I'm moving... and you're invited to come along
This Substack newsletter is going away, but I'm not. You're welcome to join me on the next leg of my journey!
Hi! It's been a long while since I've posted to this newsletter, and I might have found my way into your inbox through other means, so let me just quickly remind you what this is about.
I setup Play Louder in 2020 to talk about my approach and attitudes to creativity. Since the last post in March 2021, all manner of exciting and interesting things have happened… which, if you’re subscribed to me elsewhere, you’ll know about. We might have been connected through my work at Podiant, or because you’ve bee kind enough to express interest in stuff I’ve done in the past.
But I wanted to let you know that I’m continuing the exploration of creativity in earnest now, over at Steadman.land. I’ll be writing about the ins and outs of what it means to make things on the Internet, what it can do to our brains, and how – if you’re a sensitive person – to look after yourself through it all. I’m also offering my services as a creative coach, bringing to bear my decades of experience making things with love, and hoping they find a home.
To give you a flavour, here’s what I wrote yesterday.
We do what we do out of love. Love for the medium, love for the subject, love of experimentation.
It would be nice to get some love back in return.
We're connection-seeking mammals. Our work lights a beacon that says to the world "I'm here, come join me".
When that invitation goes unanswered, it can feel like rejection. And rejection hurts.
And so we assume our work isn't ready or good enough yet. We're told to keep going, to stay consistent, to "show up".
And we do. We plan, we publish, we promote. We follow the best advice to take it slowly and let it build over time.
But if you're lost in an overgrown forest, a map is no good to you without a compass.
How can we know we're headed in the right direction? How can we trust the advice we're given along the way, and know that it's given in our best interests? Why does it feel like we're going round in circles?
Stop, just for a second.
Take yourself out of that space, and focus on the joy in the work, and the connections you've already made. Reach out to a friend or two. Seek out a critical ear or eye – someone's opinion you can trust, that can help you find a landmark to navigate by.
You've got this. And I don't say that lightly. Every day you demonstrate your knowledge, skill, creativity, passion, energy... Not every element has to go into every iteration of your work, but it's there. You can see it, which means others can see it too.
Keep putting love into your work, and the love will find its way back to you.
While you're waiting, if you want someone to walk the creative path with you, I'm here.
I don’t take your inbox for granted, so I’m not porting your subscription over. However, if you’d like to read more about digital creativity – and see some of the stuff that I make, that I’m often too shy to share – please come and join me.
Thanks for your time. And a special thanks to those who commented on what I wrote in the past. It means a lot.
PS: I’ll close this newsletter down in a few weeks.