đź‘”
if you're interested in having your own business/brand I suggest you follow seth godin's newsletter or read a few of his books. hes all about niche business and has been for the last few decades (way before our fav tiktok and reels people started talking about micro-brands).
"For just about everyone, mass isn’t your friend. Mass means average, and the average person isn’t ready to sign up, talk about it or switch. That’s because change always happens at the edges."
Related Recs
I read this article at least 2-3 times a month. I think this specific snippet is so powerful to consider. “…the willingness to give a strong opinion and not necessarily waver on that“ is such a rare thought in our super commercialized world. All it takes is 2 minutes on Tik Tok to see someone selling out with a brand partnership to sell you a product they wouldn’t even use themselves to see that people’s opinions (today) are easily bought and manipulated. I’d implore you to sit + think through things that matter to you + process why they matter to you + stick to your guns on it (until you come to a point where you gain new info that shifts your opinion; it’s okay to give in with humility and take a new stance!). But let’s not be the type of people that are scared to stand on their opinions: Be bold. Stand firm. Eat the crap that comes with it. But you’ll see how the right people will value you for it. LINK TO THE ARTICLE IS ABOVE BTW.
Apr 10, 2024
đź“°
anyone on pi.fyi will likely feel seen and heard when reading this. it basically accentuates all the redundancies and senseless aspects of social media and how it’s disrupted every industry and how we are all dominated by the algorithm and have to be our own hype person. i always feel like an idiot after i finish a record or a book that i'm really excited to share with the world, but then have to think about “content“ to promote the art itself. obviously pi.fyi feels likes a refreshing beacon of hope because artists can share their work here in a far more simple and wholesome manner. the article also addresses non-creative jobs like accountants and other professions that are all being forced to become an “influencer” of some sort or build a brand. it’s spooky, yet we’re all feeling the fatigue so hopefully we can see a less algorithmic future soon…
Feb 8, 2024
piece that explores our collective relationship with algorithmically driven platforms and theorizing why non-algorithmically driven platforms haven't caught on yet (PI.FYI mentioned ‼️). some of the references and moments in the writing style makes this article feel hollow and generic, but the overall conceit is engaging. also this article (and the general public alike) keep saying tumblr is dead but tumblr is very alive for me personally.
"Just kidding. There is no pure place: we crave the end because it seems cleaner on the other side. We all live,and have always lived, in the muck—even and especially after death. Download the niche app, participate in the empty-ish forum. Labor to make the experience you want. Labor to animate a human internet."
Mar 6, 2024
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apparel-ish?
I started an apparel brand called Blood is the new Black when I was 23 (in 2004, i’m 42 now) the brand acted as an arts collective, i’d select several artists every season to add to the brand and would curate their submitted works into collections. distro ranged from beams (jp) colette (fr) selfridges (uk) all the way to pac sun, urban outfitters, zumiez in the states. during the 9 years I had the brand I also published zines, produced artist directed films, curated gallery shows etc. it was part of the indie sleaze era and you’d see folks like tegan and sara, michael pitt, britney spears, allison mosshart wearing the brand.
somehow I pivoted to country music along the way and started a brand called midnight rider in 2013. i made licensed repop and vintage feeling tees for musicians and folks like willie nelson, townes van zandt, nudies rodeo tailors, john wayne, the judds, waylon jennings, zz top and so many others. I sold that brand last year!
now I do licensing and merchandise for waylon jennings (so if you see waylon merch or collabs i’m the one behind it). I also spend my free time taking photos and i’m currently working on a book about grand national owners.
id love to mentor folks who have or are starting their own businesses because i’ve learned a lot in the process both good and bad.
Feb 9, 2024
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want to learn a new thing for $150? community college
need access to a ceramics studio or darkroom? community college
want to sound mysterious/intellectual and say things like “i’m back in school” as a grown adult? community college
don’t want 200k worth of liberal arts college debt? community college
want to be in a rag tag group of misfits of all ages and form an unlikely friendship and still have a group chat going after the semester ends? community college
looking for a socioeconomically diverse group of cohorts? community college
i’m about to start my third semester of photography classes and im so obsessed, its been the most wonderful experience
Jan 29, 2024
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Cocteau Twins in 1993 or 1994 (with Luna opening) - I was in the 8th grade and my sister who was 14 years older than me took me. We saw Mazzy Star/JaMC and Depeche Mode the next year.
Feb 16, 2024