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I haven't written a blog in... 20 years? I had more hair, I was skinnier, and didn't know shit the last time that I sat down to address strangers with my writing. But I was a writer. I was Arts Editor for the Cleveland State Cauldron and was on my way (consciously or not, that's a story for another day) to a BA in English. On to the point-<figure id="figure-lhni1jdfbflyyqsnbg" class=""><img id="lhni1jdfbflyyqsnbg" src="https://durable.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blocks/1djjLpxnQAZ0Bfckgxxe5Wt4mUCdFY2Vf7NKB6MJEGDLX1y3Mm3LpalNw0dlLmo1.jpg" alt="Collection of 3d hands showing gestures. Contemporary art, creative collage. Modern design" title="Collection of 3d hands showing gestures. Contemporary art, creative collage. Modern design" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://durable.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blocks/1djjLpxnQAZ0Bfckgxxe5Wt4mUCdFY2Vf7NKB6MJEGDLX1y3Mm3LpalNw0dlLmo1.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>I'm here today to announce my weening off from social media. I think that, as a tool for businesses, its a dead horse unless you're able to shell out cash for promotions. Isaac Hayes III is always talking about how Meta and Twitter (or whatever its going by these days)&nbsp; are "cash for promotion" businesses. Stir in a lil Free Market mayhem and you get platforms that over-suppress businesses who aren't paying, for the benefit of those who pay a lot.&nbsp;Kris Kuksi is an inspiration to me. He said on The Justin Beahm Radio Hour, in short, that buyers rarely come from gallery shows in his experience, they come from emails. Hearing that was a eureka moment for me.&nbsp;<figure id="figure-ilvclrl7colyyqnjo8"><img id="ilvclrl7colyyqnjo8" src="https://durable.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/covers/24F2fWv2FLC8okGjKmQmoZRnp7MvqvlkZpWjnSmaszY1RBGDjIfP20afoBNcJPnK.jpg" alt="Retro mid-century-style abstract pop art background. Colorful shapes with grunge textures." title="Retro mid-century-style abstract pop art background. Colorful shapes with grunge textures." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://durable.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/covers/24F2fWv2FLC8okGjKmQmoZRnp7MvqvlkZpWjnSmaszY1RBGDjIfP20afoBNcJPnK.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>IG and FB are good repositories for images of my work. But its essentially tossing a bottle into the ocean from my small island in the middle of the Pacific and hoping someone will find it. There's just too much competition, too many faces, too many voices, and now, too many bots and AI, all pining for eyes. I'm stepping down from the rat race and addressing fans and followers directly with weekly updates and images sent straight to you. All of these piece are for sale. Each piece builds on the last piece, so my work is constantly evolving and improving. Every mistake creates an improvement. What you'll be getting in these newsletters regardless (dare I say, irregardless) of the words I'll write is the story of the work itself. Each series I create adds a chapter to that story. A story that began as circular scribbles on blank paper in ballpoint pen, drawn by a human who could walk or talk yet, that spent time drawing on my mother's couch in permanent marker, that later was drawn on desks and on worksheets and on the artist's own body. My practice has gone from crawling to toddling to running, welcome to my sprinter phase where I'm spreading my wing to gain lift and balance in flight. What you'll find here will be unexpected and never-before-seen. Its going to be innovative, its going to be heartfelt and human, its going to be African, its going to be American, its going to be Hip Hop, its going to be futuristic, its going to be earthy and ethereal. Its gonna rock, your shit, off. So welcome to my world, where art never stagnates and never fails to create awe in the viewer. Kris Kuksi said (gonna paraphrase here) that art fans don't just by art, they buy the wonder surrounding its conception and execution. That's what I'm here to serve, dig in.<figure id="figure-otqq8nfvjclyyqrdjo"><img id="otqq8nfvjclyyqrdjo" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/35XAu1YNdDmrTLuBVl11ZT6iEmB0leyWA0eIdhuHTZa9ORTSBpBuYMh9eRAQ6Va4.jpg" alt="abstract rough colorful multicolored art on canvas" title="abstract rough colorful multicolored art on canvas" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/35XAu1YNdDmrTLuBVl11ZT6iEmB0leyWA0eIdhuHTZa9ORTSBpBuYMh9eRAQ6Va4.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>

BlackMikeStidham

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