PODCAST · arts
SMEC: CURRENTS
by Seth Werkheiser
Short voice notes, reflections, and ideas from the quiet corners of the Social Media Escape Club.
Episodes
-
21 - Proximity and Presence
I dive into what happens when real-world connection replaces scrolling. From a punk rock flea market table with some neon flyers and old music gear, the conversations quickly turned to leaving social media, quitting Spotify, and the hunger for face-to-face exchange. Along the way, I reflect on…
more -
020 - You're not marrying a platform
Based off of this post: https://socialmediaescape.club/2025/youre-not-marrying-a-platform/ And here's a link to that James Hart post.
-
019 - Seek The Joy
Indie Thinkers interview with Angela Hollowell: https://indiethinkers.substack.com/p/angela-hollowell
-
018 - WHEN YOU HIT SEND, IT'S NOT THE END
That’s a little catchphrase I came up with: When you hit send, it’s not the end. Maybe I invented it, maybe someone else did—but it’s true either way. Right now, it’s summertime—open rates are down, comments are down, “likes” are down. But when you hit send, that doesn’t mean you’re done....
-
017 - THE PODCAST HAS MOVED HERE
A lot has changed since the last Voice Note in May. I’ve moved all paid memberships to Memberful, and I’m now posting these audio entries here on Transistor. That means a new RSS feed, which you can grab here: https://feeds.transistor.fm/smec-currents And all episodes are here:...
-
016 - It's all a delivery truck
I’m starting to think of all this as a delivery truck. I make the thing, and the delivery person comes and picks it up. It goes on the truck, and then it’s out of my hands. You’ve seen the disclaimers from online shops—‘we’re not responsible for what happens during shipping.’ I’m kind of feeling...
-
015 - Your newsletter isn't your permanent address
Put something new on your website, and link it in your next newsletter. Your newsletter isn’t your permanent address, it’s a delivery vehicle. Build an archive of work on your website and link to your stuff from your newsletter! Oh, and this is the Alex Dobrenko` interview where his guest Isabel...
-
014 - You're an artist
A reflection from today’s Escape Pod Zoom call, regarding Seth Godin’s ‘What is your art?’ post from 2015. I define art as having nothing at all to do with painting. Art is a human act, a generous contribution, something that might not work, and it is intended to change the recipient for the...
-
013 - Keep reminding people
Today’s episode is a bonus add-on to today’s post: “You’re not bothering them if they’re fans,” said kate ellen, about reminding your audience about what the heck you’re doing. We think our subscribers know about our latest work, but that’s hardly ever true....
-
012 - Make stuff with your readers
In today’s voice note, I reflect a bit on last Friday’s post, and talk about the idea of building side quests with your audience—not just broadcasting at all of them. Inspired by this zine project by Kel Rakowski: https://rakowwwski.substack.com/p/the-zine-we-made-together I riff on some small…
more -
011 - Ask for less
A common trap is treating your website like the finish line. “How do I get people to my WordPress,” is the wrong question. Your blog and your newsletter should work together—your blog builds the archive, your newsletter delivers the value right where people already are. Weave links into real...
-
010 - Lead your fans to bigger places
Thanks to Parker Gates for sending me this clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHqrfkYxskX Where could you lead your current subscribers?
-
009 - Explore bigger
From today’s episode: “A website and a tool cost money, I know. But platforms cost money too. A lot of them are free, but they charge you per transaction. And then because they charge you different fees, they call the shots. So they set up the guidelines. So if they don't like what you're putting...
-
008 - Build a foundation
I included a Seth Godin quote in my latest newsletter with Laura Kidd: “The false proxy of how many people are following you on social media is a trap,” says Seth Godin, “I know people who have gotten 40 million views of a TikTok, and sold $200 worth of stuff to go with it.” It starts a bit after...
-
007 - Use your voice
Use your voice, even if it’s not a full fledged podcast, or 4K video. “This is who I am. If you're along for the ride, cool. Maybe hit subscribe. If you're not, hit unsubscribe. That's fine, too. And so, I think whether you want to do video or not, or if you want to do podcast audio or not, you...
-
006 - Borrow from other industries
In a recent talk with Olivia Rafferty I asked if there was a take away from her work that someone could adapt to their own: "If musicians don't just focus on what other musicians are doing, and how they're making music. If people on Substack who make newsletters start to think like how could I…
more -
005 - Think who, not what
Someone asked me recently via my Email Guidance offering about starting a newsletter, and the classic “what’s it gonna be about?” I replied that instead of asking, "what should I write about?" try asking, "who should I write about?" Your experiences, projects, and adventures likely involved other...
-
004 - Success is given, not earned
Watched this great interview with actor Anthony Mackie on the Pivot Podcast, about success being given, not earned. This part is at about the 14:04 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqFfX0A8UAc Success is different for everyone, and heck, you might not even be playing the game - and that’s...
-
003 - Be mindful of where we're seen
Today I reflect (not a reaction clip) on a video by photographer Noah Kalina, who questions the instinct to post creative work online, comparing social media to a "cursed room" where content is lost in a sea of distractions (starting at the 1:40 mark in the video below)....
-
002 - Let go of what’s no longer useful
Today I’m reflecting on Andy J. Pizza’s recent post about letting go of outdated strategies. Ways of working that don’t serve us anymore. “Let go of what’s no longer useful,” as Mr. Pizza puts it. I’m also emphasizing the shift away from exhausting social media efforts and instead urging you to...
-
001 - Talk to good people
This will be a collection of voice notes from me, from your pal Seth, because I just got too many ideas. And they all don't need to be blog posts. They all don't need to be newsletters. They all don't need to be videos. The stuff just comes to me a lot. So I want to get these out here, out and...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does SMEC: CURRENTS have?
SMEC: CURRENTS currently has 21 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is SMEC: CURRENTS about?
Short voice notes, reflections, and ideas from the quiet corners of the Social Media Escape Club.
How often does SMEC: CURRENTS release new episodes?
SMEC: CURRENTS has 21 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to SMEC: CURRENTS?
You can listen to SMEC: CURRENTS on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts SMEC: CURRENTS?
SMEC: CURRENTS is created and hosted by Seth Werkheiser.
URL copied to clipboard!