I’m preparing to launch Entwined next month (which is a lot more exciting than it sounds.) Right now that looks like scheduling podcasts, recording voice overs, and sending emails.
I thought I had nothing to show for my work (photographically speaking) until I remembered that I did manage to shoot some video for the crowdfunding campaign. There was a green Hot Wheel and collage clippings already on my desk so I just went with it.
I’ve also revived my dormant Sourdough Starter this week. I’ve been mentally composing a post called “Sourdough for Chaotic Neurodivergents” but I haven’t tracked down enough photos to fill it out. I’m sure I have more somewhere.
The Compost Heap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I also finished up my Way of Kings reread and Reaper Man this week.
Considering Sir. Terry Pratchett is no longer with us I thought this quote was particularly meaningful.
…no-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away – until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is har-vested. The span of someone’s life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.
Lots of great stuff in this episode, but this quote from DongWon Song is probably the greatest argument for traditional publishing,
In part, you wrote the book because you don’t have a simpler way of explaining whatever it is that you were trying to get to with writing the book. Right? That’s okay. That’s great, actually. That’s my job to figure out how to frame it up in a pithy few sentences…
Learning ✏️
Word of the Week. (Courtesy of my Scottish friend Shelley.)
There are a lot of links this week! This is partly because half of them are from last week. I felt like the email was getting too long so I pushed them forward. Now I still have too many, but they are too good to cut.
This song by Lewis McLaughlin. I’ve been using it in a lot of my Instagram reels this month because it’s summer and I love the rhythm.
Speaking of which. I’ve bought two copies of Kamala Harris’ memoir so I can give one away. You can enter over on Instagram. Open to American residents who plan to vote.
The Compost Heap is free to all. Thanks for exchanging your time and energy. If you’re feeling particularly generous here are other ways you can lend your support. 🌱
The secret to neurodivergent & chronically ill gardening.
Last week I made something for the first time in MONTHS.
The very next day I had a HUGE epiphany about the novel I’ve been working on for the last 4-5 years.
That’s no coincidence.
Even though I literally wrote the book on creative ecosystems I struggle to keep mine in balance. To be honest, I wrote the book because I needed it.
This was a huge reminder that making art with my hands has a powerful effect on my mood, my mental health, my nervous system regulation, and my ability to effectively ideate.
Why is this last on my to do list again?
Just a few minutes of moving around paper, splattering paint, forming clay, cutting fabric… is self regulating in a way that digital creation can’t hold a candle to.
I’m making some big shifts to rebalance my creative ecosystem for next year.
Meanwhile I need to make time for making things as often as I can.
This week it looked like crayons on index cards as I played around with some ideas I want to weave into my novel. (I know this looks like a big pile of art vocabulary, but there is a reason for that.) 😉
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In the Garden 🌱
Another powerful tonic is getting outside.
Did you know that sunflowers were the symbol of hidden disability?
I’ve been considering one of these lanyards for air travel, but I’m not sure how well known they are across the US.
For the people who keep complimenting my garden.
Please know that it is mostly wild and overgrown. (The front yard is even worse I assure you.)
I’m all about imperfect gardening and not letting a lack of perfection prevent me from trying. We tend to embrace plants that can thrive on neglect because my chronic illness and sun allergy means I can’t show up to garden consistently.
To be fair, I’m also inclined to forget the garden exists if I’m hyperfocusing on something else.
I watched a lot of Gardener’s World when Davy was a toddler and took special note of anything “drought tolerant.”
Plants that work well for us (in Northwest Arkansas) have been: Russian Sage, Peonies (surprisingly enough!), Gaura, Sage, Mint, Lavender, Daffodils, Allium, Hellebore, and Oxeye Daisies. These come back every year.
We also have self seeding: Bachelor Buttons, Love-in-a-Mist, Black Eyed Susan, Whorled Milkweed, and Purpletop Vervain. Mixed results from Forget Me Nots. Maybe I need a different variety.
This was our first year planting Tithonia (inspired by Harriet McDougal’s garden) and Sunflowers and they are both thriving!
