Algorithm-free zones and pursuing pleasure with Walt Cassidy aka WALTPAPER

"Creativity will get you over every obstacle in life."

Note: This interview is best read on a desktop or larger screen, or printed out zine-style.

I don’t remember exactly when I started following Walt—maybe a few years back—but right away, I felt a creative kinship. His Club Kid-era looks had already burned themselves into my brain years ago, so seeing him still pushing creative expression felt both nostalgic and exciting. As we both simultaneously became disillusioned with social media and its algorithmic chokehold, we found ourselves talking about reclaiming freedom and creativity in a world that keeps trying to restrain and flatten us.

Walt Cassidy aka WALTPAPER is an interdisciplinary artist and author based in Brooklyn who explores everything from writing, jewelry-making, painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. He is the founder of HOTGLUE, a multi-channel design brand and zine, and the author of THE CLUB KIDS (2023), NEW YORK: CLUB KIDS (2019), and HOTGLUE “Morning Whispers” (2024).

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