Laying Connection Track by Track
I spent most of today acting as my own digital mover. The goal was simple: organization.
I decided it was time to separate the “process” from the “product.” Moving forward, laborpainsblog.com is my Studio—the messy, creative, loud, generative space where the work happens. Laborpainsproject.com will become the Gallery—the polished home for the Myth & Marrow presentation and the official archive.
So, I spent hours migrating every single blog post over to the Studio, carefully selecting images for each one, tidying up the metadata. It was tedious, quiet, backend work. Or so I thought.
What I didn’t know was that every time I refreshed a post or added an image, my website was automatically blasting updates to all my social media accounts. I was unintentionally shouting from the digital rooftops for six hours straight.
The result? A happy accident.
I logged in to find a massive spike in readership—131 visitors in a single day. It turns out, if you make enough noise, people actually come to see what all the fuss is about.
This “oops” moment is actually the perfect capstone to a week of intentional growth. On Monday, I launched the project newsletter, AFROXpress, sending it out to my personal contacts, MetaCocoMom subscribers, and the Labor Pains list. I was nervous. Would people unsubscribe? Would it go to spam?
Instead, we hit a 70% open rate, with some folks opening it multiple times.
I have successfully created an audience where there was none. I am building a community for this work out of thin air, Wi-Fi, and sheer will. And the numbers prove it’s working:
- August: 205 views
- September: 230 views
- October: 375 views
- November (so far): 279 views
We are trending up. And to keep that momentum, I’m getting ready to launch a podcast to enhance the “Studio” site, giving deeper audio context to the visual work in the “Gallery.”
But looking at these charts today, I felt something deeper than just “good metrics.”
For a long time, in different professional environments, I felt like I had to downplay my talents. I was led to believe my ideas weren’t “good enough”—only to watch someone else take a recycled, watered-down version of that same idea and get applauded for it. I have been in rooms where I was encouraged to pursue ambitious projects with zero support, zero resources, and zero guidance, only to have the credit snatched away if it succeeded, or the blame placed squarely on my shoulders if it failed.
Laying the Labor Pains Project track by track—using tools I taught myself, courses I took on my own time, and strategies I developed in my own living room—has been a massive validation. It has confirmed what I secretly suspected about my own talent for a long time: I can do this.
It brings me to a conversation I often have with my wife. We have wildly different views on labor.
She believes in the efficiency model: make as much money as possible while exerting as little energy as possible. To me, this is a very “owner of production” mentality. It is practical. It is smart. It is very American.
I, on the other hand, believe my labor is an extension of what I value and believe. I take great care in what it looks like and how it feels. Historically, this approach hasn’t been profitable, but it is wildly gratifying.
I don’t think either perspective is “better.” But in 2025 America, being able to choose how you labor is a privilege and a power.
To anyone reading this who is grinding through a job search, or feeling undervalued in their current role: Do not let a system convince you that you lack value just because they don’t know how to appraise you.
Follow the passion that gives your life meaning. Build your own Studio. Curate your own Gallery. And if you accidentally blast your progress to the world?
Well, let them watch.
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