I don't know if you have heard but there is a new social media platform for creative thinkers to get their ideas out into the world. As you know I'm always up for being an early adopter. So please do follow the link to my first post, which is free, and subscribe if you are interested to hear more.
artlife.substack.com/p/art-life-in-lockdown
This is what Substack have to say about their purpose and mission.
Building a better future for writing
We started Substack because we believe that what you read matters and that good writing is valuable.
We believe that writers, bloggers, thinkers, and creatives of every background should be able to pursue their curiosity, generating income directly from their own audiences and on their own terms.
When readers pay writers directly, writers can focus on doing the work they care about most. A few hundred paying subscribers can support a livelihood. A few thousand makes it lucrative.
Readers win, too. By opting into direct relationships with writers, we can be more selective with how we consume information, honing in on the ideas, people, and places we find most meaningful.
A new Day
At the core of Substack’s mission is the belief that, by democratizing the tools that they need to create independent businesses, we can help writers succeed in an era in which the overall market for news grows dramatically. When it has reached maturity, the subscription-based news industry could well be much larger than the newspaper business ever was, much like the ride-hailing industry in San Francisco is bigger than the taxi industry was before Lyft and Uber. Democratizing this subscription-based future will enable more writers to earn more money by writing about what truly matters. It puts the media’s destiny into the right hands.
Extract from my Newsletter
"Many things annoy me right now about the arts and culture in general. Mainly how the arts are being treated by governments, but other areas need advocacy and discussion as well. These topics will be forthcoming in subsequent newsletters, along with humorous asides. For the arts and art world are full of absurdities along side the important aspects they give to the nourishment of the soul and the furtherance of civilisation." Art Life in Lockdown, From inside the studio, artlife.substack.com/p/art-life-in-lockdown
Over the years I have lived with two art critics, during that time I edited all of their articles before they went to press. Back in those days it was normal not to acknowledge the help of a spouse. In total I have 15 years experience of editing and commenting on art books and reviews before they went to press. My many years as an art dealer, Art Foundation Trustee and art valuer involved advocacy for the arts and educating the arts interested public. Now I am publishing my opinions under my own name. In these difficult times for artists and creatives it's important to garner and give support. If you are interested please subscribe to https://artlife.substack.com
PS. The photo is of me, Sir Nicholas Serota and Sir Anthony Caro at the Peter Fuller Memorial Lecture at the TATE in 2010.