#artisticreflection

Art for the sake of art-

requires vulnerability,

but I don't know if I'm able

for a part of me

to be left out on the table.

Not carefully carved

like thanksgiving turkey,

more like last night's discared dinner

not saved or cleared, out of lethargy,

and beginning to stink.

I wouldn't dare to take a bite

or try to reheat it;

attempting to give it new life.

That'd only accentuate the stench,

resurrecting the past,

and making me wretch.

Tumblr has been the foundation of so much of what I was doing, especially from 2009 to around 2016. During those years, I poured everything into my projects, but in the end, most of them didn’t take off the way I’d hoped. The reality is, they lacked the momentum to become sustainable.

One of those projects was @untldsound . It still makes me smile when I think about how, two years ago, I filed an LLC for it, opened a bank account—and then… nothing. Life happened, plans fell through. Maybe something will come of it in the future, but who knows? Right now, I’m not sure what will happen with the content that exists there. I’ll try to publish what I can, archive the rest, and by late 2026, the page will likely be deactivated or gone entirely.

Helping people make music has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. But unfortunately, between unreliable clients, strained friendships, and financial limitations, I couldn’t keep the dream alive. Some of the artists I worked with are still going strong—like Mike Lawrence (formerly Whaleman) and Mazi Kabi. Shaun Green, aka Shizzymandias, still creates music from time to time, although it’s no longer his main focus. I’ve lost touch with our producer, Dreams/Deval Dreams, but I’m determined to get his work back onto platforms and into the world. I know he’ll find success. And to @goldpackpapi, aka Ryan Dobson, and all my UNTLD crew—I love you all. I hope one day, we can create together again.

As for this page, aside from managing acts around the Philly area, I also mixed and mastered music under the name @thedearlydepart . This page will stay up as a reminder of those times. While the name @thedearlydepart will live on, I’ll be transitioning most of my accounts to my personal name and email. The domain (www.thedearlydepart.com) is no longer active—someone else claimed it when I let it lapse—but I’ll be using its email service for a while longer. After that, it’ll disappear.

I had considered turning this handle into something more personal, and in some ways, it already was. But I think it’s time to let go of the moniker and start fresh. Over the next year, I’ll keep you updated on what happens with the content across my various platforms.

Then there’s @psocial-light, which I started in December 2009, a few months after my child was born. It was a lifestyle and photography brand that, unfortunately, never fully blossomed. Still, I stand by the work I did there—it was my first real project, my baby. After 15 years (with the last five being mostly inactive), it’s time to say goodbye. I still have the files, and I’ll never forget those times, even if @rawartistsla was a bit of a scam. It was still special, and I’m grateful to Jailon, Ryan, and @ziggy-wiggy for supporting me at my little photo stand, helping me pack up for the show.

At the end of the day, I wanted all these ventures to succeed, and I take full responsibility for them not reaching their potential. I didn’t have the business know-how to turn them into money-making ventures. I couldn’t get anyone on tour, secure major placements, or help these projects scale. I couldn’t make it as an artist, or even as one of the pieces making the machine run.

So, I’m giving up.

I don’t expect many people to see this or care, but for those who do, I’ll be posting updates about the transition process on each page. I expect this to take until late 2025 or early 2026, with the final shutdown happening around summer 2026.