Hello,

Sorry for not writing for a while. I just wanted to send a quick update about what I have been up to.

1. I moved across the country to Vermont.

I am living in a 25ft yurt in Vershire, working at a farm that grows perennial and annual herbs for medicine and culinary uses in Chelsea.

2. Due to a bug, I lost access to my Instagram account.

I am sorry if you have messaged me on IG recently, as I no longer have access to my account. Due to a bug, I will not be able to regain access to it. It will be disabled 22 days from today.

I’m undecided about making another account. I once had an account with almost 1200 followers. I deleted it as a protest—because I hate what these platforms are doing to people. But then I realized that I lost touch with people that I actually wanted to keep in touch with. I really dislike how these platforms consume so much time and attention, that they have become the de-facto way of staying in touch with certain people. Which leads me to…

3. Why I’m hesitant but still considering making another Instagram account

I’ve found that artists basically have to use social media these days. Since I don’t have a publisher, it lends credibility to have “followers". It’s also hard to get more people to read this newsletter without social media, because most people sign up for newsletters and podcasts through hearing about them on social media. Since people spend so much time on their phones, I’ve found that I miss out on a lot of connections with old friends/new without social media. Whatever those platforms are, the sheer amount of time and posting people do on them makes it almost inevitable that if you want to keep up with someone, you have to be on there—in other words, they have huge gravity.

4. On the flipside, I really can’t handle the amount of ads I’ve been seeing on IG lately.

I also seem to get little traction with the algorithm, and so even when I post about something I wrote, or a photo I took, I don’t see much of an impact. This leads me to wonder about other ways of gaining traction as an artist and expanding my audience/reach. So far, I don’t have other ideas. Hopefully, living someplace longer term will help.

5. The main reason I care about people seeing my work is because I genuinely believe I’m writing things that people enjoy, or are helpful to them.

I was looking back at the things I’ve written on here, and it just struck me how much there is—how much effort, how many hours it has taken—over 100 posts at this point. It has been mostly internal motivation that kept me going. If I didn’t believe in what I was writing down, and in the life I’ve lived in pursuit of what I see as meaningful things, I’d have quit 6 years ago—because, to be honest, my readership has stayed at the same level. But because I believe that what I write about has value, and not just to me, I continue to try and reach people.

6. I’m looking for paid side projects

If anyone knows people in Vermont or elsewhere who need help with photography, copy editing, design, web development, branding (marketing, not cattle), timber framing/carpentry, or other related skills, let me know. You can see my portfolio here: https://www.rivrwind.com/design-portfolio

7. A request

I am always happy when people recommend this newsletter to others. If you know anyone who might enjoy it, please send one of your favorite posts their way.

Thanks for reading!