I really admire the fiction writers here. It’s very hard to be here, with a sudden surge of nothing but stars and politics in our feeds - or to be seen in any category - however you are the most concentrated ones, slowly putting out great work and compiling it for a book. We don’t pay Substack so we ride along in the abyss - but we are storing up all our work in a nice looking place… and here and there someone is blessed by it. I hope you are blessed in your work Joel. Thank you for finding me here! ox
You are very observant by pointing out the recent surge of stars and politics. I will not engage in the quagmire of opinionated words. I write for myself, subscribers, and the unknown subscriber that may stumble onto my site.
I look forward to reading more of THE FAMILY WE KEEP and like sites. Just now, as I wrote that, I thought of the core FAMILY here on SUBSTACK. I appreciate all who enjoy their craft in art, poetry, and writing. Thank you.
Joel, I cannot agree more and needed to hear this. What a beautiful way to state how I am feeling and then the pick-me-up of why I actually create. I was an editorial and portrait photographer for 22 years and dealt in the controlled deep sea algae where you suddenly disappear and clients think you are no longer working. I felt ill the first time I realized that these corporate social media entities are all about how hard you will perform “for them” or you are a bottom feeder. My husband had no social media during this time (around 2009) and said, you mean if I don’t dance outside of my electrical shop and perform, the powers that be would throw a blanket over my business so I can’t be seen? Yep.
So I quit the one social media I thought I should be on for my client’s sake and to keep working, rebuilt my website, prayed and picked up more work in an area that I loved - and did that until the pandemic destroyed that. That’s when I realized that creativity, and being free in your soul is life saving. I began here for a year with no app/Notes or social area and that’s where my brain needs to be.
This is the first chapter I've read and I must say you're a terrific, descriptive writer - which is great for my very visual brain! 🙌🏻
Thank you for the compliment.
I really admire the fiction writers here. It’s very hard to be here, with a sudden surge of nothing but stars and politics in our feeds - or to be seen in any category - however you are the most concentrated ones, slowly putting out great work and compiling it for a book. We don’t pay Substack so we ride along in the abyss - but we are storing up all our work in a nice looking place… and here and there someone is blessed by it. I hope you are blessed in your work Joel. Thank you for finding me here! ox
Deborah,
You are very observant by pointing out the recent surge of stars and politics. I will not engage in the quagmire of opinionated words. I write for myself, subscribers, and the unknown subscriber that may stumble onto my site.
I look forward to reading more of THE FAMILY WE KEEP and like sites. Just now, as I wrote that, I thought of the core FAMILY here on SUBSTACK. I appreciate all who enjoy their craft in art, poetry, and writing. Thank you.
Joel
Joel, I cannot agree more and needed to hear this. What a beautiful way to state how I am feeling and then the pick-me-up of why I actually create. I was an editorial and portrait photographer for 22 years and dealt in the controlled deep sea algae where you suddenly disappear and clients think you are no longer working. I felt ill the first time I realized that these corporate social media entities are all about how hard you will perform “for them” or you are a bottom feeder. My husband had no social media during this time (around 2009) and said, you mean if I don’t dance outside of my electrical shop and perform, the powers that be would throw a blanket over my business so I can’t be seen? Yep.
So I quit the one social media I thought I should be on for my client’s sake and to keep working, rebuilt my website, prayed and picked up more work in an area that I loved - and did that until the pandemic destroyed that. That’s when I realized that creativity, and being free in your soul is life saving. I began here for a year with no app/Notes or social area and that’s where my brain needs to be.
Thank you as well!
deb ox