Welcome to the Mythical Type newsletter, where I share projects I’m working on, things I’ve been reading, and sources of inspiration.
I sent the first issue of this newsletter on November 30, 2021, so it’s officially a year old! Thanks so much for reading. I enjoy putting this together each month, and I hope you found some inspiring things along the way.
New zine: My 20-minute rule for movies
I released a new zine last week! “My 20-minute rule for movies” is about how I don’t feel guilty when I stop a movie I don’t enjoy. I give any movie a fair chance, but I’m okay turning it off if it’s not for me.
The zine is available for purchase on Etsy and Big Cartel.
Read more about “My 20-minute rule for movies” on my blog.
When I posted this zine to Instagram and Tumblr, some people commented that their rule is 10 minutes. If they don’t get into a movie in the first 10 minutes, then they’ll turn it off.
I’m curious, do you have a rule like this? How long do you watch a movie before deciding if you should continue? Let me know in the comments.
A note about holiday orders
If you’re planning to order my zines for holiday gifts, first, thank you for the support! Second, my schedule in December is pretty busy. I can’t guarantee orders placed after December 5 will arrive by Hanukkah (Dec. 18) or Christmas (Dec. 25).
Please order by December 5 if you want to make sure the recipient gets the package in time for the holidays.
Newsletter recommendations
What I like about newsletters (and blogs!) is that you can read them whenever you want. These posts aren’t dependent on real-time conversations or algorithmic feeds. The reader chooses when to read new posts. I’ve been enjoying newsletters more in recent months, especially since social media platforms seem to be…faltering.
Here are a few newsletters I recommend, in no particular order.
Orbital Operations - Warren Ellis (creator of Castlevania on Netflix and best-selling author) talks about his writing process for screenwriting and comics.
This Is Joe Boyd - Joe (mixed-media artist) shares his process for creating art and where he finds inspiration.
Robin Sloan - Robin (author and programmer) writes about books, media, and technology.
Sheri Roloff - Sheri (author, illustrator, and visual storyteller) shares behind-the-scenes of her creative projects.
Modern Relics - Rohan Salmond (religion specialist) writes about the overlap of religion, pop culture, and the internet.
Standing on the soapbox
A newsletter is pretty much a virtual soapbox, so let me hop on mine for a moment.
If you share your work (art, music, writing, photos, reviews, opinions) only on social media, consider starting a newsletter or a blog. Why? If you’ve heard anything about Twitter in the last couple weeks, you know how quickly a social media platform can change. Social media is owned by corporations; not us. We can lose a platform at any moment and there go your connections, too.
Social media can be a great place to share your work. I’m not saying stay off it. I’m saying, also have a piece of the internet that’s yours.
I lean toward IndieWeb principles, where you own your website and content, but going from social media to a personal site can be a daunting project. Especially if you haven’t done it before.
There are good free options that will help you connect with people, away from social media.
Substack, for example, is a great place for building an email list, and it has a blogging vibe at the same time. This isn’t an ad, by the way. I’m impressed with how easy Substack is to use. And you can always export your email list if you want to leave Substack in the future.
If you build your own site, that’s super awesome. Please send me the link. 🙂
If you want more to read about building online connections without social media, here are some posts:
Why writers need an email list, not just social media
Please, for goodness’ sake, start a mailing list
Why you might want a personal site
That’s all I have to say about this for now.
steps off soapbox
Thank you for reading!
I suppose my next issue will be in January (2023?!?). I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season. Support small and local businesses, if you’re able to.
Thanks again for following this newsletter. If you want to read any past issues, they're in the archive.
And if you know anyone who would enjoy my newsletter, please share it with them!
If you want to see more from me, you can follow me on Instagram, check out my blog, or browse my zines on Etsy or Big Cartel.
Until next time!
Congrats on one year! 🎉 Totally agree about your thoughts on social media not being reliable. I've really enjoyed subscribing to newsletters like yours to get more meaningful content and interactions. ☺️
Also, thanks so much for recommending my newsletter! It means a lot!