As I mentioned in my earlier post, I’m stepping down from edseldopefan.org’s social media presence effective immediately. While the almost certain TikTok ban this Sunday feels disheartening (I’ve loved being part of that platform) it gave me a moment to reflect. I realized I’d become so invested in social media that edseldopefan.org, our flagship site, had become an afterthought.

That’s not where I want to be.

Instead of seeing this as a setback, I’m using it as an opportunity to double down on what truly excites me: improving this website for our amazing community. I’ve already started revamping EDF Photo – check it out and let me know your thoughts! I’ve improved the aesthetics and readability of EDF Photo, and I’m still not done yet. I’ve also put together a to-do list for new features and updates to the main site. Things might look a bit wonky if I’m working on them, but that’s alright. Just letting you know it’s me doing some improvements!

Another reason I’m stepping back from socials is that I’ve realized my fansite’s presence on social media may unintentionally compete with the band’s official channels. When we’re putting out the same messages from different places, it can dilute the impact. I don’t want to step on any toes, so I’m shifting gears to focus on this space – where I can really amplify their work without getting in the way. As always, I encourage you to like and follow Dope on their official channels: you can check ’em out right there in the sidebar. edseldopefan.org is an unofficial, fan made resource.

I know change isn’t always easy, but it’s often necessary to grow. I’m excited to see where this new chapter takes us and hope you’ll be part of the journey. Your feedback, ideas, and support mean the world to me. Let’s build something great together.

Thank you for being here.

Cristina xoxo

Hey everybody. I know I addressed this on social media, but I also wanted to touch base here. I was inactive for a few due to fighting off a pretty gnarly sinus infection (0/10, don’t recommend). While I wasn’t gone that long, I just wanted to let you know I’m still here! Content will be restarting soon.

I also wanted to extend a genuine thank you to everyone who sent me feedback! I do love hearing from you, and your ideas were very helpful. As I always tell you guys – I made this site about Edsel, but it’s really for you! You’re the reason that I do what I do, and I appreciate you.

Hello hello. This is probably the longest I’ve gone without an update (and even this is not that long.) If there’s nothing going on with Edsel currently, I’ll highlight moments from days gone by in his career or make up original articles like our merch spotlight feature. This leads to me posting about once a week, not including any social media posts I make.

Thing is, it’s also led to me to post content just for the sake of posting content. Posting on a consistent schedule is not always ideal for this sort of website, because sometimes there’s really and truly nothing to talk about. But I’ve set a precedent for a long time, and once that happens, it’s always in the back of my mind. “Oh it’s been x amount of days, I should be posting or updating the website.” It feels like I’m failing if I don’t keep up with an arbitrary precedent. (I know I’m not, but I feel how I feel)

Content for content’s sake is very contrived: it feels fake, and ultimately it’s a lower quality product. I want to be proud of the content I create, as does anyone. That may mean going forward, there might be a week or two (or three) that I don’t post. When I do, you can be sure it’s something worthwhile. I don’t want to waste your time on content I don’t 100 percent believe in.

I’ve had fans tell me they’re glad I’m around, because this website brings them closer to an artist that means a lot to them. That’s valid. And I’ll probably always be here.  It would take Edsel doing something truly horrific to make me not support him anymore. (I don’t see that happening, by the way. Just telling you I’m not fickle, and I see this as a long term project. I believe in my work, and in the person I’m trying to support.)

Please don’t take this as “poor me, boohoo, content creation is hard”. I find that just as annoying as you probably do. I know I’m not doing anything terribly important here. I’m not a big deal, nor does anyone owe me anything. At the end of the day, I’m a nobody with a bit of graphic design talent. I also didn’t want to jump scare you and make you think this was me saying goodbye. It’s not! I want to keep posting content, and I will. But like any content creator, I just want to put out a product that makes me happy, and that makes you happy. If that takes a bit longer, so be it.

Thank you for your understanding. Love you lots.

Cristina xx

Just a small update to let you know I’ve refreshed graphics around site a bit. As you know, one thing about me is if I am not 100 percent satisfied with something, I’m not going to rest till I am. That being said, I’m actually really happy with our layout situation now. I think this one will stay up for awhile, or until I’m sick of it. (Not likely to get sick of this layout anytime soon, plus how could anyone be sick of Edsel? Absurd.)

I will be back with a proper update this week, so stay tuned!