And Now We Have a Website

How amazing is this? You go to school, get the skills, practice a lot, and now it’s time to make money.

Only, you need a website, and that’s not exactly what you went to school for (or maybe it is, and you get to charge people for your services. Rock on). I, for one, did not major in graphic design and would rather have overnight success handed to me on a platter than market myself and shout into the void like the rest of you. Except I’m “the rest of you.” Ugh, I didn’t go to school for philosophy, either.

Part of what I’ve been told about starting out as a young creative is to just “do what you’re doing, try new things, make mistakes, and you’ll find your niche.” It’s great advice, but unfortunately like most things in life, it requires a lot of work. Not that work is bad, more that the instant gratification option seems waaaaaay more appealing.

Setting up a website, blog series, Substack, social media presence, and business cards is part of the deal. If I want to try to make it as an artist and working professional, I’m going to have to be consistent, provide value, and keep trying in the face of a largely indifferent market. This initial blog post is about planting my boots in my own little corner of the internet that I’ve prospected for about $17 a month and shouting “alright, I’m here!” I’ll get to the dialing in my niche later. In the future you can expect:

• book reviews

• writing advice

• publishing reflections

• the trials of grad school

And so on. In an absolutely best-case scenario, once a month I’ll write an SEO-friendly blog post aimed at folks who don’t know me at all and are looking up things like “should I get an MA or MFA?” or “What’s a hybrid press?”

So sit tight for the moment, enjoy my fun little website, and read a poem or two. Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, and it’ll be over before you know it.