Herbs and Zinnias also do quite well, but typically don’t reseed for us.
This year we’re also experimenting with Purple Hyacinth Beans on this climbing frame. We started them in ziploc bags on a window (’cause science) and dumped a bag of garden soil right over the grass to plant them around. Next year I’ll plant more of them.
We spotted hummingbirds this week!
They were loving the beans above, the Tithonia, and Purpletop Vervain.
I’m completely enchanted. It’s like being visited by fairies. 💫
Digital Foraging 🍁
Some bits and bobs I’ve collected for you this week.
The Canadian mint is releasing a coin to celebrate L. M. Montgomery. This will be a circulation coin so I have to figure out how to get my hands on one! Canadian friends, keep your eyes peeled! I will happily pay for postage.
Before Davy was born I read all of LMM’s published works in chronological order. Her books are part of what inspired me to try gardening. I made lists while reading and specifically bought plants she mentioned (like Love-in-a-Mist).
While we’re talking about books how great is this tweet from ?
It reminds me of this post I made during NaNoWriMo last year.
This time last year…
I was dancing with burn out and making micro shifts.
The more things change, eh? 😂
The Compost Heap is free to all. Thanks for exchanging your time and energy. If you’re feeling particularly generous here are other ways you can lend your support.
Well, to be fair my friend did all the hard work of creating these custom illustrations, but I’m so excited to show them off.
There are lot of details hidden in the compost heap above. What do you spy?
While I would never call this a rebrand (because I’m not a brand I’m a human) sometimes a reframe is helpful. Over the last year I’ve been having a bit of an identity crisis around my blog / newsletter / the place I share my online writing. I was feeling stuck until I landed on the metaphor of a compost heap.
The idea being I share whatever bits and bobs I find inspiring during the week. Sometimes the compost heap might sprout something a bit more substantial (like last week’s post about rediscovering the gift economy.) But the pressure to consistently write long form content is off. Most weeks you’ll be getting something more eclectic.
Gracie’s illustrations frame this project in a way that I find really inspiring with a visual nod to some of my passions (including my penchant for tumbling down rabbit holes.)
In case you missed it…
This week I published the second issue of : a virtual zine and exhibition space for neurodivergent artists & writers.
Inspired by my friend who writes and is launching a book right now!
Speaking of flowers… Remember when I had a creative pilgrimage to Charleston, South Carolina?
I took this photo standing in Harriet’s garden. I ordered a packet of seeds when I noticed how much the butterflies loved these tithonia.
Mine bloomed while I was at WoT Con.
In the studio…
Between curating and laying track to crowdfund Entwined I’ve done an incredible amount of admin over the last two weeks.
Once I “caught up” I spent an afternoon cutting magazine clippings for a hobbit hole / creative ecosystem collage.
As my friend Richelle says… “Make something. You’ll feel better.”
Experimenting with embedding a time lapse. Nothing fancy. Just me cutting and arranging flowers and pathways from magazines. I’ll probably make a reel on Instagram later this week. I wish those would embed.
I shouldn’t have waited until I was caught up to make something. I continue to struggle to prioritize creative work above admin and when the balance is off my mental health always suffers. This was a really great sensory reset.
I almost forgot…
This week I sent out my first round of snail mail letters to my paid supporters!
I typed it out on my vintage typewriter and then attempted a doodle of my tithonia and added some marginalia. I made a few extra photocopies so if you sign up during July you’ll also get this letter!
The Compost Heap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This publication is free to all. Thanks for exchanging your time and energy. If you’re feeling generous here are other ways you can lend your support.
Leave a comment (it’s free!)
Pledge $3+ on Patreon (or upgrade to paid) for a real life handcrafted letter from me each month.1
Yes, even across the pond! I chose $3 for the lowest tier because it just covers costs of printing and a global stamp. This project is more about connection than making money. You’re welcome to tip in more if you’d like, but it’s not expected.
