I think about purpose, mission, tactile creations and “what’s the point of it all?” a lot…. My recent week no exception.
I’m constantly trying to make sense of the online space and where I can add true support vs. adding to the consumerism and “more” culture we live in. Carefully making sure I’m not making because there’s a market for it but making because there’s a genuine need I can fill and a spark within me to create it.
So when this question: “If the internet went away today… what would I do/create in our town?” popped into my mind- I got giddy!
Doesn’t it sound so fun to imagine your creative expression, IRL… what form it would have taken before the internet… and to hear the community’s creative answers too??
When I think of taking my work “back in time”…
I immediately try to translate it into a current business model.
I first imagine my Substack would become a print magazine. That I’d work on it monthly, host in-person interviews to help write the articles, maybe I’d gather a team to collaborate and create with and that I’d share the final copies through events and in small newsstands inside local shops.
I then think about my mini-courses and Youtube videos and think- maybe they’d become a beautifully printed book sold in our local bookstore. Maybe I’d offer an in-person class at the library or art center?
And then my brain starts to think- what in-person medium isn’t so obvious? Is there a totally different model I haven’t thought of?
Of course I had to create a collage around it:
There’s something so grounding about bringing the online space into the tangible present for me. About finding ways to take this abstract concept of the internet and balance it out with what we can touch and share. I’m beyond grateful for what the internet offers and has allowed me to create- and I’m also constantly looking for balance here.
Special thanks to this image that planted the seed for this article:
(wouldn’t it be so cool to have a “Little Library” newsstand with a QR code for your Substack?? Or your tangible products- it’s got me thinking about what I could create and place in a box like this on our road.)
