Small Business Saturday

Taking Care Of Business + Pleasure

MR. MONTGOMERY UNCLE BROTHER BY ALICE AUSTEN (1895)

When I first started COLLIDE PRESS, my biggest dream was to become an artist and an online shopkeeper. So I opened shops all over the internet, from Etsy to Zazzle to Threadless, along with other platforms whose names I’ve blissfully Etch-A-Sketch’d from my memory.

Back then, my creative world revolved around making original art and designs, then turning them into apparel, prints, and every imaginable print-on-demand product. It was hands-on, experimental, and always evolving.

What it was not was profitable or sustainable.

Then something unexpected happened. I started posting videos, small experiments at first, and found myself drawn to a different kind of expression. One video became a few. A few videos became a channel. And before long, most of my time, attention, and energy shifted from my Shop to my YouTube channel and my Substack.

But my Shop never disappeared. It simply evolved. Now “powered by Fourthwall,” it’s less about churning out products and more about curating art and photo prints that genuinely delight me. It feels personal and intentional. A reflection of what I love, not just what I can make.

Some days, my creativity runs like a raging river and I forget that what I do is not just play. It is a business. A messy, joyful, roller coaster ride of a business, but a real one nonetheless.

On Small Business Saturday, I’m reminded that this niche, nostalgic enterprise didn’t just magically appear. I built it. From nothing. With passion, persistence, and a whole lot of trial and error. A lot of luck too.

Which brings me to the pleasure part of the equation:

Tomorrow, I board the Norwegian Bliss for a seven-day cruise. While most people pack swimsuits and beach reads, I am packing my work. Or rather, my play. I have decided to turn this trip into a self-directed creative retreat, filled with reading, writing, and photography.

My Ricoh GR II, finally repaired after six weeks of being out of commission, is coming along for the ride, along with a new camera kit I cannot wait to break in. I am craving those creative sparks that tend to appear when the scenery changes and the routine falls away.

So yes, I am a small business owner. But I am also an artist, a storyteller, and a curator of the curious and the forgotten. Tomorrow, I get to carry all of those versions of myself out to sea, into the sun, and hopefully into a new chapter of inspiration and expression.

Here’s to business. Here’s to pleasure. Here’s to supporting us little guys and creative weirdos. And here’s to working hard, playing harder, and following our bliss.

Keep calm and float on!
Clint 🌈✌️

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FYC = FOR YOUR (YOUTUBE) CONSIDERATION

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ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 29

BIRTHDAYS

• 1752 = Public Universal Friend = American evangelist 🌈

• 1832 = Louisa May Alcott = American novelist and poet

• 1895 = Busby Berkeley = American director and choreographer

• 1898 = C. S. Lewis = British novelist, poet, and critic

• 1915 = Billy Strayhorn = American composer and pianist 🌈

• 1916 = Fran Ryan = American actor and comedian

• 1921 = Jackie Stallone = American astrologer and wrestling promoter

• 1927 = Vin Scully = American sportscaster and game show host

• 1935 = Diane Ladd = American actor

• 1942 = Michael Craze = British actor

• 1949 = Garry Shandling = American comedian, actor, and screenwriter

• 1952 = Jeff Fahey = American actor and producer

• 1954 = Joel Coen = American filmmaker

• 1955 = Howie Mandel = Canadian comedian, actor, and tv host

• 1960 = Cathy Moriarty = American actor

• 1961 = Kim Delaney = American actor

• 1961 = Tom Sizemore = American actor

• 1962 = Andrew McCarthy = American actor and director

• 1964 = Don Cheadle = American actor and producer

• 1968 = Jonathan Knight = American singer

• 1971 = Gena Lee Nolin = American actor and model

• 1972 = Brian Baumgartner = American actor and producer

• 1976 = Anna Faris = American actor

• 1976 = Chadwick Boseman = American actor and playwright

• 1982 = Lucas Black = American actor

EVENTS

• 1877 = Thomas Edison demonstrates his phonograph for the first time.

• 1953 = American Airlines begins the first regular commercial NYC to LA flights.

• 1963 = “I Want to Hold Your Hand” is released by the Beatles in the UK.

• 1972 = Atari releases Pong, the first commercially successful video game.

• 1982 = Michael Jackson‘s Thriller is released.

• 1984 = West Hollywood, the first city in the U.S. to have a city council with a majority of LGBTQ members, is incorporated in Los Angeles County.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• Small Business Saturday

• Electronic Greetings Day

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PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY

C. S. LEWIS

“We are what we believe we are.”
C. S. Lewis