Fresh off the presses!
Ladies and gentlemen! Please, allow me to reintroduce myself.
The photo featured in this newsletter (and the photos found throughout Off-Balance) were taken by my good friend James Clark, the founder of JD Clark Media.
JD Clark Media are a studio based in Halton Hills, west of Toronto, that specialize in lifestyle, portrait and product photography.
If you’re looking to see more of their work or inquire about their services? Be sure to visit their website (www.jdclarkmedia.com) or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
First and foremost, I’d like to properly welcome all the subscribers that have joined the Off-Balance community in recent weeks.
It is, sincerely, so good to have you.
I’ve been here, on Substack, for just over a year now and it means so much to see my work continuing to reach new people.
There is always the worry, I think, small as it can be, that regardless of past success, that your writing won’t land. That it will be disregarded or ignored.
But whether you’ve been here since the very beginning or you joined somewhere along the way, you’ve all proven otherwise.
And I am grateful for it.
For those of you that may not know me personally though? I’m Ryan.
I’m 25, with an academic background in journalism, publishing and creative writing (from prose and poetry to screenwriting).
Alongside my past experience in marketing, I’ve been writing professionally, in various capacities, for about four years. I started writing on Substack in May of 2023 as a way to discuss personal topics of interest I wasn’t covering professionally.
Broadly, this meant sports and all corners of pop culture.
I didn’t expect what was more-or-less a small side project to grow as it has, however. It was very much a jack-of-all-trades approach, in choosing not to specialize in any specific thing (and a niche, as comfortable as it can be, can also be limiting).
It is just me here: there are no additional writers, editors or people above me. Well, unless you’re counting my dog, Marty (I do, for the record - he’s the best boy).
There were no guarantees, you know?
That being said, I wasn’t all that concerned about relying on my marketing background either: putting all my effort into the raw numbers, into growth and engagement or funnelling people into paid subscriptions (of which there are none: Off-Balance began and will remain, completely free).
My goal was, simply, to put out strong content.
It seems I’ve done that.
With that said, as the community continues to grow, how you engage with Off-Balance will change somewhat going forward.
On the homepage, you’ll notice numerous sections, all denoting what I cover here: from baseball and hockey, to Star Wars and movie reviews.
By default, you’re subscribed to everything. But if you find you’d rather just follow along to my sports content? Or exclusively to the “Community Spotlight” section? You can do that.
If you have a Substack account, under your account settings, you'll see the newsletters you’re subscribed too and from there, Off-Balance, where you can click off the sections that aren’t of interest to you.
I’ll keep writing as usual but this way, you can better personalize your experience and how you engage with my content.
One more thing.
I often get asked about the name.
Off-Balance… where’s that come from?
Well, I was born with mild-spastic Cerebral Palsy, which primarily affects my legs, in addition to being in my hands.
And while I’ve never let it define me, singularly? I am a proud member of the disabled community and it was something I wanted to highlight, if somewhat humorously, as I began this project. I think it stuck.
Anyway, that’s all for now.
Thank you so much for your readership and continued support.
I’ll see you out there,
Great photo Ryan! I look forward to continuing to read Off Balance.
Keep up the great work Ryan! All the best!