Into the Great Wide Open

A pivot point for this publication

Jan 27, 2024

Hi everyone, I trust that your new year is off to a great start. I am pleased to be fully recovered from my case of Christmas Eve Covid and plunging into 2024, albeit a couple weeks behind where I’d hoped to be by this point.

Before I go any farther, let me mention that I have not forgotten about the 2024 Survival Guide that I promised last time. It will absolutely happen! But probably not for another month or two, because I’ve got other things slated first.

I’ll say upfront that this is going to be a long and somewhat unusual post, but I really hope you’ll stick with me. The things I address are very important to me, and in fact are foundational to the future of this newsletter (“The Way I See It”) and the community I believe it can help build.

While it may not be apparent from the outside, it’s taken me several months to put this post together. I’ve had multiple stretches where I was working rather obsessively in my sweatpants for days on end, not even bothering to shower, as I first wrestled with whether to go down this road at all, and then with how best to go about it in a thoughtful and professional manner.

As I wrote last October after I finished my master’s program, I’ve been wrestling with Big Life Questions like:

Who am I, really—both as a person and an artist? What are my core values, desires, and priorities? What do I want to invest my time and attention in as I walk farther into my 50s? And is it possible to live and work in alignment with those interests and still pay the bills?

After months of grappling, I’ve arrived at the path I’m now embarking on. Which brings me to my two pieces of…

BIG NEWS!

My book Born Again is now available for purchase!
I have added two paid subscription options for this newsletter!

I will explain these in more detail, but first I want to take a quick step back. It’s been exciting and gratifying to see this project grow the way it has over the past year, with subscribers around the U.S., Europe, and other places including Australia and Jamaica. Given both the number of new readers and the new playing field of this publication, I’ve recently spent some time overhauling my About page. So if you’d like an introduction (or reintroduction) to who I am and what this newsletter is about—including my newly formulated Code of Ethics—please check that out.

The Path to this Point

While it may not seem like an especially difficult decision to make my work available for sale to those who are able and willing to pay for it, it was for me, for several reasons.

FIRST, there is the age-old struggle of art v. commerce. Though thousands of words could be written on this topic alone, it’s not my focus for today. But know that virtually any creative person who has ever decided to try to sell their work has almost certainly slammed headfirst into what Art Business News has very aptly described as “the artist’s eternal conflict.”

SECOND, to use a technical term, I was worried. Which is not unreasonable, particularly in an era when many, perhaps even most, people have decided that if something is on the internet, it should be available for free.1 My decision to go paid is what I’ve come to think of as a “high-dive moment.” I will write more about that term in a future piece, but for today, what I mean by it is that when I step off this diving board, there’s no going back. It’s possible this venture will be a belly flop and I’ll feel humiliated. Or perhaps I’ll escape without injury or embarrassment, but also without success. Or maybe this will all flourish beyond my wildest dreams.2 The only way to know is to take the leap.

THIRD, I had to confront internal questions regarding my own motivation. As I am fond of saying, writers want to be read, and I am no exception. I do indeed have an ego, just like everyone else, and my ego wants me to be liked, to be heard, to be understood, to succeed. However, our society is overrun with loud voices tooting their own horns, and I, for one, find it all to be a bit much. Such self-promotion can feel…awkward and cringe. Which is not, in any way, how I want to come across.

Those of you old enough to remember the movie Field of Dreams doubtless recall the much-quoted line, “If you build it, they will come.”3 But the reality is that people cannot support something if they don’t even know about it. So if I really want to do this, I have to talk about it, even if it’s somewhat uncomfortable for me. (Despite nearly 25 years in marketing, I am in no way a natural salesperson.)

Not Me, But Us

In the middle of trying to find my way through all of these complexities, I inadvertently stumbled on what feels to me to be the right approach to framing this move. In the process, I had an unexpectedly transformative experience.

Back in 2016, I began saving comments people made about my writing (which at the time was really just posted on Facebook). The impetus for this was simply that it occurred to me there may come a time when I would feel discouraged and tempted to quit, and I thought that if I ever did feel like throwing in the towel, it might lift my spirits to have a readily available collection of things people had said to me about how my writing had impacted them. That really was the only thought I put into it.

Over the past eight years, I never have hit a point where I felt like I wanted to give up writing, and I’m pretty sure I’ve not even once looked through the folder of feedback. But out of habit, I’ve continued saving comments people made all the same.

Earlier this month, I wondered if perhaps I could find a “blurb” from one of my readers that would help me as I struggled with how to describe my writing on the previously mentioned About page of my Substack. So I opened up the feedback folder, and…well, I was not prepared for what I found.

As I glanced through the comments, I realized that there was a LOT of feedback, and I found it to be genuinely moving. Some of the comments even made me teary. I felt so fortunate to have received and saved these kind words. The experience of reading them all in one sitting felt so affirming. It was a wonderful reminder that “The Way I See It” is really not about me—it is about us. It is about the power of words to connect us, to validate us, to confront and comfort and inspire us, to move us to action and point us to a better way.

