For The Times, They Are A-Changing
Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and take that leap of faith
Confidence, my friends, is everything! Without confidence, you're nothing. You might as well just crawl back into bed and hide under the covers. But with confidence, you can do anything. You can conquer the world! You can win over that special someone. You can even stand up in front of a room full of people and give the best damn presentation of your life.
So how do you get confidence? Well, it's not easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of practice. But the more you do things that push you out of your comfort zone, the more confident you'll become. And the more confident you are, the more people will believe in you. And when people believe in you, they'll follow you. And when they follow you, you'll be unstoppable.
So don't be afraid to take a chance. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. And most importantly, don't be afraid to be confident. Because with confidence, anything is possible.
Chat GPT, explaining the importance of confidence in the style of Lewis Black
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what this cobwebby corner of da Interwebz will look like going forward. I’ve enjoyed what I’m doing here, and I’m not planning on that changing substantially, but there will be some housekeeping changes. It’s been a long time coming.
On (or about) February 1st (depending on how things play out), North Stars and Cowboy Bars will become a paid site, and most of the content will go behind a paywall. I will still be doing two or three free posts power per week, but the bulk of what I’m doing will be behind a paywall.
Nothing will change for those who already subscribe (THANK YOU!!).
There are several reasons for this, but there are two that are particularly important to me:
Writers (and creators generally) are conditioned to give away too much of their work. I don’t expect to make a ton of money, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to be compensated for the effort and creative energy I put into my work. If my readers value what I do, I believe they’ll be willing to pay for it. I don’t think $50/year is an unreasonable ask, but I do believe that what I produce has value.
Creative types too often lack the self-confidence in their ability and the quality of their work to believe they deserve to be fairly compensated for what they do. The myth of the “starving artist” is too often self-perpetuated, and I want to do what I can to help knock that down. Art- writing, in my case- may not be tangible, but that doesn’t mean it can’t and shouldn’t have value. It’s why you pay for concert tickets, books, paintings, or clay pots. This is no different.
My ask is, of course, voluntary. I would be honored and grateful for your support, but if you feel that my asking $6/month or $50/year is unreasonable, then go in peace. I will harbor no ill will toward you, but I will continue believing that my work has value. Artists- particularly musicians and writers, who don’t produce anything tactile, have every right to expect fair compensation.
Honestly, I should probably ask far more than I am, but the amount I’m asking is more out of principle than a desire to be the next Stephen King. It’s symbolic, and it’s as much about building up my self-confidence as anything. Of course, I must first find out if people will be willing to pay for my work, and there’s no guarantee that will be the case. Only time will tell.
I do believe that my readers, especially those who’ve been with me for a long time, will agree that there’s value in what I do.
We live in a society that values artistic expression but far too often doesn’t want to pay for it. That can be a very offensive attitude for those who work hard and put themselves wholeheartedly into their work, only to have their audience expect it to be given to them free of charge.
Imagine if you showed up at your job tomorrow and were told that from now on, you’ll be working for nothing, but expected to give the same effort you always have. I suspect it wouldn’t take long for you to gather your belongings and walk out the door. And who could blame you?
What I’m asking is a small fraction of that consideration. I’ve long since accepted that writing is not a waystation on the road to unimaginable riches. I don’t do this for the money; if that were the case, I would’ve starved to death long before I reached 40.
I’m hoping to do more multi-part posts. The first part will be a free post, and the remaining parts will be posted behind a paywall. Yeah, it’s a tease, and I’m hoping it will help to generate some subscriptions.
I don't know if this will work, but I feel the need to give it a shot. More than anything, I need to develop confidence in my ability to produce high-quality writing at a level that will turn readers into subscribers.
I hope you’ll join me in this endeavor, hopefully beginning February 1st. I still have some work to do before then to get ready, but I’m excited/nervous about and for this new challenge.
Until then, I’ll keep channeling Stuart Smalley: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!!”
Stay tuned….
