Wolf Criers Club
Vol 34
We wrapped up posting seven days of prompts in the Irish Folklore Art Challenge a few weeks ago. Seeing the work from Wolf Criers and community members was inspiring and a whole lotta fun.
To be honest, I still have several drawings left to post in our discussion thread.
There is only NOW on the internet, so it’s all good.
April marks the One-Year Anniversary of putting together this newsletter. This gets me thinking about what we’ve learned throughout this process and how we are evolving in this second year.
Our goal was to practice talking about our work while building a common audience ahead of illustration-driven work-in-progress. Most of us won't have a ‘product' like a book or zine ready for another year. We decided to front-load building an engaged community and contact list. Substack seemed like the right place to build it.
This year has shown us that fostering community and engaging with colleagues is a more important component of artistic agency than ‘audience’ for our work.
How do we tell stories in our illustrations and written compositions? This will be a fun question to work on this year.
What stories do you love to tell?
Who do you make them for?
Which are the ones you can’t put down?
We got some start-up help from two people messing around with their own community building on Substack. Seth Werkheiser was in the midst of rebranding his project geared toward metal bands and musicians into something that spoke to the movement by artists away from the established social media platforms. He heard the same story from many of the music artists he served with his work: Social Media was no longer connecting them with their people. In fact, most platforms actively hobbled the ability of musicians to present information to fans.
A bit over a year ago, Seth launched Social Media Escape Club on Substack and has since grown a following that has banded into an interactive community. By hosting weekly subscriber meet-ups and abundant Substack Live interviews, he brings artists across genres together, and they, in turn, interact and connect with larger circles together.
When I first sought to make a Wolf Criers Club newsletter, Seth met with me and got me revved up about Substack. At the time, neither of us understood the power beyond the simple blog-like/newsletter tool. What began as a means to tell a story is really an opportunity for conversation.
The other game-changer connection arrived in the form of Scott Perry and his Purpose Driven Prosperity Model - aka - Solopreneur Success Circle.
For about five years now, I’ve bounced around in some of the same circles as Scott, following what he offers and always interested in what he has to say. Through compelling engagement and more than a little mischief, he draws together a diverse range of committed Difference-Makers from different parts of the world and poses questions. His bookend calls on Mondays and Fridays always get me thinking in new ways about the place for my work and its potential. This guy is cracker-jack at keeping a conversation moving to unexpected insights.
Looking back at this year, I am grateful to the people who helped get Wolf Criers Club News up and running.
I’m curious about you.
What got you interested in running with the pack?
Let us know in the comments and by taking the poll. Who doesn’t love a poll?
A Couple of Interesting Reads
This month I stumbled onto a couple of golden finds on the shelves with new acquisitions of my local library. It's strange how the perfect thing you didn’t know you needed finds its way into your hand. That's why I love bookstores and libraries.
The first is Robin Wall Kimmerer's book The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, with illustrations by John Burgoyne.
Serviceberry considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude.
While returning Serviceberry to the library, I stumbled on this little yellow-bound gem How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses by Dennis James Sweeney.
Whether you’re a first-time submitter or have experience sending out your work, How to Submit gives you the tools and knowledge to share your writing successfully. It’s also a manifesto for finding joy in the process, arguing that seeking publication should give writers energy, not take it from them. Perfect for writers of any genre, How to Submit demystifies the independent publishing landscape for those seeking a place for their work that really feels like home. It's a comprehensive guide to getting published and building a literary reputation through small presses and magazines — and taking ownership of your own publishing life.
Kato McNickle composed this week’s newsletter.
Folklore Challenge lead wolf is Kayleen Sokol.
Wolf Criers Club is a collective of illustrators, writers, innovators, and wolves.
We explore aspects of dynamic storytelling each week through pictures and words, how to improve, and where to take it next. Why not run with us?
If you enjoy this post, please share it with arts-minded friends and subscribe or follow Wolf Criers Club on Substack for weekly updates.
The wolf-wearing-glasses logo is by Wolf Crier Michael Luk.
P.S. As we learn and practice getting the word out about our work and creating community, errors can happen. In fact, nothing worth doing happens without mistakes. It’s important to take the leap, even if you sometimes miss and have to start over.
If you received Kayleen’s First Post on Substack thru our Wolf Criers Club news, it was meant to be posted to her personal list. Learning all of the layers takes time. We are in this space to practice using the tools. You can sign-up to be part of Kaleen’s art journey by going here:
https://substack.com/@kayleensokolart
Till next time - what are you taking a chance on this week?
Congratulations on hitting one year!!
Congratulations and Happy One-Year Anniversary! Three cheers and a hip-hip hooray to Seth and Scott...love hanging out.