(OR) THE INTERNET BEFORE IT BECAME A CAPITALIST HELLSCAPE
The year is 1999.
Every morning I sit down at a computer that looks roughly like this:
And I engage with an Internet that is much different than our own. Rather than being served up content from various data mining corporate entities I am very intentional with how I spend my time.
Logging into Wotmania and check the message boards. (Every single day.)
Checking my email – hosted through the local phone company. There were so few messages reading each one was actually exciting.
Visiting other websites by “surfing the web” either from website to website through hyperlinks or typing very specific terms into search engines. When I found something I loved I would bookmark it to come back to.
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Joining a virtual scavenger hunt called Cyber Surfari where search engine Lycos partnered with various collaborators to hide clues across websites for participants to find. It was sponsored by Discovery Channel, Hewlet Packard, and National Education Association. The time I spent participating in Cyber Surfari had an outsized impact on my ability to find what I’m looking for online.
4. When I did find what I wanted I often printed it out. I remember printing inspiration quotes for my actual cork board.
6. Logging into NaNoWriMo message boards every day of October and November. Sometimes for research, but mostly for vibes. Egregiously Erroneous Information was a favorite.
6. Saving drafts of my novel on 3 1/2 floppy disks.*
THE INTERNET WASN’T “BETTER” BUT IT WAS MORE INTENTIONAL.
Furthermore, what we’ve gained in image resolution and loading times we’ve lost in connection. Those early days felt like a playground of possibility.
Websites weren’t easy to monetize yet.
Everything on the Internet was a labor of love.
Writing, images, even software was given freely. No one was using click bait because the structures that favored clicks weren’t yet created. Websites were shared and linked to because users found them interesting or funny.
Over the last 6 months I’ve done a deep dive into researching the “early” Internet.
I took over 10,000 words of notes from various articles and books (which you can trawl here). I have more than enough to write a scholarly article. But now that I’m here I don’t really care to use them. LOL
I can’t point with forensic clarity at the moment the Internet “changed.”
But I am wondering… when did we stop capitalizing it?
There was no single moment of corruption. Over time capitalism did capitalism. Spaces became monetizable and websites with a lot of traffic began to monetize.
There are definitely benefits. Artists & makers & authors can find new audiences and patrons can support creators to keep doing what they love.
But there’s also * waves hands * the rest of the garbage that came with monetization. The algorithms, the data collection, the noise, the click bait, the paywalls, the walled gardens, the misinformation, and the rise of reactionary content.
Most days the Internet feels like this:
But it didn’t always.
THE EARLY INTERNET WAS A GIFT ECONOMY.
Because there wasn’t a robust system of monetization back then, the incentive you had to create was to participate in a growing gift economy.
There was a culture of creating to share with others – from flashing GIFs, to “seamless” tiled backgrounds, to fan message boards. Artists and coders made free wallpapers and screensavers and even free software called “freeware.” I was part of a “sig tag” group where members used fonts and clip art to make signatures you could attach to “sign” your email. We’d type in each member’s name (around 15-20) and email the image files for the group. Some of us used real names and others had nicknames like Queenie and Halfpint.
THIS WASN’T BARTER OR TRADE.
No one was keeping a tally of how much each person contributed. You gave your time and energy, and others were generous in return.
Over the last year I’ve made a discovery.
THE WHEEL OF TIME FANDOM STILL FUNCTIONS IN A GIFT ECONOMY.
For most of us it is not a job. It’s our passion. Among this fandom I have seen a depth of generosity that seems unfathomable.
It has been complete culture shock (of the best kind.) And it reminds me of how the Internet used to feel in the late 90s and early 00s.
It’s no coincidence that this fandom has been around since the 90s on fan sites like Theoryland and Dragonmount.
A gift economy functions because when you feel the warmth of generosity you want to contribute. When you walk into a new space and are welcomed you turn and welcome the next person. When you see someone shares something cool with the fandom you want to share something cool too.
One year later, something has become crystal clear.
I cannot continue to pivot between these paradigms anymore.
It’s dizzying.
