This blog is the product of Brian Gryphon. Although some blogs are designed to host a variety of conversations and debates, this is more of a journal; it presents some of my photographic work, rambling on various issues (generally from a progressive’s point of view) as well as reviewing the work of other artists/ designers using web-based POD (“print on demand”) galleries and shops. The blog title (Deep Within I Know I’m Free) is from this poem of mine from the ’80s.
Biography
When asked for a short biography, I offer “a Queer NeuroDelightful Can-American from ON, currently living in OH. Card reader, designer, photographer, poet, Sister Flirt TOPI, ULC ordained. Partially retired from the grind- but fully engaged in recovering from decades of trauma.”
Or, ‘SisterFlirt.ca feeds my soul while DigitalGryphonDesign.com feeds my belly, and provides a creative outlet’.
I was born in Toronto over 60 years ago- the third of four children. I’m at least the fourth generation of a cross-border family. Mom was born in the USA (her Mother was from Canada and her father from the US) but moved to Canada to marry her first husband. Dad was born in Canada; his father was from Ireland while his Mom was born in Canada but raised by a relative in upstate New York.
Mom’s older brother was born in Canada but moved to the USA to join the USAF during WW II – and raised two families (at different times) in the US. My brother (and family) now lives and works in the USA while our two sisters (and families) continue to live in south-western Ontario.
Coming Out, Again
@ I Came Out as gay in 1978. Parts of that story are also mentioned in Early Morning Thoughts 3 (from 2013);
@ This century I prefer the term Queer;
@ I’ve also used this blog to Come Out as both spiritual and a kinkster, and as a fully professed Sister in the Toronto Order of Perpetual Indulgence;
@ I clarified my spiritual practices and Came Out as a Tarot/Oracle Card Reader in 2019;
@ In November 2023 I Came Out as NeuroDiverse and Clinically Depressed.
Podcasts, Social Media Appearances
Whether you’re curious what I look like, how I sound, or what I get excited about, here are some places you can hear (and sometimes see) me;
# My youTube channel No Gentle Future presents aspects of my life from the mystical arts to mental health;
# I talked with K of Lost Spaces podcast about my miss-spent youth- see this post for some more about that
# I talked with Dennis of the Dennis Anyone podcast on Part 1 of their 2025 Holiday Gift Guide about the Official R&P Lyrical Oracle and just generally being an independent queer artist.
Brian Online:
My LinkedIn Profile;
My Instagram Gallery;
My Bluesky Profile;
My Facebook Profile;
My youTube Channel;
Author Page at Amazon.
In addition to working various full-time jobs since leaving school, I have been producing photographic images for 5 decades. My first assignment was for the high school yearbook. I offer my photography & design on apparel & gift items, and as frame-able prints. I also operate a number of on-line shops and web-sites; both for The Digital Gryphon LLC and personal interest.
My on-line history goes back to CompuServe, Freenets and 2400 baud modems. Even before that, Dad introduced me to computers by letting me write code (in ‘basic‘) for the IBM-5150. Not very advanced; less like programming, more like writing a php script. But it was the beginning of my love/hate connexion to technology.
You Want More?
For even more intimate details, check out my Life of Service page or 100 Details page. Messages may be sent via my various social media accounts or to briangryphon(at)yahoo(dot)com. You can reach me through many of the Social Media sites listed above, or at these new Canadian sites. And only those- profiles on any other soc.media site are not me.
