Social Commentary

I don't usually do this...

Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

Coming and Going

Over the last few years I’ve been way more involved in social media culture than I’d like. I stopped using Facebook early; I hopped off when it still had its original user interface. I really believed Instagram when they said all they wanted to do was empower us to “capture and share the world's moment.” In hindsight, that makes me seem gullible. Yet at the time millions of other users believed them too. I think I was too old for anything else that came after, and with the exception of The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, I never really tried…

Okay, I technically had/may still have a TikTok that I don’t use- don’t tell anyone.

My day job (Fitness Coach) and side gig (Writer) would both benefit tremendously from a dogged online presence. One where I followed trending reels, stayed up to date on the latest audio, or the most recent top-10 list in my niche. I’ve tried to do it. I’m not knocking anyone who genuinely pursues doing so as a boon to their career. I have just finally accepted that it’s not for me.

I’m not going to delete the various accounts I have across the internet (which I think is just Facebook, X, IG, and TikTok at this point) because I think there is something to be said for being “searchable” on each of these platforms. But they’ll mostly just act as a passive filter to get you back to my Substack. With my wife, my kid, my house, my job, and all the other responsibilities I have I just can’t fight that fight anymore. I don’t want to try and keep up with the comings and goings of a billion people- it was never possible anyway.

Planting Flags

As far as tried and true social media platforms go, I plan on maintaining a presence on Instagram, and Instagram only. I’ll treat it like a landing page, occasionally updating it with new links and information. As for the rest of the Big 4 (X, TikTok, and Facebook), I’ll keep links live in order to funnel effectively. This year I will plant my flag here on Substack. The last 6 weeks of re-thinking and re-tooling how I engage with the platform has given me a glimpse of how simple and fulfilling creative life can be when distractions are kept to a minimum.

Sure, every now and then something quasi-political or conspiratorial comes my way here- it’s still far from Twitter where folks use that sort of drivel as a means of getting me to subscribe to their newsletter or buy their latest fiction novel. This is what I’ve come to love about Substack the most: the lines are clear.

Journalists do journalism. Fiction writers write fiction. Comic artists share comic art.

I’m all for folks sharing a variety of opinions on their platforms and newsletters, but I am also all about setting boundaries.

Do I have an opinion on the latest bombing campaign my tax dollars funded? Yup.

Do I have a stake in how the current landscape of education is shifting? Absolutely.

Do I have my reasons to vote for the candidates I plan to vote for in 2024? Indeed.

Do I have an obligation to share any of them with you or anyone else on the internet?

Nope

I am saying no to the distractions this year.

I am here to write fantasy, to share a bit about the process, to celebrate or vent when either is appropriate, and when my journey as a writer gets messy and involves some bigger picture narrative I will share my thoughts. I’ve grown tired of the push someone else’s agenda to grow your audience song and dance. And I’m pretty sure you have too and that’s why you’re here.

I came across the following the other day and decided it is my mantra for the year of 2024 and beyond:

You have to be willing to write when no one is reading.

-By someone other than me

As this new year unfolds I’ll share more fiction, more newsletters, more of myself, and less comic art- metrics be damned. There’s an audience out there for Ennead and Amashik, even if some of you who read this choose not to count yourselves among it.

This week I shared the next few chapters in my ongoing story The Acolyte with one of two editors who I will be working with going forward. Once he and I toss around a few drafts I’ll share it with an additional set of eyes. Once they give their thoughts I’ll start releasing them here.

I’ve made good progress on my submission for the "Dragon Dreams” Anthology I’m interested in. Issues 8, 9, and 10 of Ennead are colored and waiting for letters. Chapter 2 of my ongoing story The Birthright is currently being written and Chapter 3 is in the outline phase. I’ve already seen a boost in production since shifting my attention away from getting attention on social media, now it’s time to finish the job and sever the ties.

If you follow me on any of the platforms mentioned, don’t use them as the primary means of contacting me. The comments section here will work best if you have any questions about my work. Notes or Threads if you’d like a more public facing conversation with me. I want to continue to grow my audience, but I am not willing to do it by any means necessary.

JL