We are just weeks away from 2020. Man of Metropolis is celebrating a decade. I was writing blog posts from my Washington Heights bedroom ten years ago. I could have quit this thing many times. Man, fashion can sure feel like a contact sport or at least some alternate version of The Godfather. I could write a book and I might, someday. But for now, I want to talk about the future of Man of Metropolis.
I want to look ahead to 2020, and say something to our readers. We are fucking good. We are. I don’t say that to sound arrogant, but you see in Fashion oftentimes no matter what you do it is never enough. So I just wanted to clear things up. Man of Metropolis is flesh and blood. It is comprised of nearly 10 years of hard work and has seen more than 300 creative collaborators issue after issue. I say this because art is super subjective. I say this because fashion and politics are not all too different. I say this because in the past I have let some influence the direction of this title. I listened because I was open. I acted because I was serious about growing. Over the years I learned few people will give you advice who also share a common goal. It is those few you want to lean into. And the rest well they can go away. That is a nice way of putting it. The high-powered creatives who cancel coffee with me for a year, they are not the people I want to be influenced by or learn from. Heads-up there are a lot of those, and if you are reading this knock it off. You are hurting the reputation of the creative community. Be human. Be decent. Lastly, it is my experience that any creative project needs a variety of talent to execute well. Everyone’s role matters, but there should be a shared goal. One vision if you will. You can’t successfully create anything with 12 Creative Directors on set. Know when to support, know when to direct, and know when to get out of the way. I certainly get out of the way my fair share and this is my title. Humility means maturity.
Now that I got that off my chest. 2020 is about excellence. We have a lot to do in the New Year, starting with our new health & wellness title, Metropolis Sport. That means we have 6 full issues next year, Men’s, Women’s and Metropolis Sport; including more exclusive digital stories. That is a ton of work for the team. So I have decided to say no to anything and anyone that can’t agree to pursue excellence with us.
Let’s be good to each other in 2020.
Seth Travis
Founder, Creative Director
and Editor-In-Chief
