I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago. Not just about Substack, but relating to my entire career. Why are we expected to produce a single wavelength? Humans are a spectrum. We can be good at and care about more than one thing. So why is it generally frowned upon to present ourselves as multifaceted in our exchange with the world? It depends how we’re writing our story, I suppose. If, for example, you’re mainly writing about politics and then randomly start talking about endangered species, there should be some tie-in, somehow. But I think you have the correct idea to just be your whole self. 🖤
Which is why I like my theme "On the Journey." Because when I write about travel, I'm writing about more than just what we did. When I write about politics, I'm writing about how my views have shifted due to my experiences. Same with faith. And marriage and parenting? That is one epic journey.
Multiple identities make for more subjects to write about. My own substack focuses on writing and publishing, but that can include a lot, especially since I've published in so many different genres. Happy Holidays!
I love Whitman and love reading about him. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was disappointed my kids studied him in high school and there was no mention of his sexuality.
I think the problem with this idea of a “niche” is that it precludes all these areas of our life from talking to each other! My vocation as a mother informs my spiritual life, my experience with trauma informs my mothering, all the things are connected, and so when I pull at one strand others come too. And I think that’s where you find a lot of the richness and complexity of life — even if it’s not a marketable “niche”.
"I didn’t want to 'niche down.' I wanted to be me." Yes! Thank you for this!
The idea of a "personal brand" can be useful, especially for explaining "why would someone want to read this blog?"...but I think it's helped create this idea that writers should be narrow and possible to sum up in a slogan, just like a corporate brand. I don't think that's either possible for everyone or good for the soul. I hope you find lots of success writing about everything that matters to you.
I relate to SO many of the identities you've talked about here. (Religion and politics is such a fascinating topic imo, I wish there was a more peaceful and less fraught way of talking about it.) Best of luck! I look forward to any and all of the things you've got planned!
Ooooh I love that! I'll have to check these out. That's so cool that you're a fourth generation Lutheran. I'm part of the church if Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I'm always so fascinated by the ways our beliefs overlap with other Christian religions.
I love all of who you are and who you're becoming, dismantling, and experiencing! Completely agree about not wanting to niche down because there's more to us than one simple pipeline.
I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago. Not just about Substack, but relating to my entire career. Why are we expected to produce a single wavelength? Humans are a spectrum. We can be good at and care about more than one thing. So why is it generally frowned upon to present ourselves as multifaceted in our exchange with the world? It depends how we’re writing our story, I suppose. If, for example, you’re mainly writing about politics and then randomly start talking about endangered species, there should be some tie-in, somehow. But I think you have the correct idea to just be your whole self. 🖤
Which is why I like my theme "On the Journey." Because when I write about travel, I'm writing about more than just what we did. When I write about politics, I'm writing about how my views have shifted due to my experiences. Same with faith. And marriage and parenting? That is one epic journey.
Multiple identities make for more subjects to write about. My own substack focuses on writing and publishing, but that can include a lot, especially since I've published in so many different genres. Happy Holidays!
Same to you!
We contain multitudes
I love Whitman and love reading about him. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was disappointed my kids studied him in high school and there was no mention of his sexuality.
I think the problem with this idea of a “niche” is that it precludes all these areas of our life from talking to each other! My vocation as a mother informs my spiritual life, my experience with trauma informs my mothering, all the things are connected, and so when I pull at one strand others come too. And I think that’s where you find a lot of the richness and complexity of life — even if it’s not a marketable “niche”.
All of this.
"I didn’t want to 'niche down.' I wanted to be me." Yes! Thank you for this!
The idea of a "personal brand" can be useful, especially for explaining "why would someone want to read this blog?"...but I think it's helped create this idea that writers should be narrow and possible to sum up in a slogan, just like a corporate brand. I don't think that's either possible for everyone or good for the soul. I hope you find lots of success writing about everything that matters to you.
I think you nailed it with the idea of branding. We've almost been told that we, as humans, have to be a brand too. And we're not.
I relate to SO many of the identities you've talked about here. (Religion and politics is such a fascinating topic imo, I wish there was a more peaceful and less fraught way of talking about it.) Best of luck! I look forward to any and all of the things you've got planned!
Do you listen to Pantsuit Politics? They are my go-to for politics. And even though I'm a fourth generation Lutheran, Holy Post Podcast is EVERYTHING.
Ooooh I love that! I'll have to check these out. That's so cool that you're a fourth generation Lutheran. I'm part of the church if Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I'm always so fascinated by the ways our beliefs overlap with other Christian religions.
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say Pantsuit Politics changed my life.
We are all a mix of different personalities and that’s what makes us special . Looking forward to reading different facets of you and your life .
I love all of who you are and who you're becoming, dismantling, and experiencing! Completely agree about not wanting to niche down because there's more to us than one simple pipeline.
Thank you so much. Right back at you!
Thank yooou!
I’ve decided to do the same in 2024 and am dividing my substack into sections so readers can unsubscribe from the parts they’re not interested in.
I'm only doing that for special series, but I love that this is an option.
I think a multi-faceted prism is way more interesting than one shiny polished rock.
Thank you for sharing all of yourself through your writing, so we can enjoy the journey too!
Same and thank you!
Doing you is always a good idea ❤️