I WANT TO ENGAGE IN THE INTERNET AS A GIFT ECONOMY.
I have no interest in selling art or paywalling content. Every time I get pulled into the creative business whirlpool I regret it.
I’m not closing my bookshop, but I also have no intention of becoming a “full time” writer. That allows me to make and share what I want. Rather than focusing on creating content that “converts to sales.”
I’m not trying to convince anyone to nuke their business.
If you’re a full time artist be a full time artist. I love that for you. I support lots of creatives online and will continue to do so.
But if the capitalist framework isn’t sitting well for you there is another way.
YOUR ART ISN’T ANY LESS VALUABLE IF YOU GIFT IT.
Is a handsewn quilt less valuable than a bedspread from Pottery Barn?
Of course not.
We need to stop letting the dominant culture brainwash us into undervaluing the gift exchange.
WHAT IF WE TREATED THE INTERNET AS A COMMUNALLY TENDED GARDEN?
Create from your passion. Forget everything you’ve been told about offering value, funneling customers, and capturing eyeballs. Be authentically you and I guarantee that will resonate with someone.
Give freely. I’m not going to begrudge you a shop or a paywall, but if you want to Internet like it’s 1999 most of what you offer is going to be for free. When you give freely people will want to support you when they have the opportunity to do so. A lot of the people harping on about funnels actually built their careers over decades of working for free. But they can’t charge $$$ for a marketing course to teach you that.
Spend your time and energy engaging with, appreciating, and sharingwork that other people make. I know that we are all overwhelmed with content now. But instead of doom scrolling you could slow down to read a blog post and write a kind comment, share an indie musician’s new song, or write an email to someone who inspires you.
You are not the main character of this story.
It is about us all.
TIME TO WALK THE WALK
I’m in the process of removing the paywall here on Substack.
This month I’ve unlocked another session of Camp Kindle. (Last month I unlocked the Wonder session.) I created both of these for adults, but I’ve heard families really love doing the activities together.
How can we create spaces of reciprocity and connection in an online world that wants us to see each other as a “target audience”? How do we reframe the value of our work outside of capitalism? If we do sell work how can we contribute in other ways to an online gift economy and support other creators?
Cheers,
P.S. If you missed last month I’ve decided to remove the paywall and send snail mail to my paying supporters instead. You can read that here.
** Personally I experienced the crush of change online between 2013 and 2016 (which incidentally is the time we stopped capitalizing the Internet… maybe there is something there.)
*** To bring more intentionality into my own Internet experience I’m spending more time on RSS and less time on apps, using Ecosia instead of Google (the AI snippets are killing me), and burrowing into my algorithm free Discord groups.
Before I go out of town1 I wanted to invite you to Camp Kindle.
This is a FREE Creative Summer Camp.
Camp at your own pace with prerecorded video tutorials for: watercolor, giant bubbles, and marbled paper. Join in with writing prompts, printables, and a color scavenger hunt.
Camp Kindle was created for the young art heart.
But I’ve heard that families also love to participate together. I thought unlocking this post first might be especially helpful to families looking for a bit of inspiration.
This was originally created for paid supporters (back in 2018).
I’m releasing it freely as part of my pivot to remove the paywall.2
Last week I wrote about stamps over silos. Instead of paywalling content I’ll be sending snail mail to supporters (on a sliding scale starting at $3 a month). There’s still time to get in on this month’s letter. Details below.
New here? Subscribe for free for weekly-ish emails about creativity and neurodivergence.
In case you missed it…
I’m also hosting an art collaboration open to neurodivergents of any age (another family friendly project). Follow this simple tutorial and submit your weaving to be part of a collaborative work of art.
I’ll be spending a long weekend at WoT Con with my Wheel of Time moots (which I wrote about last year). If you are a WoT moot you should join us! You can still grab virtual tickets here. Something I’ve learned about myself is that I need more time to prepare for and recover from travel. This is part autism and part chronic illness. So you won’t be hearing from me for a week or two.