So I’ve decided to (anonymously) share some of these supportive comments with you, in effect letting my own readers make the case for the value you may get from my writing, and why you may want to support my work.

I’m placing this Testimonials section at the very end of this piece; I hope you will find it worth your while.

Born Again is now available!

I spent much time after I finished school last fall wrestling with what more—if anything—to do with this mini-memoir that I created as my final thesis project. Part of me couldn’t imagine publishing it more widely, because it’s so intimate4, but the other part of me couldn’t imagine not publishing it more widely, at least in some fashion or form, because it is so significant to me as a person and a writer. Not to overstate it, but I genuinely feel like this project was a fulcrum point for the lever of my life.

In next week’s post, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at what the book is, and the reception it’s gotten so far. (Though I have already written about it a couple times in recent months, here and here.) I also plan to run a series of excerpts from the book in the coming weeks. But for today, I just wanted to let you know that it is now available for purchase.

However, for a limited time only, I am offering a FREE copy of Born Again to all new Yearly subscribers to this newsletter! This is a $20 value—and I’ll also cover the cost of standard shipping. Read on for more details.

Why am I adding paid subscription options?

Substack provides writers with a platform where they can attempt to earn a living doing the work they love. Many writers here are wrestling with the question of how/whether to charge for their writing. Quite a few of them secure their posts behind a paywall, meaning that only paid subscribers can read their articles.

I have no judgment toward any of those writers who do so. But it is not what I want to do with my writing, nor do I think it makes sense for this newsletter at this time.

My desire and intent is that “The Way I See It” will always be free to read. However, it's not free for me to create. I invest a lot of time, energy, and money into it—and I'd like to do so even more, which is one of the reasons I’ve opened up the opportunity for you to financially support my work.

I’m hoping to grow this newsletter into one of my main sources of income, one of the primary ways I pay my bills. If I’m able to do that, it will allow me to devote more of my time and attention to my craft, which means it should grow to become of more value to you, my readers.

The options I’m offering mean that you can be part of building a more secure future for my writing for about the cost of one Starbucks drink a month. (No one's getting rich from this endeavor anytime soon!)

I want to make clear that, while I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber, I am grateful for every reader, full stop. If you choose to support my work in any way beyond merely reading, including by simply sharing it with others, that’s an added bonus! But no matter who you are or what your relationship with me, I will never do a hard sales pitch or try to guilt you into paying for my work. It’s just not my style.

You can view the details of the paid subscriber benefits by clicking on the “Subscribe” or “Upgrade to Paid” buttons here. But let me reiterate that, for a limited time, paid Yearly subscribers to this newsletter will receive a FREE copy of the Born Again book! This is a $20 value—and I’ll also cover the cost of standard shipping.

(PLEASE NOTE that the Substack back-end tech appears to be unable to accommodate the logistics of this offer, so I will reach out to you directly after you subscribe to get your shipping details and then place the book order for you myself.)

I’d be remiss to not mention that a number of you previously pledged your support for a paid subscription option. THANK YOU for essentially being the founding members of “The Way I See It.” I am truly moved by your faith in me! I’ll be reaching out to you directly in the coming days regarding your benefits.

Buy Born Again

How will this change things going forward?

My goal is to treat this newsletter like a “real” job, with structure and a schedule, rather than just a side hobby that I squeeze in whenever I come up for air from all my other commitments.

My plan is to publish a piece here every other week, meaning roughly two posts a month. Sometimes more, but hopefully never less, barring dire circumstances. (Although for the next month or two, I’m planning to post more frequently, as I’ll be running excerpts from Born Again.)

The sky is really the limit, as far as how “The Way I See It” could grow and expand from here. For example, a number of writers are now recording audio versions of their articles. Others are getting into full-fledged podcasting. I have a number of ideas for possible recurring features, and additionally, I’m keen to flesh out my archives so that all my writing from the past decade-plus is in one place. I’m also very interested in writing another book! However, the first step is to put out this call for support and see if the response is sufficient to enable expansion into these or other areas.

As always, grazie mille for being here. I know you have a million demands on your time and attention, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you (especially those of you who read this far!). Have a great rest of your day, wherever in the world you are.

Michael

PS: If you aren’t ready to become a paid subscriber, but you still wish to financially support my work, you can send me a “tip” of any amount via PayPal.

Testimonials from my Readers

As promised above, here are selected comments readers have made about my writing over the past eight years. (I’m not sharing the names of the commenters, since none of these sentiments were given with the intent of being shared publicly.) I’ll let their words make the case for the value you may get from my writing, and why you may want to support my work.

"Thank you for your beautiful writing to remind me—to remind us—how we're meant to live.”

