I’ve currently written a total of 81 posts and 63 current drafts. My subscriber count sits at somewhere close to 180 and my follower count is somewhere around 300. Some may consider this a success. Some may think it’s not enough and proceed to send me direct messages with offers on how to 10x my subscriber count.
A big part of my growth has come from Substack Notes and it wasn’t intentional. I found a home on Substack Notes because it was the place where I edited the least. If you’re anything like me, you have probably attempted to write a multitude of posts, only to give up after the 20th edit. The 63 current drafts I own have had a multitude of edits. So many that I doubt I will ever post them. They no longer have my voice but a carefully curated version of it, one fit for consumption but not connection.
And that’s why I appreciated Notes. I saw single-line statements without capitalization and without the nuance of grammar. Equally, I discovered prophetic statements that could easily belong on aged parchment. But most of all, I love the pictures. Those snow-covered photos of New York, mountain views of India and cats. Lots of cats.
A note also gave me something that I don’t think I really considered an aspect of Substack: community.
Here are the few people that I started to interact with, and some of whom I’ve even started conversations with.
RM Greta is quite possibly my Substack bestie. I honestly have no idea how I stumbled across her work, but it was definitely fiction-related. Possibly even fan fiction related. If you haven’t heard her work, I do urge you to. No one post is the same and I love her for it.
Pete Kemery writes like how I’d like to write and has lived adventures like how I’d like to live. I don’t know if my mental image of a bohemian rock climber is apt but until I meet him in the flesh, that’s what I’ll see.
odie with the sunset photos and sometimes a woofer.
Melissa Clements because I aspire to make a living while creating art.
✧ brooklyn 𓆏 channels my internet nostalgia. Also cat pics.
The Orbit because nostalgia once again. The 90’s and early 2000s were more colorful and their feed is proof of that.
kirby is a bright, enthusiastic bubble in my Notes feed. Also cat pics.
daneen <3 posted my favorite essay of the year and has the absolute worst comments thread thanks to it.
Eric Kowalczyk takes beautiful, beautiful, photos.
In Otter News because otters. Steve is a favorite of mine.
Real Japanese Aesthetics for their insights into life in Japan, beyond the nostalgic and fetishized filters of pop culture.
Phyllis Tulaszewski drops photos of her meals that make me reconsider my distaste for cooking.
gina hasn’t written a lot of posts but I’m still obsessed with the girl who never speaks and being labelled as sensitive made me numb.
There’s many others but I’m tired and I’ve eaten a bag of cookies. Also, I fear I’ll run out of memory if I open more browser tabs.
Follow these people, or don’t. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you find your voice on whatever platform you’re on, and don’t let anyone convince you it doesn’t belong there.







