

New Creative Era
Joshua Citarella and Yancey Strickler
A podcast exploring how creative people develop their practices and the worlds we live and operate in. metalabel.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 30, 2026 • 29min
How Artist Corporations became law
A step-by-step retelling of how a new legal form for artists moved from idea to law in Colorado. Tense committee hearings and the political strategy that won bipartisan support are highlighted. The story covers legal drafting, assembling a team, and why Colorado was chosen. It ends with celebration at signing and the practical next steps for artist-focused corporate structures.

8 snips
Apr 28, 2026 • 1h 5min
Cake in a box
A wide-ranging catchup on art world happenings, from Biennial participation to early-morning briefings at the European Parliament. Deep dives into creating Artist Corporations as a practical tool for creatives, plus the Colorado pilot and legislative roadmap. Updates on a new decentralized platform for creators, insurance and financing plans, and a playful Venice project tease.

29 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 1h 2min
Forward not back
They trace the web’s genealogy from gatekeeping to attention-driven rebundling and discuss private online communities rising as new cultural institutions. They list hopes like sustainable creative ecosystems, porous organizational forms, sincere interactions, editorial curation, and pluralism. They also name fears: exclusionary paywalls, rent-seeking platforms, amplified culture wars, manipulation, and governance capture.

13 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 54min
Four countries or a thousand?
A rapid AMA tackling nationalism versus tiny regional sovereignties and whether consolidation or fragmentation serves society better. They debate wealth preservation thought experiments and new cultural myth-making. Technical topics include open source federation, data portability, moderation philosophies, and treasury mechanics. The conversation closes with a heated Section 230 debate and risks of algorithmic recommendation.

29 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 1h 4min
The two wolves
They talk about how a sudden online community spawned a book club and instant, intense discussion. They debate moderation styles, from soft deliberation to firmer rules, and who gets to remove members. They weigh paywalled versus free spaces as filters and funding for community managers. They explore technical choices like self-hosting, mesh networks, and risks of platforms becoming degraded over time.

26 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 47min
What if you could start your own internet?
They give the first tour of Dark Forest OS, a platform for shared private internets and app-like community spaces. The conversation covers building durable creative communities and the pains of stitching platforms together. They explain DFOS features like treasuries, membership flows, chat versus persistent posts, upvote dynamics, and plans for an app store and member-only shops.

44 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 51min
The internet has been building to this
They unpack teleology and how tools drift toward outcomes embedded in their design. They explore cloud platforms taking on state-like roles and competing visions for a privatized internet. They compare a stack built on social democracy with a dystopian stack of surveillance, gated culture, and privatized welfare. They warn how platform features get repurposed in unexpected political ways.

27 snips
Jan 20, 2026 • 30min
The politics of withdrawal
Exploring the concept of 'dark forests,' the hosts tackle how private spaces can foster hidden understanding while potentially evading civic duty. They delve into Adam Curtis's critique of 1970s communes as inward-focused retreats. The discussion raises questions about the balance between sharing valuable ideas publicly and protecting them from misuse. With references to communities on platforms like Discord, they connect dark foresting to social dynamics. Ultimately, they view this phenomenon as a complex response to modern technology and cultural shifts.

21 snips
Jan 13, 2026 • 34min
Ingroups and outgroups
Dive into the intriguing world of curation and exclusion, exploring how Web2's promise of open platforms has ironically led to new forms of gatekeeping. The hosts discuss the value disparities and cultural protections that emerge from those exclusions. They examine how humans naturally gravitate towards in-groups, the ideologies that develop within them, and the role of memes and jargon in shaping subcultures. They also tackle governance issues in creative communities and the implications of resource-sharing dynamics. It's a thought-provoking look at belonging and boundaries!

30 snips
Dec 17, 2025 • 31min
Dark forests and antimemetics
Explore the hidden world of dark forests and antimemetics, where ideas resist visibility. Discover how bureaucratic structures obscure information and how niche audiences can powerfully outshine mass media. The conversation highlights the allure of elusive groups, shared rules, and anonymity in fostering genuine creative interactions. Delve into the contrast between quick viral hits and enduring, impactful work, and uncover how these secret spaces serve as vibrant hubs for collaboration and innovation.


