After months of fits and starts, I’m finally beginning to feel like myself again. Personally and professionally. Creatively too.
This morning, I woke up to a handful of new paid subscribers and patrons, and I can’t even begin to describe how much that means to me right now. Truly. Thank you.
Being an independent content creator can feel a little like shouting into the void some days. You put your work, your thoughts, your photos, your stories, and your weird little obsessions out into the world and hope they land somewhere meaningful.
Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.
There are stretches where growth stalls, momentum disappears, and self-doubt starts creeping in through the cracks.
The past several months have definitely had some of those moments. A few plateaus. A few valleys. A few long stretches of wondering whether I should just get a “regular” job again.
But lately, something has shifted.
Part of it has been practical. I finally tackled some much-needed digital housekeeping. Cleaning up my posts. Organizing sections. Updating links. Adding my custom domain to my Substack. Tightening up the overall user experience. It’s the online equivalent of cleaning out that junk drawer you’ve been avoiding.
Part of it has been luck and timing too. Sometimes the algorithm gods smile upon you. Sometimes the right post finds the right audience at the right moment.
But more than anything, this recent momentum has come from people. Kind people. Generous people. Curious people. The ones who subscribe, share posts, leave comments, send encouraging messages, and/or support independent creators like myself.
That support matters more than you’ll ever know.
It helps keep this strange little corner of the internet alive and growing. It gives me the ability to keep scanning photos, restoring vintage materials, writing essays, falling down wonderfully odd cultural rabbit holes, and documenting queer history and ephemera in ways I don’t see many others exploring.
Most importantly, it reminds me that connection still exists online. Beneath all the noise, outrage bait, and endless doomscrolling.
So today, I’m feeling grateful.
Grateful for the renewed momentum.
Grateful for the encouragement.
Grateful to be finding my groove again.
Most of all, I am grateful that my work continues finding its tribe, one soul at a time.
Thank you for being a friend!
Clint 🌈✌️
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PHOTOS OF THE DAY
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
05-16 = Adrienne Rich (1929-2012) = American poet and essayist 🌈
05-16 = Anya Gallaccio (1963- ) = British artist 🌈
05-16 = Cheryl Clarke (1947- ) = American writer, educator, and activist 🌈
05-16 = Erik Satie (1866-1925) = French composer 🌈
05-16 = Jill Johnston (1929-2010) = British-born American author and critic 🌈
05-16 = Joey Graceffa (1991- ) = American YouTuber 🌈
05-16 = Liberace (1919-1987) = American entertainer and pianist 🌈
05-16 = Tamara De Lempicka (1898-1980) = Polish-American painter 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“I cried all the way to the bank.”
Liberace“You know that bank I used to cry all the way to? I bought it.”
Liberace
Thank you Clint. It's good to read that you're back in the groove. Life is short and it's my choice to make it good or not. The formula that works for me is less doomscrolling and more gratitude. I wish it came naturally, but it takes work. Sometimes it's just the realization that against all odds, I'm still alive. I'm grateful. I hope that you're able to surf this wave for a long time!
I am really glad you’re doing better.