This is a process that is going to take some time to unfold as I have to open each individual post to change the permissions. There is no “remove paywall” button.
It (my studio) is named The Rabbit Hole. This month a baby rabbit has moved in to our backyard and lives underneath. I’ll spare you the blurry phone photos, but I wanted to share the magic. 🐇💫
My creative ecosystem snapped into place this week!
I’m working towards removing the paywall. (Sadly there is no “remove paywall” button so it is a process.) So I’ve been trying to decide what to offer paying subscribers.
I’ve made a radical decision NOT to create any digital “bonus content.”
No paywalls. No emails. No Zoom calls. No more Internet noise.
Instead,
I will be sending letters (hand written or typed on my typewriter) every month.
Yes, actual paper letters in envelopes.
I’m really excited about this shift for a host of reasons.
We are already subscribed to more than we can read.
Sending actual letters feels delightfully anachronistic1.
What better way to stick it to “AI art”? Let’s go old school and use paper. Embrace imperfection and leave the fingerprints.
Monthly letters will go out to paying supporters wherever you live in the world. 🌎💫
Pledges start at $3 a month on Patreon or $7 on Substack.2
EDIT: To the kind folks asking if $3 covers postage outside the US, it just does. Global stamps currently cost $1.55 which leaves a bit for paper, ink, envelope, and .40 cents processing fees. If you’d like to tip in a bit beyond that for me you can pledge at $5.
(But I don’t mind sending letters at cost. This is more about connection for me than anything and sending mail overseas is extra cool.)
Twice a year I’ll send something special – like a sticker or a postcard. And those pledged at the highest level “Patron of the Arts” will receive a yearly Unbirthday Gift with a surprise work of art from me: a print, a zine, a collage, or something else I’ve made. (I’ll do my best to make sure it’s not something you’ve had from me before.)
I’ll be reaching out to collect mailing addresses soon.
So if you’re on the paid tier watch out for that. 🥰
Sarah Shotts is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Continuing the handmade theme I’m trying to work out if we can have old school zines for Neurokind.
I’m also re-reading two fiction series right now. Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive (the final book coming out later this year.)
I’m reading slowly and taking notes on what each author is doing. This is something both Neil Gaiman and Robert Jordan suggested for new writers to do. There is something different in reading “as a reader” and reading “as a writer” which is something both Neil Gaiman3 and Robert Jordan4 both suggest to new writers.
A new version of Stargazing is just another chance to hype Myles Smith – a musician I met on my flight to London. His whole crew were sitting in the seats around me and really helpful when I was trying to find my way out of Heathrow.
Davy’s new favorite comedy act.
A big moment for a dictionary lover (I used to literally sleep with a dictionary in high school, which my mom found endlessly hilarious)…
I bought Davy his first Merriam Webster Children’s Dictionary.
I still remember mine, but I don’t have it anymore.
And I also took some notes from What We Talk About When We Talk About “The Village” by Cat Valente. (I know we all want community and support, but most of us wouldn’t really want to go back to “the village” even if we think we would.)
Delightful finds of the week…
Check out this illustration of why it’s hard for neurodivergent minds to switch tasks.
I’ve revived my Patreon so people can support at a lower price point. Substack has a higher minimum pledge level and also takes a bigger cut from creators. I’ve decided to use both platforms, but offer the same perks to supporters no matter where they pledge.
I’m not quitting / deleting Instagram. But I’m definitely dialing back time spent there and reframing it as a community bulletin board versus my personal memory album.
You’re receiving this message because you’ve opted in for emails from me – Sarah Shotts. I’m in the midst of a redesign so things may look a bit different from week to week until the dust settles.
In Ye Olde Internet speak we called this… “under construction.”
I won’t bore you with the details unless you want them. But I’ve been doing a lot of reflection and testing of different internet platforms and all of that is slowly coming to a close. (If you’re curious about this part skip to this footnote.)1
Rather than wait until I’m “ready” to reintroduce the new direction / name / plan for my newsletter I decided to just jump in before I can overthink it.
