Hello
Is this thing on?
Welcome to an odd space. Why would I create such a thing? Here is what comes to mind when scrambling to justify curating a Substack:
I’m writing a book. The chapters will be slowly released over a period of time before going to print where it can die a slow, mediocre death in an Amazon warehouse somewhere or whatever musty used book store I can convince to buy in bulk. This seems like a good spot to generate interest and also raise funds for the physical publishing, including distribution.
Are you tired of screaming into the void on traditional social media platforms? Me too. This fatigue has concluded that if I’m going to have an online presence, a site that allows a more focused approach would be necessary. Chuck Palahniuk and Robert Reich use this, how bad can it be? I employ a pseudonym as an attempt to remove the ego of my identity from the equation.
Money represents energy and art requires a lot of it. I’m not great at much other than yapping or slamming fingers on a keyboard, so here is a vessel for people to support whatever this contributes to the progress (or regress) of human culture and discourse. Er, sorry… self-promoting always feels unnatural. What I meant to say was: YOU CAN UNLOCK THE CREATIVE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE AND UNLIMITED SPIRITUAL WEALTH MATCHED ONLY BY THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE BESTOWED UPON YOU WITH A PAID SUBSCRIPTION TO ONE OF THE GREAT WRITERS OF OUR GENERATION—ALL FOR THE LOW PRICE OF $5 A MONTH! Okay, that is a partial lie. The subscription will be free and optional until further notice.
Having more ownership of my content instead of throwing it into the well of an AI-managed algorithm lord where material is unacknowledged, plagiarized, recycled, and/or made for the sole purpose of generating ad revenue. This is not just a side hustle or means of collecting passive income. Not that I won’t graciously accept any patronage. Having ownership means what I share here is deeply honest and personal, stemming from life experiences and thinking way too much about things like why humans can’t design sprinklers that don’t water the entire sidewalk. It’s all flowing energy. Jesus, I sound like a fucking Burner.
I didn’t want to end the list on a number that isn’t divisible by five because that just feels wrong. No, that is not an OCD self-diagnosis, I just like things to be a certain way; what’s so weird about having to always make sure the volume lands on an even number or only mixing in increments of half decibels lest an ancient horror will rise from the depths of earth to remind me it all “feels off”.
What happens next? Well, the place is still under construction as you can see. Please don’t mind the clutter and bad color scheme. Still moving stuff around. More will be revealed. In the meantime, I’ll be here slammin’ away.
-N