They say no one cares when you leave social media, right?
I’ve always thought that was a reflection on the indifference the masses have towards any given individual that isn’t some sort of celebrity/public figure/influencer type. Basically, if you’re not worth caring about, then nobody will care if you disappear.
Comforting sentiment, huh?
Meanwhile, as an artist trying to make a mark in the world, it seems to me that this mindset is what drives so many creative, thoughtful minds away from social media. Think you’ve got interesting ideas? Wait for a random someone take a shit on them because they can and see how it feels.
I was on Twitter for over a decade, I was on Facebook even longer. The amount of misinformation and delusion and lack of actual discourse that has taken over is staggering. Sure, I have friends and family that are still there and use it very sparingly, and I can’t help but discourage them from sharing and contributing to those cesspools. When it’s not the users but the companies themselves make the news, it’s a clear sign that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
I left Twitter in 2016, Facebook in 2022, and those are just two social networks that have come and gone over the last two decades.
I wonder if my Myspace login still works.
The only holdout I found interesting was Instagram. What started as a place to share photos and see glimpses of a world beyond your own now seems like it’s almost entirely by algorithms—so much so that I see more ads and suggested posts than content from people I actually know in real life. Not what I signed up for either.
Lately, I’ve steered my activity to art-related platforms like Behance and Artstation, but there’s something about posting my original artwork to a wide audience that just gets my protective hackles up in a fuss. Who really knows if every account there is only interested in sharing their work and getting inspiration from others and not even remotely intent on stealing or co-opting your ideas?
So now I find myself here at Substack.
There was a time when I would’ve built and maintained a blog (still kinda do at the moment), but these days I’m less and less inclined to put in so much work to build a space where I could be using that time and energy to make something that goes in the space itself.
So far, Substack looks like a comfortable mix of everything I need. A place to post some thoughts, share some artwork, host a podcast, have meaningful discussion and yes, ultimately make a buck or two.
This Is Not Helping will be my main spot, but you can also check out
and old episodes of my previous podcastSo…this feels nice for now. Thanks for stopping by. I would say “don’t be a stranger,” but you don’t even have to come back. If you click this button here, I’ll come to you.