Another instance of paying attention to the people in real life, right in front of us:

In this instance Diana and Tom made a zine and it’s almost sold out.

 “I don’t need much to do much” is something I mentioned to someone earlier this week. Maybe we don’t need 4K cameras or big ad spends to get the word out.

Posting on social media is like buying a lottery ticket, because maybe it’ll pay off. But contacting the people who can directly help you? They either write you back, or they don’t – those are 50/50 odds, much better than gambling with an algorithm and hoping it just “works out.”

I felt a pang in my stomach, of how I’m not writing and publishing enough, or sending enough newsletters every week.

Instead of posting, I’ve been having Zoom calls with amazing people. I’ve walking 10 miles a day since the start of 2026. I’m bouncing emails back and forth in “tiny email circles” with my lovey Social Media Escape Club community. I did a two hour Substack Live this past weekend. I’m reaching out to potential guests to be on upcoming Escape Pod Zoom calls (like Erin Shetron later this week).

Paying attention to who you’ve got right in front of you is never a bad thing.

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you need a conversation. Sometimes you just need to talk to enough people until the shape of the thing reveals itself. And if you’re lucky, you’ll find the words—and the people—to help you make sense of it all.” This from Carly Ayres.

Like I wrote recently, “when we get the ideas out of our head and into the world, they become tangible. They breathe the air of the real world and become alive.”

I’m not saying every touring band can put out a full daily news paper, but please use this as inspiration or “permission” to make whatever weird and crazy thing you want to make.

Make a tour diary in Google Docs, print it out when you find a Staples (or bring a printer on the road), and put that on your merch table as a free give away.

Include a URL and coupon code for fans that don’t have the money to spend on the night you roll through town.

(link via Austin Kleon)

Kel Rakowski made a zine with her readers.

“I wanted to build something with the readers of Work Unseen. Not just talk at them.”

And then 45 people submitted work to be included.

This is how you dig deeper with the people who subscribe to your work, by offering side-quests and see who shows up. 

GOOD SUPPORT: “Community isn’t about content access or exclusive perks. It’s about shared accountability to a higher standard of work and life. It’s a commitment to significance through support.”

GOOD GROUP: “She and other students talked all the time about craving a break from their phones, which pulsed all day long with distractions. They debated giving them up, but doing so seemed inconvenient and isolating. Maybe the solution was to try it together.” (via Kottke)

GOOD ADVICE: “Go get an RSS reader app, stop being spoon-fed slop by algorithmic platforms, and start consuming content at your own pace.”

◾ ESCAPE POD #102 W/ ERIN SHETRON
Special guest Erin Shetron; creative advisor, editor, and “newsletter whisperer.” She writes the Frequent Criers Club newsletter, and she’ll be joining us to share her process, and dig into the gentle and genuinely helpful way she works with clients.
Thursday, Jan 15 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
REGISTER: https://luma.com/y2c0a3sm

◾ MINI ESCAPE POD Q&A #27
Small group Q&A with other like-minded folks. Limited to just three guests!
Friday, Jan 16 from 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM EST
REGISTER: MEMBERS ONLY (start your 30 day trial here)

“There’s no reason indie musicians can’t use the same strategies the mainstream does—only with more authenticity, more intention, and way less bullshit,” said CARRÉ in “you don’t need a record deal, you need a community.”

Then I saw “US town forms human chain to move 9,100 books one-by-one” (via Kottke). The book shop owner even said it took just under two hours; “much shorter than hiring a moving company to box and unbox the thousands of titles.” 

How do we build community and help each other along the way? How do we build our work and our mission together?