Blessings, beautiful souls!
I am back in this space, hoping to be more active as I part ways with Substack.
Substack provided additional income, and it was a unique way to connect with readers who desired my work in an alternative and ongoing manner. It felt like a clean space to begin to grow my readership and encouraged me to write. I thought a platform had emerged, free from the algorithm, and thriving off of true writers in a writer’s space. Until that vision crumbled away.
Scroll through the home feed of Substack and you’ll see exactly what I mean; it’s become another social media platform filled with people’s photos and memes that folks hope will get the thousands of shares they need to lead them to wealth through subscriptions. I’m not pulling this out of a hat, either. Substack confirmed that the only way to grow is through the Notes feature — essentially through their version of X.com.
“Interact with other people’s notes! Leave comments to get noticed! Leave a note about something you read and liked! Share an opinion! Share a photo! You’re still one of the first in this space, so you’re not competing against too many voices, just yet!”
So, don’t write long-form content anymore; just become another peg in another social media mule, screaming your opinions about the world into another abyss. I also noticed how addictive scrolling through the home feed can be, easily stumbling upon emotionally triggering opinions or even AI-written propaganda that’s found yet another place on the internet to call home.
No, thanks.
I understand these spaces can be used for good, and there can be Light found in dark spaces, but I find social media to be counter to everything I stand for. I find it to be a place of divisiveness and chaos rather than unity and understanding. I notice how addictive the platforms can be and how even I can struggle to use discernment when on them. I also find the desperation that people have to grow leads them to create emotionally-driven content that is planned, which leads to shares or reactions, rather than posting authentically and honestly.
It’s interesting that as soon as I announced my departure from Substack, I got an influx of subscribers. Perhaps it is the Universe testing me, though others may read it as a sign to come back. But I know that I have been sitting with discomfort for a while, as I watched Substack slowly transform into something it wasn’t just a year ago, and I cannot ignore that intuitive feeling.
Is it a loss of income? Small, but surely. And I am honoured that nearly 50 people joined me in that space to hear my voice. Like every social media platform, the creators of these applications want you to view them as a source of income so that you stay looped into the process of creating for them (and making them money). It stops you from stepping back from these spaces and re-evaluating how they align with your vision, values, and purpose in the world. I didn’t want to reach a point where it was too late for me to do that.
Some might say that my writing is an attempt to validate my own process with leaving when I could just, you know, leave Substack silently, but, as all long-form content attempts to do, I am hoping my words resonate with someone else in the spiritual domain who may be struggling with staying in this space. I published 83 pieces on Substack over the course of a year, and none of them really belong to me, none of them rank in Google, and all of them add a little money to the pockets of Substack CEOs.
As Substack continues to transform into another addictive, short-form content social media, I release the pressure of performance and the temptation of wealth through content creation and return to my roots – this space, my space – which has never let me down before.
If you want to support my work further, please check out my books and journals. If you want to work with me as a spiritual healer, check out my services through Seeking Celestial Grace and Awakened Little Souls.
xx C
lifeofcloud 