Things are changin'!

This is a little bit of a meta-letter, to let you know about some changes I've got in store for these weekly missives.

First, and most important - I'm changing email providers. This means that it is super important that you mark next Sunday's email as not spam, and (if you want) move it into a priority inbox. It'll come at the usual time, so if you don't see it, please check your spam and move it out!

I'm making the move for two reasons: First, because I've heard from folks who haven't been getting them since I restarted sending, and the culprit looks to be my current platform and the email AI's that increasingly govern our inboxes.

But second - because I want to be able to do more with these messages! I've long wanted to include images in them, and share more of my photography, as I do on my website. (Did you know that each week's letter has a photo, and has since the beginning? That I go out to specifically shoot these photos a lot of weeks? No? Exactly! 🤣)

So I'll also be using this shift to play around with different formats, finding ways to bring more of my art, and myself, to our weekly connections.

And I guess that really brings me to the much bigger changes I've got in store. It's a bit of a story, so buckle in. :)

See, for years - honestly pretty much the entire lifetime of Ink & Feet - I've had a conflict. Is Ink & Feet my art, or is it how I make my living? Can it be both? (Spoiler: no.)

I've tried so many different approaches - selling products, having a patreon, pitching courses and e-books - but I've never really made it work in the long term because - in the immortal words of Edith Eger - my one butt is on two chairs.

The art and writing suffers because it has to do businessy, sell-things promotions. The business suffers because instead of communicating value and getting folks excited about what I've made, it has to send out poetry and missives on the beauty of light. I've been in a double-bind, unable to fully embrace my art, and unable to support the ventures that could sustain me.

For years, I've had an internal rubric for making big life decisions - a way to filter out the possibilities and distill down how I really want to spend my life. When considering whether to do a thing, I only allow myself two answers. "Fuck Yes", or "No." It's allowed me to go all-in on things I care about, and maybe more importantly, to be all-out on everything else. That clarity means time and energy back from the mediocre bits that don't sustain me for the few deep things that do.

When I stepped back, it was obvious I needed to get that same clarity around what I'm doing here. So, from this point forward, I'm going to make Ink & Feet - and these letters - only focused on my art.

And - I'll be starting up a new thing around the Change Monsters that is going to be a business. I'll have two lists, and you'll be able to subscribe to one, the other, or both - and know what to expect.

I've been working within this frame for the past month or so, and friend, I've got to tell you - it feels good. I feel like I've been trying so hard for the past decade while having one hand tied behind my back - and am now finally free, dextrous, capable.

And I'm so excited for the extra space it gives us - on both fronts. Space to share pieces - from video to photos to music to experimental art. Space to share my journey in bringing my dream of the monsters to life, and to collaborate with folks who are also stoked about that dream.
Space to be more authentically, unapologetically me. A man who's wandering around the world, making the best things he can, and loving every single bug he sees.

Thanks for coming along, and I hope you like the changes, too!

I so, so appreciate you sharing some of your Sundays with me.

With lots of love,

-Steven

p.s. The best thing I saw this week blew my little brain. See, last Sunday was Bastille day here in France. It was also the day the Olympic flame arrived in Paris. And Paris being Paris, the French combined them both into a combo mind-blowing fireworks-from-the-Eiffel-Tower and simultaneous drone show that is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. Here are some photos I took of my favorite moments: https://inkandfeet.com/bastille2024 :)