Moving forward I’m planning for things to be more scrappy and more “messy middle”. If and when I write long form posts I will publish them first to my blog and copy them here. Otherwise, it’s just a bit of redecorating.
I hope you’ll stick around, but if you need to go there’s no guilt.
I don’t look at unsubscribes.
Before we move into the next phase, here’s a look back at what I was writing last summer…
What if we didn’t assume people were straight?
Wait, is this a coming out post? 🏳️🌈
I had a great response to this one – except someone close to the family who reached out to my husband to see if he was “okay.” 🙄
If you’re new around here and didn’t realize… I’m nonbinary. I always have been, but finding the language explains a lot and has helped me understand myself better. (Similar to identifying as autistic actually.) I’m not taking questions about gender, but I linked a bunch of resources in the post above.
I don’t make a ton of content about being queer or nonbinary, but it’s as much a part of me as my autism and neurodivergence. I mention it from time to time to help people realize that more people are queer and gender non conforming than you may realize.
If you have a problem with this kindly see yourself out without announcing yourself. Strangers on the internet are humans and there is no excuse to be needlessly cruel to someone even if you don’t understand them.
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I wrote this post last summer. It went low key viral (for me) which honestly pulled me way off track because I started thinking I “should” write what people wanted and expected. Which was kind of the opposite of the point. (I know.)
I also wrote this follow up based on a comment from someone who fundamentally misunderstood my first post. I really believe strongly in the distinction between “branding” and “artistic style” and if you’re feeling pressure to present yourself in a palatable or market-able way I hope you find this helpful.
Last one, here’s a post that was previously locked for paying subscribers and is now free. (Did I mention I’m in the process of removing the paywall?!?)
Creative Compost
Before you go, I’d also like to introduce my Creative Compost Heap to those who haven’t seen it yet.
This is my take on a Digital Garden. It’s an imperfect home for bits of research, observations, and creative inspiration. This process is integral to my Creative Ecosystem.
You’ll find notes on books I’m reading, research on various subjects, movies I watch with my kid, and ideas I am unraveling. 🕸️
Everything is tossed on the heap.
There it can decompose & form new connections. 🪱🐛🍄
Right now I’m actively researching…
The Internet (before it became a capitalist hellscape)
Speaking of Neurokind I’ve just announced a new collaborative project open to anyone who identifies as neurodivergent. All you need is yarn / fiber / or strips of recycled plastic or cloth and a paper plate (or embroidery hoop.)
I hit a couple of obstacles with Neurokind recently (for example: all the submissions for the next issue got corrupted) 🫠. But those are almost sorted out and you’ll be hearing more from me over there soon.
And… I revealed the cover art for my anthology project about creativity and motherhood. Over 30 mothers are involved in one capacity or another and I’m so excited to bring this project to life. (Preorders opening this autumn.)
Also, final final call to submit a prompt for Ember the accompanying workbook / art journal for mums.
(Ignore the deadline. If you submit this week you’ll squeak in under the wire.)
Ok, now I’m all caught up so we can start fresh next week.
This is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Long story short I’ve returned to Substack (although I no longer use the app and manage my own subscriptions via RSS.) None of the other options I’ve tried meet my needs as well – particularly when it comes to a robust comment system. I’m working on a post about my new “tech ecosystem”, but the short version is that I’m writing for my own blog / website FIRST and then copy / pasting that content to Substack for future newsletters. This works surprisingly well and allows me to keep a copy of all I am writing archived on my own domain rather than living behind a silo. More changes are coming including snail mail for paying supporters twice a year. 🐌💌
RSS is a reverse chronological, ad free1, feed of what you choose to follow. Basically the holy grail of contemporary internet feeds.
*cue Spamalot music*
Then you asked, “But, how?”
Here is my scrappy Beginner’s Guide to RSS. I’m sure you can find better ones on YouTube, but this walk through includes my personal thoughts on pros and cons of the apps I use.
