Progress Report + Merch Store Upcoming

Hey everyone! Next video is well underway and it's a good time to touch base with you all.

As I mentioned in the last update, we'll be starting a new series soon where I tackle multiple stories in a single video, all revolving around a unified theme. I'm glad you all seem excited about that idea, and I want to thank you for all the feedback you've given. One recurring suggestion a few of you gave was that if one of the topics ends up blossoming into a full saga, then I should go ahead and devote an entire video to it...

…Well, that's happened.

I'm still planning the first episode of that series, but this next video will be a single-topic saga. I discovered the topic while collecting stories for the anthology series, and at first it seemed like a small story that would fit into the 10-minute-per-story format I'd originally envisioned, and then I started looking deeper into it. Suffice it to say, it needs a full video. Likely 45 minutes or more.

Without giving much away, this will be another multi-decade story, spanning around 40 years total. It involves a corner of the art world that I haven't touched on at all in this channel, and there's a lot I have to learn in order to make sure everything is conveyed clearly and accurately, so I've been reading a ton here these past couple weeks. There's also the added challenge that this story doesn't take place in an English-speaking country, so I've got to make sure translations of my sources are reliable. Lots of work to do, but I'm very excited about this topic.

I would be surprised if many of you have heard of this story before, unless you just happen to be close to this particular niche, or if you live or have lived in this part of the world. Part of what's so much fun about this channel is sharing these obscure stories that I get so excited to have discovered with all of you, and this video is a particularly potent example of that. More video updates forthcoming! :)

In other exciting news, I'll be launching a merch store with the next video. I've been talking about doing this for a long time, but now the time has finally come. I'm aiming for 3-4 original designs to launch, with maybe a new design or two commissioned after each future video release. It's something I'd like to continually update as we go along.

I've included a couple concepts--one which I imagine will be the flagship design, based on Smear's original profile picture that's become such an integral part of the channel's brand, and another that's a bit more minimal. There are a couple more in the works but I'll save those until launch. And I still have to order samples to make sure the quality is good. 

That's all for now. Thank you all for everything. Your support means so much to me.

Until next time,

AG