Cuban Nomad is where I talk about creative projects, relationships, queerness, and the side effects of being over 40. Thank you for your support.
I find myself slowly re-entering the outside world. Social engagements are once again appearing on my calendar and I’m even riding public transport (with a very good mask on, of course).
It almost feels like things are normal. Almost.
The small benefit of this emergence from my pandemic-fueled hibernation is that I feel like I’m able to tackle big stuff and finally reigniting my creative momentum. It’s incredible what you can accomplish when you’re not paralyzed with fear about a highly contagious airborne disease and the shambles of a response to the danger from a couple of high-profile governments. *cough* that little diatribe is for another time.
Back to the creative stuff…
Like this newsletter, which I’m resurrecting from the ashes for the umpteenth time. I admire anyone who is organized and prolific enough to maintain a long running newsletter. This is not easy.
For now, I’m going to do an overview of all the irons I have in the creative fire and then subsequent issues of this newsletter will get into the meat and potatoes of these projects individually along with other topics.
Hot & Ready to Eat
This is the stuff that’s good to go right now; projects that I somehow kept alive during all of <gestures at everything>.
Self-Portrait Series
At the beginning of this year I started a Patreon as a way to both fund and publish my artistic photography. My main focus has been a self-portrait series exploring masculinity outside of the gender norm and showing men that there's strength in vulnerability. Along the way I also captured the emotions I felt during lockdown and while struggling with imposter syndrome.
The reception to these images has been… surprisingly good. People have connected with the work and men have dropped in my DM’s across social media to tell me privately what it has meant to them. The drawback to this kind of visible vulnerability in one’s own art is that it doesn’t tend to get shared far and wide by the mainstream or even the more popular vanilla artists, which is a shame.
I’m still trying to find my audience with this work and the best way to make it available (prints, NFT’s, etc.). I’m open to suggestions.
Unicorn Magazine
I wrote a few features for a queer publication called Unicorn Magazine which was founded by the charity Bi Pride UK.
There I was able to write about queer photographers fighting for representation, how activism without labels can be just as powerful, and about a podcast that’s building space for bisexual men. It was a great bunch of writers and I truly enjoyed my time there.
I really like freelance writing and look forward to doing more of it in the future.
Caffeine & Ink Books
I run a small indie publishing company called Caffeine & Ink Books which does fantasy, sci-fi, horror, RPG’s, and kid's books. It's been a passion project of mine for going on 10+ years with the help of my business partner in NYC. We're a couple of stubborn Cubans who refuse to let the enormity of running a publishing house stop us from dreaming big.
Here are just a few of the titles that we’ve had the privilege of publishing.
Simmering on the Stove
These projects are so close to being ready that I can taste it.
Late to the Game Podcast
I blame Two Bi Guys for this. First, I was a interviewed on their podcast and then I was a guest host for one of the episodes and that’s when the podcasting bug bit me hard.
Which led me to create Late to the Game.
A podcast for those of us who have reached important moments in our lives much later than society believes possible. I myself came out as bi in my late 30's and will be sharing my experiences with dating, polyamory, queer culture, and more, as well as interviewing other folks who also found themselves late to the game, but are thriving anyway.
The trailer is up now and I’m still working on the getting the first two episodes (a solo entry and an interview) produced. It’s been a rocky start because I’ve never done this before, but I’m hopeful that people will connect with these stories just as much as they did during my other forays into podcasting.
The Back Burner
I announced these a while ago and while I haven’t forgotten about them, I have hit more hiccups than I expected, so they’re taking a break until I can pour more time into them.
Purple Days
Purple Days is a zine about the early days of the Instagram account @BisexualNomad which ended up spawning my photography Patreon. It’s a mix of street photography, artistic self-portraits, and essays. I’ve always wanted a physical representation of my work and I couldn’t think of a better way to make it happen than with a zine. My inner teenager is thrilled at the idea.
Layouts have been hand drawn (as you can already see), but getting this all into InDesign has been a real struggle since I’m unfamiliar with the app. If there’s a better way to put a photo book together for print, I’m all ears. In the meantime, it’s sitting on the shelf until I can find more hours in the day.
I’m hopeful that this is a solid foundation for a new way to connect with my audience.
A place where I can have real conversations about the work I’m doing and the topics that are living rent free in my head. No more disjointed threads across social media. Just you and me, sharing our thoughts here. At least, that’s the goal for now. We’ll see how this all turns out.
If you’ve read this far thank you so much for your time and attention. If you like what you see feel free to support any of these projects directly or buy me a cup of coffee if that’s more your speed.
A like, share, or comment are also fantastic ways of supporting Cuban Nomad.
Thanks again and take care. 💜