Y'all are quite busy this year

Issue #310 | Jan. 28, 2025

A few weeks ago we asked you, our wildly creative Passionfruit readers, to tell us what you’re working on this year, so that we could tell everyone else about it.

The responses were overwhelming. Some were so long and heartfelt, I’ll be personally reaching out to some of you separately to discuss how we can help and maybe even publish your pieces as longer articles/explorations of creativity.

Two of you seem very cold and isolated (by choice!) in Alaska, separated by 1,500 miles of international highway. I intend to put you in touch with each other, I kind of love the idea of keeping tabs on what our coldest (coolest?) readers are up to.

One reader thought we were trying to steal her ideas for ourselves (hi Ashley P., how’s this for a “mass text”)! Rude assumption, but I get it. The internet is scammy, you should all protect your intellectual property. But I assure you, there’s no shortage of ideas in this world and we have plenty of our own here, how you execute and get others excited about your idea is what matters most to us at Passionfruit.

Here are a couple others, lightly edited for brevity. If you’ve been cited below, we’ll be in touch this week to get subscribed to your work. If you’re cited above, we’ll be in touch separately to chat more.

And if you’re not mentioned, keep at it and stay in touch. We received so many more submissions than we have space, but we’ll keep running these as long as you keep sending them to us.

I’m working on a book of poetry. I’ve been working on it for over four years now, and in that time I’ve performed at open mics, gallery grand openings, and an annual awards banquet. I still want that poetry to resonate with people, and I’m working on some more ideas that will dovetail into the book to give perspective and ideas where people had never shone a light.
I’m also putting my first painting in a gallery this month. I’m doing a mandala for a show in St Petersburg, FL at the Florida Craft Art Gallery. Tibetan monks spend a week making a sand mandala as a meditation, then destroy it ceremoniously. I’ll have a mandala on display alongside other local artists.
Lastly, I have an art install at Florida’s regional Burning Man, called Love Burn. It’s a Zen garden on the beach, and as this year’s theme is the underworld, I’m taking it to another spectrum. The entrance is a full sized Japanese torii gate and on the beach side after walking through everything is backlit. The tapestries will reflect visions of another world.
I’m on what I’m calling a tsunami of artistry. Where it will go in 2025 I don’t know... – Meliferas

I’m new to this space, and grateful to be here. I’m continuously focused on strengthening my mental fitness for myself, my family, and my clients. I’m also pursuing a beginner watercolor hobby. It’s an amazing PQ rep (Positive Intelligence) experience that calms my mind and body. Time seems to slip away and I never expected this creative side of me to emerge. I registered for a Forest Therapy Certification to meld yoga and nature into my coaching business. As an empty-nester, I value time to nurture myself and explore creative ways to be a better mom and gammy. I get to leave a loving legacy to my kids that includes detachment from them for my happiness. It’s taken decades, but I know that my happiness is my responsibility and I’m more than capable of creating lots of it with presence!
Thank you for all you do to light us all up. – Barb Kornbrath

I’m Phoebe and I run a bakery with a couple of friends in a smaller city north of the UK called Newcastle.
I’d like to share that we are going the omnichannel route in a hopefully more hardcore way. Private dinner events and pop ups for the physical connections.
Our creative vision is at a bit of a rough point right now, but I’m utilizing a time management matrix and some scheduling apps to organize my media workload. Everyone is saying “storytelling” is the way to a customer’s heart and while it seems to be the tried and true method at this point, I can’t help but admire Duolingo and RyanAir’s snarky PR team. I’m taking notes there.
I think the one thing I need to do for sure with the business is MORE. Like more events. More things to cover whether they go so well or so wrong.
We’re called @cravingasian_ncl by the way if you ever end up there!

This year I am focusing more of my time and energy on getting my software launched. My goal with the software is to disrupt talent management by giving creators more tools to manage their own business vs hiring an agency. My big focus is on automations and how to make deals more transparent so creators don’t get taken advantage of. – Kristyn Snell, Founder of ModernSpeak

Thanks for sharing your creative visions with us, and if you’d like to tell us what you’re working on (or would like to work with us), this inbox is mostly monitored. We’d love to keep sharing your work with the world, so please keep at it.

– James Del, Publisher

CULTURE

Creators Can Now Apply To Cover the White House

Leavitt pushed for creators in the briefing room before joining the White House.

By John-Michael Bond, Deputy Editor

Two panel image. On the left, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks behind a podium in the White House press room. On the right, a phone sits on a stand in front of a women. The screen displays a video feed of her with likes and comments overlayed.

→ READ THE FULL STORY

Be Your Biggest Stan, Make Your Own Stanley

Your logo, your face, your name, your dog…pretty much anything you can think of can go on the side of a Stanley. Nothing says “professional” like slurping out of a branded mug on stream, it’s like 90% of what makes TV talk shows work (think about it, it’s true). Give Stanley Create a try and customize your Stanley for free.

Get your Stanley

IN THE BIZ

TikTok could make a deal within the next 30 days.
Meta AI will ‘remember’ conversation details for future reference.
Reelo is one of the apps building a ‘TikTok for Bluesky.’
Chinese AI bot DeepSeek is taking value away from American genAI companies.

CULTURE

Should Youtubers Hold Themselves to Journalistic Ethics? The Size of their Audience Suggests So.

When do creators become journalists?

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

2 panel image showing YouTube hosts explaining.

PLATFORMS

Spotify Creators Can Now Get Awards

This is the first time that Spotify has publicly released the streaming numbers for its podcast.

By Charlotte Colombo, Job Title

READ THE FULL STORY →

JOB BOARD

Razorfish is looking for a Video Editor.
Kate Mackz is looking for a Thumbnail Designer.
Ana Inciardi is looking for a Social Media Manager.
Whiskey Tribe is looking for a Multicam Editor.

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

Calling all creators! Want to be featured to Passionfruit’s community? ✨

Make sure to apply to our creator spotlight program! You can find more details and the application here. Happy creating!