São Paulo, Brazil, is founded.
1915 = Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
1937 = The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio.
1949 = The first Emmy Awards are presented in the United States; the venue is the Hollywood Athletic Club.
1960 = The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the "payola" scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accept money for playing records.
1961 = John F. Kennedy delivers the first live tv presidential news conference.
1964 = Blue Ribbon Sports, which would later become Nike, is founded by University of Oregon track and field athletes.
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom, and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.”
W. Somerset Maugham
“I tried to persuade myself that I was three-quarters normal and that only a quarter of me was queer—whereas really it was the other way around.”
W. Somerset Maugham
ON SUBSTACK + YOUTUBE
NSFW + Pioneers + Pride + SFW
ON YOUTUBE
MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Bluesky + Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop
+ Storefront + Threadless + YouTube
I signed up for Bluesky. I am confused by the boxes labelled Adult Content. How do I get the image to appear (if one is supposed to)?
Many thanks.
A bit late to the party but.....
I kind of view this whole adult content as an equilateral triangle. Erotic is in one corner. Explicit is in another. And in the third corner is nudity like you'd find in nudist magazines from the 50's and 60's. Personally I like the vintage stuff along the Nudist Mag <-> Erotic continuum. If it strays toward Explicit I certainly won't complain but it's not why I'm here. And if that means adding Blue Sky to the mix that's certainly fine with me. IMO, bouncing between platforms is a miniscule price to pay to keep your income stream flowing.
As an aside, Patreon has loosened its nudity policy. I haven't read the new policies but I've noticed a definite uptick in what I'd call 'artistic' and 'mundane'* full frontal. I've yet to see anything I'd label porn.
*pics that are G/PG rated except for the lack of clothing on people.