"You have an amazing ability to craft words that touch the soul, which is very rare...You write with a deep sense of empathy.”

"Incredibly meaningful work”

"Michael, I LOVE this post. It feels like you scraped out the inside of my own head and spread it bravely on the Cracker of Truth.”

"Brilliant, and important. And excellently written, as always.”

"So moved and impressed. Thank you, thank you for taking the time to tell us your story..."

"[The] sincerity and depth of feeling which emanates from almost every sentence is deeply moving. I am so grateful.”

"Your posts have meant a lot to me...I have taken so much comfort from your strength and sentiments. You have been an inspiration.”

"These words move my heart.”

"Your anxieties and doubts read like my inner soundtrack...Thank you for that needed affirmation.”

"I can identify with so much of this. Thanks for writing about it. I love the photos. Keep going...and keep writing for us.”

"This is perfect. Thank you, Michael, for your witness."

"Your words have been right on target, spreading love in the face of fear. And leading with action on what we can all do in our everyday lives to combat fear [and] hate. You have made a difference.”

"So moving! How liberated and full of joy…”

"Such great insights. I will ponder your questions.”

"You're such a good writer around such complicated matters. Thank you.”

"This is amazing, inspiring, and honestly gives me hope.”

“[You] powerfully expressed in words [what] many of us have collectively experienced.”

“You are gifted with words, and have a heart in the right place. We need more of that right now.”

“[It] gives me hope. Your breakthroughs are not only for you, but also a gift to those who come after you.”

“Thank you for, again, speaking to the issue. ..and for giving both encouragement and a challenge to each reader.”

"Beautifully and clearly written analysis of the current moment”

"So much life—and sense—in this essay.”

"Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your heart. Your courage stands out as a testimony to what it means to speak truth. Don't stop!”

"Very beautifully written; [it] engaged me fully. The accompanying photos just add up where the words alone would not suffice. Bravissimo!”

"Well said, and a great and patient way to address one of the divisive narratives out there right now.”

"I appreciate your point of view, always.”

"You need to write a book...Wow! I may not agree with you, but…many of the things you wrote are so true.”

"[A] well-articulated, thoughtful assessment...I hope it will be shared over and over again.”

"I'll keep [this] and re-read it often.”

"This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you."

"I think you found your calling. This is a great example of your incredible gift of writing and speaking for the unspoken. You have the heart and the skill.”

"Love to read and see your work...and am delighted by your courageous work toward healing.”

"There's so much empathy inside your wondering. Or maybe it's wondering inside your empathy. Well put.”

"You are brave to share your story...I hope more people will hear it.”

"This. Is. Brilliant."

"Beautifully written. I am impressed by how you addressed the issue.”

"Your images are haunting. The words beneath them, poetic! I love the artist you're becoming.”

"Powerful piece, which I shared.”

"The photos are beautiful. You are expressing what many of us are feeling."

"Keep being a vessel of change.”

"This was a riveting read...You write clearly and eloquently. Thank you.”

"Superb writing!”

"You beautifully laid out your experiences, and your photos are very expressive!"

"Thanks for taking so much time to craft such a beautiful essay."

"I appreciate your vulnerability and honesty."

"So excellently stated...I got choked up.”

"Simple and profound”

"So good. Your art is beautiful. Thank you.”

"This was a great piece. The pictures, with the writing, [was] really amazing."

"I want to support you because your creative work shines!”

"Tell your story. It is important.”

"You've never lost your voice, Michael; write what you feel. A lovely tribute...and a call to arms about what is going on in America. Thank you."

"I have enjoyed reading your measured, considered posts during this crazy political season.”

"Your words and photographs make beautiful art this world needs.”

"Wise words"

"I enjoy your thoughts and love your confidence and how you stand for what you feel and believe.”

"Oh my goodness. Seriously. This should be a book.”

"You have such a gift with words."

"Beautiful words, combined with beautiful photos.”

"Beautiful and bold and spot on!”

"Gorgeous. You are amazing; thank you for allowing me into your heart.”

"You are a light in a sometimes dark world!”

"Thank you for taking the time and energy to craft such an eloquent message."

"I LOVE this. The story, your writing, your self-portrait(!!!)...all of it!”

“Riveting!”

"Thoughtful and so well expressed”

“Wow, Michael...you need to write a book. I don't think I could ever nail the coffin shut like you just did. Very impressive.”

"I was enthralled.”

"Quite moved by your openness”

"Beautifully written, Michael. If only we were all this thoughtful and tolerant, the world would be a fabulous place.”

"I am grateful that you are speaking up.”

"Thanks for driving dialogue with this!”

"This is beautifully and eloquently written!! It is obvious that this was written out of love, not hate or anger, and you should be proud!!"

"You said it perfectly.”

And last, but certainly not least, here's something a British reader wrote to me some years ago! "The English is flawless, the clarity limpid.”