Don't Stop Me Now...
I'm having such a good time! But not too good a time, OK!? Let's have a safe, reasonable and careful good time in which the author doesn't end up losing his nut trying to do too much.
Last week I published the final piece in the latest series for Notes and Noises. It was the second series that I have published on Substack - the first published in 2021.
It has been a great experience putting these little bits of creativity out into the world (if not a little daunting) and there has been plenty of support from all readers. Mainly from those I know quite well like friends and family but also a growing list of subscribers who have reached out with encouragement and support in the comments section.
Thanks to all of you for your support. It means a huge amount to me and I look forward to pursuing this creative endeavour with a bit more confidence in the future now that I feel it has grown legs.
Please continue to read and share my work to date, your support is pretty much the only reason this thing I am doing continues to grow. I am hugely appreciative of that.
So what’s next…
While I had considered trying to keep up the pace by publishing a new poem or short prose every week - I have decided to deliberately hold off on that commitment.
The reality is that I’d prefer take my time and focus on publishing work that I feel is truly worth reading or listening to. I also want to compose these works in a coherent series that feels as though it fits together end to end. I cannot do this if I am publishing writing that is being prepared week to week; I have neither the time nor the stamina to deliver the quality that I would demand for this.
However these past three months have resulted in an incredible velocity that I want to embrace and maintain as best I can.
Most importantly I have felt this in my own creative output. I have become hugely motivated by this project and I am finding more time in my day to write and practice which is fantastic - I want to keep that going.
Furthermore the readership of this newletter has tripled over the last few weeks alone and the work I am publishing is reaching an even wider audience through the Substack platform. There appears to be a fantastic community of writers here and my intention is to continue to engage with this group as best I can. The friends and family to whom this newsletter was originally being published are now very much in the minority and I need to adjust Notes and Noises to suit this wider audience as it grows.
I will therefore attempt to bridge the gap to the next series by publishing a new, more varied newsletter which gives me room to share some creative writing and essays alongside music, reviews, and work by others that I have been reading or listening to.
It is unlikely to be as consistent and as frequent as the weekly posts you’ve had up to now but this will give me some latitude to publish more informally when work and life allow it, and also a way to check in on a regular basis. The commitment to sending out this newsletter will also provide me with the motivation I need to keep working creatively whenever I can.
I will return to the more structured weekly format once the next series is prepared and ready, and I may then continue with this more informal newsletter if I find that it makes sense to do so.
What can we expect going forward?
First and foremost I am working towards a new series which I look forward to sharing when it is ready. It is most likely that this will primarily feature writing like you have seen up to now, however, as those who know me well will already be aware, I am keen on producing music and sounds as well as some photographic work, so I am hoping I will be able to expand on my work up to now by incorporating these elements in some way. This is why giving myself some space and time to prepare these works is something I really feel I need.
Regarding this newsletter and what it will look like in the mean time? I am not entirely sure to be honest, but what I will share it is likely to include:
Updates on my progress with the next series.
Sharing more varied work to introduce you to some of the other things I like to get up to around audio, sound and photography.
Comment and analysis on other work I have been reading or listening to or exhibitions/shows I have visited (similar to what I used to write for arthub.ie).
Sharing work that I have made in the past, which I hope will give me an opportunity to share some of my music and photography from years gone by.
Thanks again to everyone who has been reading, sharing and supporting my work up to now. It has been a fantastic journey thus far and I am looking forward to what’s to come.
Please remember to reach out if you have any feedback or suggestions and be sure to share Notes and Noises with anyone you think might be interested. Any support you can provide would mean a whole lot!
I will leave you with this fantastic gift my much better half gave me for Christmas. I look forward to hanging this printed version of Ctrl + Alt + Del on the wall somewhere near the sink, where I can be reminded of Caribbean Islands when most needed!
Looking forward to what comes next!