SMEC: CURRENTS

I dive into what happens when real-world connection replaces scrolling. From a punk rock flea market table with some neon flyers and old music gear, the conversations quickly turned to leaving social media, quitting Spotify, and the hunger for face-to-face exchange. Along the way, I reflect on why proximity carries so much energy, and how experiments like a “confession booth” might spark deeper ho...

Based off of this post: https://socialmediaescape.club/2025/youre-not-marrying-a-platform/ And here's a link to that James Hart post .

Indie Thinkers interview with Angela Hollowell: https://indiethinkers.substack.com/p/angela-hollowell

That’s a little catchphrase I came up with: When you hit send, it’s not the end. Maybe I invented it, maybe someone else did—but it’s true either way. Right now, it’s summertime—open rates are down, comments are down, “likes” are down. But when you hit send, that doesn’t mean you’re done. Especially if you’re on Substack, you have the direct URL for every post you send. Sure, it lands in inboxes,...

A lot has changed since the last Voice Note in May. I’ve moved all paid memberships to Memberful, and I’m now posting these audio entries here on Transistor. That means a new RSS feed, which you can grab here: https://feeds.transistor.fm/smec-currents And all episodes are here: https://smec-currents.transistor.fm/episodes This new podcast (called SMEC: Currents ) isn’t listed publicly on all the m...

I’m starting to think of all this as a delivery truck. I make the thing, and the delivery person comes and picks it up. It goes on the truck, and then it’s out of my hands. You’ve seen the disclaimers from online shops—‘we’re not responsible for what happens during shipping.’ I’m kind of feeling that for myself now. Once I hit send, I’m out. I don’t want to look at the tracking details. I don’t ne...

Put something new on your website, and link it in your next newsletter. Your newsletter isn’t your permanent address, it’s a delivery vehicle. Build an archive of work on your website and link to your stuff from your newsletter! Oh, and this is the Alex Dobrenko` interview where his guest  Isabel Cowles Murphy talks about someone else who says writing is your legacy. https://botharetrue.substack.c...

A reflection from today’s Escape Pod Zoom call, regarding Seth Godin’s ‘What is your art?’ post from 2015. I define art as having nothing at all to do with painting. Art is a human act, a generous contribution, something that might not work, and it is intended to change the recipient for the better, often causing a connection to happen. Five elements that are difficult to find and worth seeking ou...

Today’s episode is a bonus add-on to today’s post: “You’re not bothering them if they’re fans,” said kate ellen , about reminding your audience about what the heck you’re doing. We think our subscribers know about our latest work, but that’s hardly ever true. https://socialmediaescapeclub.substack.com/p/print-your-tour-diary-start-a-conversation Keep telling people about the thing you do!

In today’s voice note, I reflect a bit on last Friday’s post , and talk about the idea of building side quests with your audience—not just broadcasting at all of them . Inspired by this zine project by Kel Rakowski : https://rakowwwski.substack.com/p/the-zine-we-made-together I riff on some small ways to collaborate: ask for summer memories, favorite songs, books, whatever. Start small, ask a few...

A common trap is treating your website like the finish line. “How do I get people to my WordPress,” is the wrong question. Your blog and your newsletter should work together—your blog builds the archive, your newsletter delivers the value right where people already are. Weave links into real writing. Offer substance in the inbox. Let readers wander deeper on their own, clicking a link on occasion....

Thanks to  Parker Gates for sending me this clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHqrfkYxskX Where could you lead your current subscribers?

From today’s episode: “A website and a tool cost money, I know. But platforms cost money too. A lot of them are free, but they charge you per transaction. And then because they charge you different fees, they call the shots. So they set up the guidelines. So if they don't like what you're putting up there, they can take it down. Then you're not making any money. So you might as well start with a w...

I included a Seth Godin quote in my latest newsletter with Laura Kidd: “The false proxy of how many people are following you on social media is a trap,” says Seth Godin, “I know people who have gotten 40 million views of a TikTok, and sold $200 worth of stuff to go with it.” It starts a bit after the 10:00 mark of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zcnK6Lx_p4 Are you chasing more? Or are...

Use your voice, even if it’s not a full fledged podcast, or 4K video. “This is who I am. If you're along for the ride, cool. Maybe hit subscribe. If you're not, hit unsubscribe. That's fine, too. And so, I think whether you want to do video or not, or if you want to do podcast audio or not, you don't have to do any of them. Find what's true for you and and show it to your friends.” As I said in th...

In a recent talk with Olivia Rafferty I asked if there was a take away from her work that someone could adapt to their own: "If musicians don't just focus on what other musicians are doing, and how they're making music. If people on Substack who make newsletters start to think like how could I make a newsletter in the way that like a ceramicist would like make a pot, you know ? Like just try and l...

Someone asked me recently via my Email Guidance offering about starting a newsletter, and the classic “what’s it gonna be about?” I replied that instead of asking, "what should I write about?" try asking, "who should I write about?" Your experiences, projects, and adventures likely involved other people, so write about them. When you highlight someone in your newsletter, you can send it to them, w...

Watched this great interview with actor Anthony Mackie on the Pivot Podcast, about success being given, not earned. This part is at about the 14:04 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqFfX0A8UAc Success is different for everyone, and heck, you might not even be playing the game - and that’s fine! But for a lot of us, trying to pay rent or get the new gig, we gotta get picked.

Today I reflect (not a reaction clip) on a video by photographer Noah Kalina , who questions the instinct to post creative work online, comparing social media to a "cursed room" where content is lost in a sea of distractions (starting at the 1:40 mark in the video below). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBRuUj0pXAM I explore this modern dilemma, and of course urge creative folk to be intentional a...

Today I’m reflecting on Andy J. Pizza’s recent post about letting go of outdated strategies. Ways of working that don’t serve us anymore. “Let go of what’s no longer useful,” as Mr. Pizza puts it. I’m also emphasizing the shift away from exhausting social media efforts and instead urging you to focus on email list building by sharing valuable work naturally (work you’ve already made), rather than...

This will be a collection of voice notes from me, from your pal Seth, because I just got too many ideas. And they all don't need to be blog posts. They all don't need to be newsletters. They all don't need to be videos. The stuff just comes to me a lot. So I want to get these out here, out and about. And I really came to come to that from a conversation I had today with Amber Carnes. We got on the...