Recently, I was considering whether I should start a Substack. On the surface, it seemed like a practical idea to elevate my platform strategy and grow my audience. After all, it seems like everyone, and possibly their grandmothers, have a Substack, so why not join in?

But was managing another platform/channel really what I wanted or needed? Especially now that I’m employed (rather than freelance) and barely have time, let alone headspace, to write as frequently as I did before.

In short, the answer is no, and I realised that at the heart of my thinking was a desire to write from a more personal place, and I wasn’t sure where that kind of writing would belong.

Last month, I wrote a post about taking a kintsugi class, and after publishing it, I realised it didn’t ‘feel’ right. The post was polished and professional, but in truth, it wasn’t what I wanted to say. I had neatly framed my kintsugi experience in terms of work and career lessons. It was thoughtful, considered, and safe. But I felt like I wasn’t being honest about where I was at.

So I unpublished the post and edited it to stop hiding behind the “what this means for our professional lives” angle, and to admit what the class actually meant for me. Re-reading it today, I don’t think I fully ‘got there’, but it was a start. The fact is, I’m in a messy season of life – professionally and personally, which is overwhelming. But I’m learning to accept it and not pretend that everything is okay and perfect. Because it’s not. And that’s okay.

Questioning whether I should join Substack was more about the kind of writing I want to do and creating the space for it. Writing has always been an outlet for me to articulate what I’m thinking and feeling. It’s where I process and how I make sense of the world. But outside of literature, I’m not always one to write or comment publicly on how I really feel. And to be honest, this is where I have felt limited as a writer.

It’s vulnerable to write like this, definitely exposing, but I’m glad I’m doing it. Which is a relief, because it tells me that I’m on the right track to where I want to be, writing in a voice that is truly my own. Not hiding behind professional, polished comms and content writing. And not writing in the brand voice of whatever company I’m working for. But instead, creating a space for myself to write from a personal and vulnerable place. In my words, and in my voice.