Hey it's me, Tom Critchlow, your friendly neighborhood consultant/blogger/weirdo. This list has grown a fair amount since I last wrote to you all so as a reminder: you probably signed up at tomcritchlow.com and this newsletter covers: independent consulting, art/tech crossovers, media design and networked writing. Thanks for being here.
Five years ago I quit my job and went independent. The best metaphor I've found for being independent is like being on a road trip:
It's really two emotions wrapped tightly together - on the one hand the freedom of driving where you want with the windows down and the music blasting, while at the same time being untethered without a home or permanent shelter.
At times it can be dislocating and disorientating but mostly I've had an incredibly positive experience and I want to.... get a little squishy and emotional for a moment. Seriously - *
thank you*. I literally would have not been able to make this journey happen without the friends, bloggers and networks I'm a part of. That means all of you on this newsletter. Thank you thank you.
For all of 2019 I've basically had one main retained client - and it came from my blog, re-kindled THREE YEARS AGO when I wrote my TWO years on the road post:
![](https://buttondown-attachments.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/d98e384d-03fa-4ffe-91dc-f030b124d751.png?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJEXF6S6TCOKT7N3Q&Signature=Qm9PNQ17mBFA7pKqe2i5dDuKohY%3D&Expires=1707560058)
The power of networked writing... of networks.... of blogging. It's funny how things go.
I've talked about the power of
small-b blogging before but I don't think people properly understand quite how *small* I'm talking. It's outrageous that my blog has such a meaningful impact on my life - clients, friends, connections - when it's this small:
![](https://buttondown-attachments.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ada8f413-3bb3-4b54-8b94-9285b14bf5de.jpeg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJEXF6S6TCOKT7N3Q&Signature=jmwLCMtVtkiGeqtaqANlEEqlKW4%3D&Expires=1707560060)
If you're unsure about the leap into blogging, into consulting, into networked writing then consider this a kick in the ass - if I can carve out a small slice of living from this meager network then you can too!
Head on over to my blog post:
5 years on the road for the full recap, revenue charts and so on but mostly I wanted to give a big fat thank you to every single one of you.
I'd love to hear from you - hit reply and tell me what you're up to!
Thanks a million. Love you all.
Tom
PS - here's a few other posts I wrote since my last newsletter: occult ads and understanding marketing realities. The notion of brands as unknowable hyperobjects is top of mind right now. Ping me if you have thoughts or want to chat.