composing, lasting, showing
086 • 9/08/2025
Going Deeper: As many of you know, I have been sharing my poetry and other writings on the platform “Medium” for a few years. As such, I receive a daily newsletter, filled with tips and action suggestions on how to grow your audience and even make “lots” more money, no matter your creative pursuit!.
One of the problems with these newsletters is that there are, usually, about 10 links to articles like this:
• 10 Passive Incomes That Pay While You Sleep
• Stop Betting on One Book — The Real Secret to Self-Publishing Success
• This 16-Year-Old Makes $3,000/Month with Free Traffic POD
• Copy. Paste. Get Paid.
• 5 YouTube Niches No One Talks About (But Are Profitable)
A few months back I started copying the headlines and after I had a list of about 30, I stopped. There was too much repetition and way too many offers, in different wordings, of that same offer. I got dizzy just reading them.
Which brings me to the point of this short essay: Do the best with what you have!
For those of us who are self-employed and who might need a bit of extra income to breathe easier, there is a simple (?) fix.
As I tell my photography students when they ask how they can make enough money to support themselves through photography, I simply give them my well-used acronym, MSI-multiple sources of income.
In light of the above list, none of them suggest how I can go deeper into the methods I already use and am familiar with to add to my income.
I find that whenever I spend a focused amount of time in my current pursuits, I can make more money, in less time than I might spend pursuing other fields. Sure, some people can juggle items and do pretty well and I do applaud them for their efforts!
What I have learned is that in order to generate a substantial amount of money, you need to approach it like a full-time job.
At this point in my life l am very much looking forward to going deeper, with purpose. That means spending more purposeful time with my creative self, which sometimes feels like an orphan.
There is so much more I can do with “Shadow & Light Magazine”, the starter, teaching, making art, etc. It is time to turn the page. You?
*******
Please pass this along to others of like mind. We do need to spread the positivity around! Know that I will be working hard to make the starter better with each issue. It will come into your inbox at 8am, each Monday morning, free or paid. Comments are always welcomed! Enjoy!
"One study looked at artists who started at the bottom and worked their way to successful careers. The researchers identified one factor that was consistent across the group: they performed far more shows than the average artist.
The same principle holds true in many fields. If you want to rise, you need a lot of shots on goal. Keep showing up. Keep making new material. Eventually, you catch a lucky break." James Clear
Break the Habit of Being Yourself: Dr. Joe Dispenza is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, researcher, and educator, Dr Joe Dispenza specializes in teaching people to rewire their brains and recondition their bodies to make lasting changes. His focus is the intersection of neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics, and is driven by the conviction that each of us has the potential for greatness. ©Dr. Joe Dispenza
David Brooks, The Wrong Definition of Love: “The time I used to spend on Twitter I now spend on Substack, and my life is much better for it. There are a lot of interesting, eclectic writers in the world. This week, for example, I stumbled across a post from Antonia Bentel, who asked six strangers and friends about how they fall in love.” ©David Brooks
Shadow & Light Magazine Archives: Eduardo Fujii, The Uncertain Nature of Reality: “For my series “The Uncertain Nature of Reality”, I explore the logic-defying concepts of quantum mechanics from a philosophical point of view while composing and collaging images of ballet dancers in rehearsal. I have always been interested in science and in particular quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that makes us question fundamental concepts of the world we live in. ©image: Eduardo Fujii
Poetics: Naomi Shihab Nye, The Young Poets of Winnipeg: I have followed this poet for a few years and have found her to be 100% truthful, whether it is writing about every day or current events. This poem is a unique take on life, as she views it.
The Young Poets of Winnipeg
scurried around a classroom papered with poems.
Even the ceiling, pink and orange quilts of phrase…
they introduced one another, perched on a tiny stage
to read their work, blessed their teacher who
encouraged them to stretch, wouldn’t let their parents
attend the reading because parents might criticize,
believed in the third and fourth eyes, the eyes in
the undersides of leaves, the polar bears a thousand miles north,
and sprouts of grass under the snow. They knew their poems
were glorious, that second-graders could write better
than third or fourth, because of what happened
on down the road, the measuring sticks
that came out of nowhere, poking and channeling
the view, the way fences broke up winter,
or driveways separated the smooth white sheets
birds wrote on with their feet.
©Naomi Shihab Nye
the starter is a reader-supported publication. To produce this newsletter it takes a bit of time, research and effort to create. If you would like to receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Good advice: Keep showing up. Keep making new material.