Gutter Thoughts 033: Changes Coming to The Stoic Creative in 2026
A look at what's changing and where The Stoic Creative is headed next.
The Stoic Quote of the Week
“If it pleases the gods, so be it. They may well kill me, but they can’t hurt me.”
—Plato
Hey there!
The end of 2025 brought more change than I expected. The kind that forces you to reassess what matters and how you want to show up. And if you’ve been here for a while, you know this space matters to me. Writing Gutter Thoughts has always grounded me, even during chaotic seasons.
But between running my newsletter ghostwriting business, picking up a part-time job so I can be around people again, and navigating a full life, my time has become limited. It’s just me managing everything, and I have to be selective with where my creative energy goes.
And here’s the truth: the writing that resonates most with you is the writing that isn’t rushed. The pieces where I sit down, think, read, and reflect. Not the posts written to “stay consistent.” The ones that hit hardest are the ones that go deeper.
So with that in mind, here’s what you can expect from The Stoic Creative in 2026.
1. Fewer long-form newsletters, but more writing that matters
Earlier this year, I wrote weekly for three months straight. The consistency felt good, but the quality didn’t always match the pace. Some posts stayed too surface-level. Not because I lacked ideas, but because depth takes space.
Then I noticed something. The posts that sparked the strongest response from you were the ones where I slowed down, read from multiple perspectives, and wrote from a deeper place. They didn’t take longer to write — they just had more behind them.
So moving forward, this newsletter will shift to 1–2 long-form essays per month. Not less writing. Better writing. Writing that earns its place in your inbox.
More Notes, more ideas, more sketches
Even with fewer long-form posts, I’ll be writing more overall. Substack Notes has become a space I genuinely enjoy. Low pressure. Quick ideas. Personal reflections. Creative sparks. And now sketches too.
Expect Notes to include:
Quick creative thoughts
Stoic insights
Observations from my daily practice
Ideas in progress
Sketches and drawings
If a Note resonates, like it or leave a comment. It helps me understand what you want expanded into future essays.
2. I’m writing a mini-book inspired by Seneca
I’ve always wanted to write a book, but the time commitment never lined up. Recently, I found How To Write a Mini Book, and it showed me a new path that felt possible.
Around the same time, I began reading Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic for the first time. Immediately, things clicked. His words connect directly to modern creative life — focus, fear, hardship, discipline, mortality.
There were ideas I wanted to explore that didn’t fit neatly into a single newsletter. And they deserved more room.
So I’m writing a mini-book exploring Stoicism through Seneca’s letters, mainly how his ideas apply to creativity today. Themes like:
Overcoming hardship
Accepting mortality to create boldly
Choosing your audience with intention
Staying grounded during chaos
Building creative rituals through Stoic practice
I’ll update you as the project takes shape.
3. Boom Kid is entering its final chapter
September 9, 2026, marks ten years of Boom Kid — the comic that shaped my entire creative life.
It’s the reason I pursued cartooning.
It’s the reason I ended up at Apple.
It’s the reason The Stoic Creative exists.
And it’s the foundation for everything that’s followed.
I almost walked away from it, but the story deserves an ending. And your response reminded me how important it is to finish what matters.
Where things stand
The final scripts are drafted
Chapters 5 and 6 are complete and need lettering
There are nine chapters, and I may add a tenth
I’ll be doing rewrites over the holidays
Goal: finish the full series by the end of summer
Digital release planned for the ten-year anniversary
Physical edition planned for 2027
You can read the first four chapters for free here:
👉 Read Boom Kid Chapters 1–4
If you want the physical Volume 1 (shipping only in the U.S.):
👉 Buy the Boom Kid book
4. Gutter Thoughts will remain free
No paywalls for now.
This newsletter exists to support your creative journey, and I want it to stay open and accessible for the foreseeable future.
Looking ahead
2026 feels like a year of deeper work. A year of finishing the projects that shaped me. A year of returning to the ideas that matter most.
Thank you for being here. Your support keeps this space alive.
More soon,
Damian
This Week’s Creative Sparks
Here are the shows, books, movies, comics, and more that have sparked my creativity this week:
Comic Book Spark: Infernal Hulk
Hulk has always held the top spot for me. Number one, no debate.
Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk run set a bar so high it still casts a shadow. Nothing since then has scratched that same itch.
So when Marvel relaunched the title with a new take—and that wild cover art—I had to jump in. Glad I did. The first issue hit hard. I’ve already reread it ten times.
If this is the direction they’re taking Hulk in 2026, I’m all in.
Book Spark: Hagakure — The Book of the Samurai
I recently finished Netflix’s Last Samurai Standing, and it hit me harder than I expected. Hard enough that I started digging into samurai history and philosophy on my own.
While pulling books off my shelf, I found a copy of Hagakure I bought years ago and never opened. I cracked it this week. It’s incredible. More than a guide to the samurai way, it reads like a book of philosophy you can apply to your own life right now.
Quiet, sharp lessons. The kind that stay with you.
YouTube Spark: How I Journal as a Designer, in Japan
I found this video a few weeks ago, and it stuck with me. Journaling is a core practice for any Stoic Creative, and Anton — a designer living in Japan — has kept a design journal for years. Now he’s bringing that practice to YouTube in a way that feels thoughtful and original.
Watching him work is a good reminder that even as the tech around us keeps shifting, our creative rituals can evolve without losing their soul.
Worth the watch.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Gutter Thoughts. Thanks for joining me on this creative journey—hopefully, something here sparked an idea or inspired your own work. Until next time, stay grounded, stay creative, and keep pushing forward.
This issue is sponsored by me.
I created Cut the Learning Curve, a free 5-day course for aspiring comic creators who are ready to stop guessing and start creating with confidence.
And if you’re more of a founder or creative team who wants this done for you, I also ghostwrite story-driven newsletters that build trust and drive conversion.