What I've Learned in 2 Years on Substack
On claiming the identity of a writer, defining success for myself, and feeling like I'm shouting into the void
Two years ago, I was settling into my first long term stay in NYC and craving a new creative project. After nearly three years of sporadically publishing blog posts and trying (but never succeeding) to keep up with a newsletter, I was ready to dive into something more committed. While looking back on my life, I had always been a writer, it wasn’t until this point that I felt ready to claim that identity as my own.
I had no idea where this project would lead me but I knew if I wanted to actualize my dreams of writing many books, I needed to start writing. And if I didn’t, I knew I would spend the rest of my life talking about my dreams rather than living them. It sounds cliche but my intuition led me to the idea of my newsletter, The Process. It led me to the platform of Substack. I knew it was the perfect place to hold me accountable to practicing my writing and a safe enough container to discover my voice as a writer. I couldn’t explain why I knew this was it, but I trusted that voice and hit publish.
For the first year, it felt like I was screaming out into the ether only to hear my own echo talking back at me. For the first year, I tried so many different formats, cadences, branding, and structures for my newsletter. For the first year, nothing really happened. But I continued to show up week after week.
Part of me wishes I could say in the second year, everything changed and I went viral and now have thousands of subscribers and a book deal waiting for me. But I don’t. I’ve gained subscribers, sure. I’ve finally gotten to a place with my branding that feels cohesive and like an accurate representation of this creative entity. I have a deeper understanding of my voice and stance as a writer. But I am still in the process of discovery.
I am still discovering my voice.
I am still discovering what this newsletter wants to be.
I am still discovering who I am as a writer and what words I want to bring into the world.
And that is the very point of this project for me.
I started The Process as a way to share my words with more people, yes. But, more importantly, I started it as a container to find my voice. I started it as a way to practice, to fail, to heal. I started it as a form of self expression and have tried my very hardest not to define that expression too closely because I know it needs to take on a shape of its own.
In the past two years, I have learned a lot about myself, about writing, about showing up to the craft, and about growing a newsletter on this platform. I don’t think I have all of the answers and to be honest, I think a lot of my perspectives keep me from growing at an exponential rate but that is okay with me. First and foremost, this is a container of creative expression for me. I spent a lot of time writing with the expectation of a certain outcome or specific metric of success but the most freedom I have found in my creative process was breaking down the belief that my identity as a writer is tied to anything other than the simple fact that I write.
Aside from exploring what being a writer means to me, the past two years of The Process has brought to me some of the most inspiring conversations, writers, and corners of the internet. I am in constant awe of the power of the written word and feel lucky to be in such good company with so many prolific writers and thought leaders.
No matter how many subscribers you have, or opens you get on your newsletter, it takes courage to share your mind with the world. It takes resilience to continue showing up to the practice. It is not easy to bare your inner world for the external world to criticize, analyze, and decide whether or not it is their cup of tea. If you are here with me, no matter where you are in your process, I hope you remember that you belong here. I hope you continue to show up to the things in your life that make you feel most alive. May we all find the words, or mediums, to share the parts of ourselves that we hold most dear. It is a radical act to take up space in this way.
I am honored to be here alongside you. Here’s so many more years of being in the process with you.
Use others as inspiration but don’t forget to find your own, unique voice. It is easy to fall into the comparison trap, especially on this platform. I’ve often found myself taking notes on what leads to “success” for others and trying to mimic it for my own publication – this doesn’t work. Well, maybe it does but to me, it feels like it clouds my authentic creative expression.
Define success for yourself early on. Use the metrics and data as information, not as a representation of your success as a writer. If you write, you are a writer. Simple as that.
If you find the branding aspects of a newsletter fun, lean into it. If that sounds like the last thing you want to focus on, then don’t. Ultimately, you are writing a newsletter – your words matter more than the branded spacers and section headings.
Don’t be fake. It is easy to fall into the trap of engaging with people online just to boost your place in the algorithm but it feels so much more impactful and rewarding when you genuinely engage with the writers you connect with and are inspired by. You might not vibe with the writer that everyone seems to be loving, that is okay. Not everyone’s favorite fruit is peach. Mine is. Doesn’t mean you need to love them too.
Find a few writers (on or off of this platform) that you really feel connected to. Use them as teachers and guideposts for how you want your writing to be shaped or to be received.
Play, fail, discover, and never let yourself get stuck in something that is not working. Nothing is set in stone. One of my favorite things about my newsletter is the fact that it is mine. At any point, I can change what I have been doing. I can try something new. I can completely scrap everything and start over. There are no rules except the rules I set for myself.
Lean on your community. Find people who speak the same language and who understand what you are going through in your creative process. For me, it has been so helpful befriending fellow substackers who are there to listen when I am frustrated with the algorithm or new features rolling out. Sometimes I feel like I am writing into the ether, but it has been helpful to recognize that I’m never really alone.
Be your ideal reader. Do you like what you write? Do you enjoy your newsletter? Do you get giddy every time it lands in your inbox? If not, reconsider the work you are putting out into the world.
Don’t over subscribe. You don’t have to subscribe to every person that subscribes to you. You don’t even have to follow every person that follows you back. Again, don’t be fake. And don’t be afraid to unsubscribe or unfollow – it’s (almost) never personal and as a writer, your craft will be affected if it is too drowned out by the noise of others.
Take a break when you feel yourself showing up to the practice out of obligation rather than true desire to share. There is value within discipline and consistency but there is also a necessity to find the pace that works for you in order to make this a sustainable lifelong creative practice. Your readers will understand if you need to take a few weeks (or months) from your newsletter. This is your creative practice, allow yourself to be present to each season as it comes.
💡 If you have a newsletter, or identify as a writer, what have been your biggest insights and learnings since your first time hitting publish?
If you know me, you know I love sending (and receiving) long, stream of consciousness voice messages. I thought I’d invite you into that world and expand upon some of the reflections of today’s newsletter.
“I don’t know what is coming next, but I know I need to start a newsletter” [1:08]
Pushing up against the edge of my own understanding of what it means for me to be a writer [1:32]
Comparing myself to other writers and reflecting on why I write [2:07]
My vision of success as a writer [2:46]
The importance of giving yourself space to discover your voice and identity as an artist/writer [4:04]
Living a creative life is not about being “good” [5:28]
The privilege of self expression [6:53]
PS…in case you’re curious, here’s my first ever published newsletter on Substack. A little wordy and not branded at all but I still have a lot of love for it.
A container for my own creativity. I love that.
yes! the "privilege of self expression". What a way to lay it out.. Happy 2nd anniversary!