This isn’t a post about New Year’s resolutions… I promise. I’m not one to make some grand statement at the beginning of a new year about something I want to do that I have been ignoring for the last 8 months. That’s not to say that I don’t set goals for myself, or work on really big projects that take a lot of thought, planning, and sometimes a long time to execute, because I do that a ton. That’s what I want to use this for. Not to make a bold statement about who I want to be, but to bring you behind the velvet rope, behind the curtain, and into my world a little bit – to let you know where I’m at with stuff.

I won’t go into some of the longer term stuff that I’m working on that is a ways off… this is the stuff that you’re already seeing come to life in little peeks (or that is here… but still being developed).

Work? Meet Gnome

This one has been the biggest change in my thinking over the last 6 months or so. I have a day job, a nice one that I enjoy a lot. Next to the part of my life that actually creates income is the part of my life that you’re more familiar with… call it a hobby. That’s this “stuff”. The Gnome.

I’m tired of the two sides of my life battling at times, calling for attention in strange ways, and being separate from each other. No longer is that the case. I am the Gnome, and the Gnome is me. I’m bringing the day job into the world of the Gnome a bit at a time… until the lines between the those two sides of my life blur and eventually disappear.

What does this mean? I’m glad you asked.

I’m a photographer. I’ve been a professional photographer since 2001, and yet, here… I have this side of my life (a hobby) that has avoided the other side of my life (the one that generates income) in some sort of strange fear that it will ruin one or the other. This is crazy. So, I created “Gnome Creative” which brings the two together. This year… if you’re looking for creative services – you can book “The Gnome”. You’ll see more of my photography start working its way onto this website… you’ll see more of “me” showing up in who The Gnome is, which not only makes all this easier for me to manage – it makes it feel better.

I’ll have more details about how that will all work, what it will look like (and what those services all are) soon enough, but for now – I want you to know that it’s happening. This little hobby that I started back in 2014 is not just a hobby anymore. It’s part of who I am.

The YouTube Channel

The idea that who I am, and who The Gnome is are one in the same opened myself up to actually using my own face for stuff. Video is so much fun, and I was scribbling down all sorts of fun ideas that would have made great videos over the years, but that I didn’t do because I always tried to keep some form of anonymity to ‘The Gnome’.

That’s changing… a little. I am still “The Gnome” and the fun of that doesn’t go away. But now you get to see my face. Actually, it’s bigger than that. If I have a creative idea that I want to pursue (any creative idea) I’m going to tackle it. This idea that I can’t do something because of some rule that I have self-imposed upon myself is dead.

YouTube is a perfect example. Live streaming, video shows, vlogging, and video “specials” are all part of what I do in a big way now, and that’s only going to get stronger going forward. I have been checking out some other platforms as well, with the objective of gaining a larger audience and to get paid for videos that I make. There is a big world outside YouTube as well and I can think of no reason for me to not explore those options further.

Look for more Prost! episodes. More Weekly Pint streams, and even some video content that surrounds Cincy Brewcast – it’s all there, an it only increases. Please, if you’re not already – subscribe to my YouTube channel… the more people that are there, the more time I can justify spending on that content.

The Podcast(s)

Cincy Brewcast has continued to grow every year, and the importance of it in the whole picture can’t big ignored. I LOVE this show and it will continue to thrive going forward. As I mentioned above, some video content will be coming out around the show (though, some of it will be for Patreon supporters… more on that in a minute).

The biggest thing that I have been working on in regards to podcasting is working on my home studio. To get my second show to the point I want it to be (that’s Drinking With The Gnome) I have to be able to easily and reliably create content at home… we’re there. More episodes of that show are in the works, and I can’t wait to start working on some of the new content there.

Besides that… I’ve also been working on balance. The Brewcast takes a lot of time away from my home life. I’m a Dad. I don’t want to spend more time away from my kids and my wife. I took two weeks off for Christmas/New Year’s… and that’s going to be a thing. It’s a vacation. Some weeks I’m going to record two shows so that I can have a week without recording anything. You probably won’t notice stuff like that – but it is all part of the bigger picture for me.

The Blog

This is the lifeblood of it all, really. The website ties all these goofy projects together, and it gives them a place to call home. There’s always “stuff” going on behind the scenes. Sometimes I’m working on speeding things up, sometimes I’m working on making a stupid aspect of the site a little prettier than it was before (not that anyone would usually notice) – but then there’s the big stuff too.

I have been working, though slowly, on beefing up some of the historical content on the site. I hope to eventually have pages for all our historical breweries to live. I want you to be able to search for anything and get a good wealth of available knowledge on it. Some of that is here, and if you dig a little, you’ll find it… but there’s going to be a lot more in 2021.

Wine? Booze? Cocktails? I’ve been working on slowly integrating more stuff that isn’t beer into the website, and its starting to come to life. The longterm idea is that TheGnarlyGnome.com is going to be the ultimate source for drinking in Cincinnati. If you want to know something, I want you to feel confident that you can come here and find it. I have a ways to go before I feel that I can say that… but I’m working on it.

I’m always working behind the scenes at making things on the website work better, work faster and easier. I want you to enjoy using my website, and the more content that I cram onto its pages, the tougher that gets.

Gnomies… I’m not leaving you out!

I have been terrible at Patreon. I love my Patreon supporters, and feel terrible that in 2020 I neglected them a little. The Weekly Pint wouldn’t exist if they weren’t there – and I’m going to pay a little more attention this year.

I’m planning on launching more video content (like I said above) and part of that is a full video version of Cincy Brewcast that will be available to patrons only (that’s who the Gnomies are, people who support on patreon). Non-supporters (that makes it sound bad) will have access to clips from shows (eventually) and all the same content you’re used to.

The tiers that you currently see on Patreon will get a little bit of a facelift, and swag will be a little more defined if you support at the right level… I’ve spent way too much time working on getting swag together this year, only to have Covid shutdowns make getting it (at an affordable price) really difficult for me. I need to focus on it.

Ok… Wrap It Up!

I didn’t mean for this to be so long-winded… though I enjoy getting all my thoughts out there. Thank you. Thank you for all the support through the last few years which have been nuts. Between having kids, cramming more things onto my plate, Covid craziness… it’s been a whirlwind. You guys have helped me figure out who I am in the middle of all of this. 2021 is going to be a good year, and I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without you.

Don’t ever hesitate to reach out with a question, a thought, an idea… I love hearing from everyone. Most importantly, stay tuned – there’s a lot in the pipeline!!!