Ep. 6 - An Important Message from Stuart on the One-Year Anniversary of The Coastal Life

Coastal Life Memoirs

ONE YEAR OF THE COASTAL LIFE - An Important Message from Stuart It’s hard to believe, but I’ve now been sharing The Coastal Life for one full year. When I started this, it wasn’t a business or a brand. It was a personal expression. A way to make sense of my new life on the coast after leaving the Midwest. I wanted to capture the little things. The way light falls across the water. The stories hiding in plain sight. The unexpected beauty of daily life here. But I’ve also been quietly wrestling with something, whether to keep going. Despite the hundreds of posts, photos, short films, and podcast episodes, it’s been far harder than I imagined to get people to share their stories for the documentary series. I believe with my whole heart that this coast is overflowing with incredible stories… but inviting people to step forward has proven difficult. I understand why. But it’s been humbling. Behind the scenes, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to engineer posts for reach, testing formats, posting times, hashtags hoping to catch a wave from the algorithm. Most days, despite hundreds of followers, I’m reaching just a few handfuls of people. And I’ve come to realize… I don’t want to spend my life trying to game a system or engineer stories simply for the algorithm. I’m a storyteller. A writer. A filmmaker. A guy with a camera and a heart for the overlooked moments. The simple yet extraordinary stories hiding in plain sight. So I’m hitting the pause button for 30 days. I’ll be taking time to reflect honestly about the future of The Coastal Life, whether it evolves, pivots, or ends here. I have no agenda other than to listen to my own voice and see what rises. But before I decide, I’d love to hear from you: What has The Coastal Life meant to you, if anything? Is there a post, a photo, or a story that stuck with you? Would you miss it if it quietly disappeared? You can comment here or message me privately. Either way, I’m listening. Thank you for being part of the journey so far. Stuart