[Update November 2024] I’m doing a lot of blog reading on my Android eink reader – which has less memory than my phone or iPad, but is easy on the eyes. Feedly seemed to have a lot of bloat (including AI & occasional ads) so I’m now trying out NewsBlur which seems very lightweight, customizable, and has a dark mode. One downside is that is is Android only so I can’t check the same RSS feed across devices.
If you have any trouble leave your question below. I’m no expert, but we can probably figure it out together.
Do let me know if you found this useful and what you think of RSS if you try it out.
Cheers,
P.S. The creative chaos that ensued while I filmed this.
Platforms inevitably evolve for the most profit. Because capitalism. This means they quickly morph from cozy creative havens into fast paced reactionary noise. The more enraged we are the more we engage, the longer we scroll, and the better it is for the investors. I saw this happen on Instagram and YouTube. So I can see the writing on the wall for Substack.
What I find frustrating is that we can’t have online spaces for specific purposes or energetic capacities. I miss having a platform for just photos and words.
Why can’t we have more variety between the tech platforms we have online?
I’ve been looking at alternatives since last year when Substack introduced Notes. I was this close to investing in Substack when they were taking money from writers to “make a writing platform.”
Then they suddenly decided to go for the Twitter audience and launched Notes.
Nope.
Not investing in a social media platform, thank you.
Kindle Curiosity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
First I tried Ghost.org. I moved my whole membership over there in early 2023. I even tried to use Ghost to build Self Publishing 101. They don’t have a free tier so I bought an annual membership, but even so it has very restrictive limits on file size. Even my short Self Pub podcasts were too large to upload.
I cancelled the subscription before it renewed.
Then I tried to delete the app and do inbox only.
This made me realize I was subscribed to WAY more newsletters than I could read and I started unsubscribing. But it still wasn’t quite right.
Substack struggles with delivery rates to email inboxes (maybe especially Gmail.) I noticed I wasn’t getting ’s emails – even though I was on their paid tier. I looked in Spam. I searched the Promotions folder. Archived messages. Nothing. I followed this advice from Substack’s support. Still no emails.
Frustration at missing weekly emails from Cody led me to downloading the app again.
Once I had the app I found myself scrolling and posting to Notes again.
That is where I found someone talk about reading Substack with RSS.
RSS you say? I remember that from the dark days of the early internet.
I am an Internet Elder.
One of the early adopters who used to hand code my own websites.
The internet was a different beast back then.
I never really got into RSS because I only followed a handful of blogs which I kept bookmarked in my browser. Each time I read a blog post I made a very intentional choice to open the bookmark and spend time there.
But I knew what RSS was.
Compared to social media it sounds like the holy grail.
A chronological, algorithm free, feed with no ads?1
Sign me up.
It was pretty clear that RSS was the way forward for me, but it’s taken some time to implement the transition.
I’m using two RSS apps right now. I’ve moved most Substack to Feedly. When I have a bit of time over a cup of tea I can scroll through everyone’s long form posts and do a bit of digital foraging.
Publications I’m subscribing to are kept in a separate feed using Net News Wire. This is insurance that I don’t miss anything they post even if Gmail fails to deliver again.
I finished that process today.
And I deleted Substack.
I may pop into notes on a weeklyish basis to respond to comments. And I may sometimes open up the window to “restack” in Safari to share a post.
But I won’t be living there any more.
This feels right for me.
I’m also experimenting with Substack alternatives. Right now I’m sending weekly emails over on Beehiiv to half my list. (The most engaged folks. If you want more emails from me you can sign up here.)
Meanwhile, folks keep finding me here. At this point I’m trying out monthly digests on Substack that point toward my blog or digital compost heap. Part of this pivot is a desire to archive my long form writing on my own website.
And I’ll continue using Substack as a course library platform for now. There’s a lot of functionality here available for smaller creators that usually requires a massive investment to something like Podia or Kajabi.
I’m not telling you what to do.
We all have unique creative ecosystems and have to make the choices that work for us. But I’m sharing what I’ve done in case it’s helpful. I often find myself paddling upstream dominant culture. So I’m no stranger to doing things in a different way. This is just the newest iteration of that.
