Summer Fridays Forever & Ever, Amen

CREATOR NEWSLETTER

Issue #268 | August 29, 2024

You feel it? If you’re in New England like I am this pre-Labor Day week, the leaves are just starting to get that tinge of red, the air has that newfound crisp in the evening, and the days, tragically, are starting to feel constrained by the receding hours of daylight. Summer is coming to an end, and so too are Summer Fridays. (I am talking about the time-honored business tradition of not working past noon on Fridays in the summer, not FOSTERTALK’s legendary Summer 2024 newsletter, Summer Fridays, which I anxiously await the final edition of tomorrow.)

Alas, it’s time to get back to it.

“But James, we’ve been at it all summer,” you mumble. I know. Creators don’t generally get to have nice things like Summer Fridays or out of office messages that span weeks while your calendar becomes an endless array of excursions and dinner reservations. Maybe some of you are reading this email in your Burning Man yurt courtesy of the camp Starlink, but even that can feel like an immense amount of creative work being expended in the interest of “having fun.”

Wherever you are this Friday, consider this: The media companies that used to employ creatives…the record labels, the publishing houses, the magazines, the papers, the networks, the studios…those folks all take Summer Fridays. Even the agents, the managers, and the accountants; they take ‘em too. They take these partial days off for two reasons: 1) They can afford to, and 2) They can afford to because someone somewhere (probably you!) is still working while they’re pulling up on the back nine at their country club.

I don’t say this to discourage you, I say it to empower you. Being able to keep pumping out content means carving up little ceremonial breaks for yourself. A thing to look forward to in an otherwise endless stream of edits and engagement. A lot of the folks on the Passionfruit team only work 4 days a week to begin with, not because there isn’t more work to do, but because keeping the people who make things sane and happy is the only way to keep sustainably making things. If you work for yourself, that’s on you to create those momentary opportunities to not care for a few hours a week, a few weeks a year. The bosses are doing it, and if you’re your own boss, you should be too.

We’ll be off on Monday with some sparse scheduled stuff, I suggest you honor your own creative labor this Labor Day weekend and do the same.

And as always, if you’d like to support the work we’re mostly doing on Fridays all year long, we’d love to have you on our Patreon.

Then we request that you promptly go outside for the last licks of summer.

– James Del, Publisher

NOTED BY LON HARRIS

Slashing the Rules: How ‘Milk & Serial’ is Redefining the Film Industry

‘Milk and Serial’ is an impressive feat both narratively and on a technical basis.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

Man with his phone

→ READ THE FULL STORY

Build Your Own Cosmetics Business With Blanka

Launching any kind of product is hard, launching a cosmetics line can seem like the hardest. But Blanka was started by a fellow creator to help other creators source, produce, and distribute cruelty-free, high quality vegan cosmetics under your own custom brand label, with no minimum order size and drop shipping available. Sign up now for your first 14 days free. 

Try Blanka

IN THE BIZ

TIPS & TRICKS

How to Avoid Copyright Claims On YouTube, From Strikes to Claims

Learn the ropes, from strikes to claims. 

By merritt k, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

PERSONALITIES

TikTok’s Most Popular Food Reviewer Treads Carefully

Lee’s positive videos have the power to turn a struggling business into a hit overnight. But his negative takes can have the opposite effect. 

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

SUBSTACK MADE ME DO IT

This ranked list of the 100 most popular Substacks by subscriber count caught our eye.

Copyright © 2024 Passionfruit, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you signed up to get the latest tips, tricks,
and trends in the creator economy from Passionfruit.

Have an idea for our next big story or want to get featured? Email us at tips@passionfru.it

Don’t want to hear from us anymore?
Click here to unsubscribe 

To view in your browser click here 

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • Creators: When Was the Last Time You Took a ‘No Bones Day?’

    Creators: When Was the Last Time You Took a ‘No Bones Day?’

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #158 | August 10, 2023 In European journalism circles, August is colloquially known as “Cucumber Season.” This, according to Passionfruit’s publisher James Del, is because traditionally, very little happens during the month to move the news media needle forward other than the ripening of certain long, green fruit. (Hey! Cucumbers are fruit!…

    By

    Drew Grant

  • Internet Vengeance, Schadenfreude, and Bad Bosses

    Internet Vengeance, Schadenfreude, and Bad Bosses

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #157 | August 8, 2023 I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some really scummy, abusive bosses: I’ve had a producer scream with specks of spit flying at my face, slamming a door so loud it could be heard down the office block. I’ve been harassed on the job by men…

    By

    Grace Stanley

  • SAG Bears the Mark of the (Mr)Beast

    SAG Bears the Mark of the (Mr)Beast

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #156 | August 3, 2023 It’s not been a great week to be the world’s most popular YouTuber, Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast aka probably not the antichrist, who may or may not also be a scab?  I mean sure, I MAY be inclined to think the worst on hearing that there are…

    By

    Drew Grant