Me + My 1 Follower

Thoughts on being an Unknown Writer on Substack

Last week I did a thing. I sat down and created a Substack account. I first heard about Substack from

Emily Ley

Emily’s Substack

. I follow her on instagram because I’ve used her planners for years. Paper + pen are part of the fabric of my soul. Emily has shared several times over on insta how much she is loving Substack and how it’s a space truly for writers, much like the blogging world of 2008. My initial thought was, “I miss those blogging days.” Followed shortly by, “Aren’t writing platforms dead and buried? It’s too bad those days are gone.” Her continued sharing over the past few months peaked my curiosity enough to come check it out. I have to say, “Emily, you were right!” Substack is a breath of fresh air. It’s all the best parts of blogging, but with new and improved bells and whistles. It feels like coming home to a childhood home and realizing the new owners did a few updates that make your beloved space even better.

On day 1, as I started reading other Substacks and subscribing to a few, I noticed one theme jumping out; there were a lot of people writing about how much their Substack subscribers had grown. Immediately, I felt my stomach tighten as I thought, “Oh no, I’m never going to be able to stand out in a sea of thousands.” Much like other social platforms, there are two diverse experiences. Those with a platform + following elsewhere are able start up here with subscribers signing up on day 1. Those without a platform or following elsewhere, can be pulled along in the rushing current of voices and swallowed under. Substack seems to have this commonality with other platforms; there’s work needed to connect and to provide value. There’s luck involved in who decides to subscribe and how that grows into something or not. Doing what I love hasn’t ever felt like work to me. So, I’ll show up and write. Hopefully, I’ll connect with and inspire those who need it.

I read and reposted (I think that’s the right term) an article by

Michael Mohr

It resonated with me.

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

I commented on that article and surprisingly the next day I got my one and only subscriber (so far.) Thank you

Pamela Leavey

:) Looking at a few of the authors I follow, I can see approximately 5% of their instagram followers, follows them here. That maths out for me at 492 instagram followers which is 27 followers here. I think when I get to 27, I’ll toast myself with a cup of coffee. At the end of the day, writers write. My little Substack has already rekindled a joy in me, that’s been missing for quite some time. If this space ends up being for just 1 or 1,000, I’ll be doing something I love. This soul-joy is priceless. Thank you

Substack

for creating this space.

This Substack is about the finding and elevating the joy in aging. For so long women have been sold a bill of lies that aging is awful. Many women are chasing youth instead of walking forward with the confidence and grace we have acquired. As a 56 year old Mom of 5 and Gigi of 3, I have found myself surprised by the fact that I LIKE my age. I’ve felt like I’m a bit of a loner in this view. I don’t want to hide this fact. I want to proclaim, there is beauty in aging. Let’s walk forward ladies, and shine! If this resonates with you, and you’d like to subscribe, I’d love to have you follow along.

Xo, Kathi