Here are some of the resources I found inspiring and useful during this shift.
This is a light read with actionable prompts to consider what boundaries you might need online. My biggest takeaway from this was learning about the emotional contagion scale and having an additional framework for understanding my autistic experience of hyper empathy.
This one is a dense read (I confess to skipping parts – especially the chapter about Tik Tok) that digs into the history of computing and algorithms. If you want the cliff notes version you can listen to this podcast chat with the author.
Social Media Escape Club
Have you met Seth?
His posts have made a huge impact on me. Not only in reframing how I’m engaging with online platforms… he’s also inspired me to buy a roll of film. After shooting digitally for over a decade I’m excited to witness the magic of light hitting film again.
Another inspiration is my friend who embodies slow lived values online. She has a passion for Substack and what it can do for you and your creative work. But she also doesn’t push you to use it in a particular way. Claire offers coaching and mentorship for artists, writers, and multipassionates.
Thankful to Kerani and others who have hashed this out with me on Substack Notes, and comments, and newsletter replies.
It helps to know I’m not alone.
The final part of my shift has been developing and spending time in my Creative Compost Heap. 🌱
I’m recentering my energy on my own artistic practice. Then sharing my work (a la ). Somewhere along the way the “content creation” started coming first so I’m essentially inverting my online experience. I’m already seeing the fruit in my creative work and in the depth of connection I’m having in comments and email replies.
I’ll continue to keep you updated on this experiment.
Happy to chat in comments.
I’m planning to check in on a weekly basis rather than trying to keep up with comments as they come. Something I used to do that I’m circling back to. 💫
Cheers,
P.S. If you want scrappy weekly updates from me rather than monthly digests hop on my Digital Foraging list over on Beehiiv. 🐝
Submit art and journaling prompts to be included in a creative workbook for mothers. Remember my anthology project? There is also a workbook and I need more prompts!
Find all the information below.
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Ember will launch alongside Entwined: an Anthology of Creative Motherhood this autumn.
The purpose of this workbook is to inspire new mums (or mothers in any difficult season) to kindle their creativity within the spaces and capacities they have available.
This book is for any mom who wants to explore creativity: from professional artists to those who haven’t made art since childhood.
Publishing Details
This is an unpaid opportunity. For compensation you will recieve a free PDF copy for personal use (print for yourself or use on your iPad.) You will also be credited in the book and tagged throughout the crowdfunding campaign.
Creative Team
This project will be curated and published by Sarah Shotts. The cover artwork is created by Annie King. Editing by Jessica Allowski. The anthology cover art is by Twiggy Boyer. You can read more about the inspiration for this project here.
Submission Guidelines
Your best chance at being included is to submit a specific and engaging creative prompt.
Skip over self reflective journaling prompts. Think beyond asking a mum to freewrite or reflect on their “perfect day”.
Ideally I’d like to curate a workbook of unique prompts that explore a variety of themes and creative mediums.
Some ideas:
Prompts for dreaming
Prompts for making
Prompts for channeling emotions
Prompts for exploring identity
Prompts for movement
Prompts for observation
Prompts for connection
Bonus points for visual art prompts and other creative mediums.
Focus on supplies that are easily obtained: crayons, tin foil, collage, watercolors, pencils, camera phone, etc. Consider also poetry, song, dance, baking, video, voice notes, etc.
Bonus points for prompts that invite collaboration.
One of the projects that kept me going as a new mum was a photo exchange project called The Magic Mundane with Claire Venus. We’ll include that prompt in this workbook, but I’d love more ideas for collaboration (beyond photography.)
Imagine what a new mum has available and how they can make art while holding a babe.
Think of the mother sitting in their mini van waiting to pick up kids from school or by the side of the pool during her kid’s swimming lessons.
What about the family on their 10th snow day? Or the whole family is sick AGAIN?
How do we keep our creative pilot light burning when our energy is almost nothing?
How can we find energy, relief, and self regulation through art?
