New Month = Old Dog + New Tricks

Newsletter + On This Day

Sep 01, 2024

COCKTAILS ON THE BEACH + ED IN PALM SPRINGS #2 = ART PRINS + MORE

e in the United States, it’s Labor Day weekend, the traditional “end-of-summer” weekend. It’s also the start of September. The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler, and while many are putting thei swimsuits and flip-flops to good use this weekend, I’m enjoying a mellow weekend of noodling about working smarter.

They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. But this “old dog” begs to differ.

September, for me, is a time of renewal. It’s a chance to reflect on what’s worked over the summer. And what hasn’t. It’s also a great time to experiment with and try out new ideas. Here are a few of my not-so-scientific experiments:

ON SUBSTACK

NEWSLETTERS
Email isn’t typically my favorite form of communication, but newsletters have quickly become one of my favorite forms of reaching folks who care about my art (and my heart). So this is the first edition of a new style…and planned daily digest.
BLOG POSTS
The blog will continue to be the place where I post first looks and uncut videos, as well as whatever else catches my fancy. I’m looking to post smarter, so unless it’s a Substack-only NSFW video, you will see more videos embedded directly from YouTube. They may only be viewable here. I’m playing. Things are subject to chance/change.

ON YOUTUBE

SHORTS
While Shorts represented almost 20% of the main channel’s view last month, it represented less than 1% of the AdSense revenue. Also, the vast majority of those who subscribe don’t even watch Shorts. I know it’s important to YouTube, but I’ve never really enjoyed Shorts…and think a break will do me good.
STUDIO
Whoever decided to give creators more analytics than anyone can possibly grasp was smart. It’s truly gamified the Platform. And while I don’t consider myself a gaymer in the least, I have become addicted to the YouTube game. So going forward…I’ll be spending less time in YouTube Studio and more time either in my studio (or taking a nap). Al/Algorithm and I could use a break before our relationship flairs up.

SHOPS + SUPPORT

MAIN SHOP + THREADLESS SHOP + SPOONFLOWER SHOP
Working on some new additions for each of my three shops. Whether you’re looking for Apparel, Art Prints, Home Decor, or More, one (or more) of the shops will likely have something you’ll enjoy.
KO-FI SUPPORT
Thank you to Doug, my first Ko-Fi supporter! Love how easy (and elegant) this platform is for everyone to use.

The long weekend offers a pause—a moment to reassess and recalibrate before the year’s final sprint. It’s also a reminder that while the seasons may change, the drive to learn, grow, and evolve never really does. So, as I lap up my breakfast, I’m excited to see what new tricks this “old dog” can learn.

What about you? Are you feeling the itch to try something new, or maybe revisit something you set aside? This Labor Day weekend, let’s embrace the shift together—because September isn’t just about the end of summer; it’s about the beginning of whatever comes next.

Happy noodling…and thanks for reading!
Clint

ON THIS DAY = SEPTEMBER 1

BIRTHDAYS

MARY GREW (1813)
Abolitionist + Suffragist
SIR ROGER CASEMENT (1864)
Irish Diplomat
“BARON” ADOLPH DE MEYER (1868)
Vogue’s First Fashion Photographer
ROCKY MARCIANO (1923)
Boxer
LILY TOMLIN (1939)
Actress + Comedian
STEPHEN M. LACHS (1939)
First Openly-Gay Judge
MIA F. YAMAMOTO (1943)
LA-Based Criminal Defense Attorney + Civil Rights Activist
LESLIE FEINBERG (1949)
Activist + Author

EVENTS

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart publishes his 6th String Quartet, Opus 10. (1785)
World War II starts when Germany invades Poland by attacking Danzig. (1939)
Paramount Pictures releases Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. (1954)
Radio host Bernardo Aranda is assassinated. 108 gay men were arrested for the alleged murder and their names were publicly released. “108” became a slang term for homosexuality in Paraguay. (1959)
Czechoslovakia and Hungary decriminalize sodomy. (1961)
The Vatican declares that anyone who is “affected by the perverse inclination” towards homosexuality should not be allowed to take religious vows or be ordained within the Roman Catholic Church. (1961)
The first photograph of lesbians appears on the cover of lesbian magazine The Ladder, showing two women from the back, on a beach looking out to sea. (1964)
West Germany repeals its laws prohibiting homosexual acts between consenting adults. (1969)
Del Whan taught the first gay studies class at the University of Southern California, titled “Social Movement: Gay Liberation.” (1970)
American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer beats Russian champion Boris Spassky 12.5-8.5 in Reykjavik, Iceland. (1972)
The Log Cabin Republicans club is formed in Southern California (originally called “Gay Republicans”). (1977)
The Gay Bob doll makes its debut in stores across the nation. He had a pierced ear and his box was shaped like a closet. (1978)
New Jersey decriminalizes private consensual adult homosexual acts. (1979)
John Boswell’s Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality debuts in bookstores. (1980)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the term AIDS for the first time. (1982)
Yodogawa, a ward within the city of Osaka, is the first government in Japan to support LGBT inclusion officially. (2013)