Why I'm Loving Substack Right Now

And some things I find a bit concerning

As someone who has been (and still is) on almost every platform out there, Substack is a breath of fresh air. Frankly, it’s inspiring to be with other writers who are curious people and just want to share their knowledge. To be in a place with no ads is an absolute joy. I consider subscriptions a different animal, and there’s enough free content on here to make it a worthwhile place to be. And honestly, I don’t mind paying for great writing. It’s hard to make a living as a writer and I absolutely want to support fellow professionals.

I love to connect with other people who share my passion for jewelry and history and art. I have learned so much in my three months here, and I hope it stays this way forever. If not, I’ll be happy with what I can take away for as long as it lasts.

Photo by sameer Ali on Unsplash

To get into the specifics on the things I appreciate about Substack, read on.

1. A big fat no to the other platforms. Let’s start with Facebook. It used to be interesting and a way to keep up with friends and family who were either far away or on the periphery of my social circle. But then it started to be kind of boring. Did I really need that much detail about people? I found I got more out of my close personal relationships and was just wasting time there. It also got to feel like a contest about who was really “winning” at life. And the ads. Self-explanatory. I ended up deactivating my account because I was threatened by strangers over selling some things on Facebook marketplace. Just ridiculous. Next up is instagram. For a while it was fun. Great pics and videos and short stories. Hashtags were amusing. But then everyone was trying to sell me something and it just seemed like an online store. Same with TikTok. Just no. LinkedIn. I’m only on there to spy. I love seeing people’s backgrounds and career trajectories. YouTube. I don’t hate it. I have some channels I visit frequently. But for new topics, it’s overwhelming. Plus so much on there is just bad. Some great content if you can get to it. It’s like a thrift store, searching through racks to get to what you want.

2. Why I came to Substack in the first place. It was Twitter. I know, I know, don’t judge. I refuse to call it X. So stupid. I loved Twitter threads. I learned a ton. Interesting things about history. Some deep dives that really got me thinking in depth about topics that weren’t really on my radar screen. But then I noticed the people I followed starting moving to Substack. So I followed. And I’ve never gone back. I get the same things here. And more.

3. Substack friends. I follow enough amazingly talented and smart people here that I consider them friends. Like if I was where they were, I feel like I could call them and go out for coffee. Maybe they don’t feel the same. It’s irrelevant since I’d be too scared to reach out. But it’s a nice fantasy. I’ll take it.

4. Long form writing. I would always rather read something. I’m not a podcast person and videos are not for me. I usually just read the transcript if that’s an option. I feel like Substack is basically a big magazine that I get to curate. How fabulous is that.

5. A place for me to share my own expertise and be appreciated and seen. I have been cultivating my knowledge of gems and jewelry for 20 years now and had no place to share it. No people to share it with. As much as my family and friends are supportive, it’s not their thing and I respect that. Substack gives me the space to showcase everything I’ve learned. I’m a proud member of the Association of Jewelry and Related Arts, GemX, and a proud graduate of GIA. Thank you to the Northwest Jewelry Conference, to museums here and abroad, to antique shows and dealers who became friends. Thank you to Gail Levine and Emily Stoehrer of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to Elyse Karlin, who guest curates exhibits across America. Thanks to Ted Irwin, who first introduced me to Dr. Jeffrey Post from the Smithsonian, Amanda Triossi from Bulgari, and the incredibly knowledgeable Peter Shemonsky. Thanks to Rob Bates of the Jewelry Wire, who I’ve been reading for years at JCK, and who was someone I was more than happy to subscribe to. I’ve taken everything they’ve offered and now I get to pay it forward. It’s invigorating creatively.

6. A way to be anonymous and yet completely myself. Imposter syndrome is real and for so long I felt like a fraud because I’m not “in the industry.” I’m not a jewelry designer or museum curator. I don’t have an art history degree, I don’t work in a jewelry store. I don’t appraise items. I’m in a completely different field. My interest is pursued in my free time. But that doesn’t make it less. My industry would consider this whole endeavor to be frivolous. It’s part of why I’m so jaded and why I don’t use my real name in my profile. But their loss. There will always be people who look down on art because it’s not “practical.” How sad for them.

Now for the concerning parts.

1. Andrew Tate. What a loathsome individual. I can’t believe Substack lets him be here. He scares me. There’s so much hate from him I can feel it through the screen. He makes me want to close my laptop. That said, I can just pretend he’s not here. I don’t need to follow him, and obviously he doesn’t come up as a suggestion or a related note.

2. Pangram. Clearly a flawed tool, and that’s being generous. I can’t tell what’s AI and Pangram can’t either. As a trained scientist, I can tell you with absolute certainty their methods would never survive a peer review. I would rather just trust that writers wrote the words they put forward. I would hate it if someone thought I was using AI. I don’t even like it if people use it at the end, like some polishing step. Just stay away from it. Nothing good will result.

3. Upcoming brand partnerships. I understand writers need financial support. I understand we have publications and most publications have ads. But it’s distracting and makes me question a writer’s authenticity. I’m keeping an open mind. But I’m worried this is a gateway to Substack being another platform I have to leave because it’s a continual sales pitch. We’ll see.

There you have it. Thank you to everyone who reads what I put out into the universe. I’m so flattered that people would take the time to hear what I have to say. I hope you learn something new.

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

Also, I realize you didn’t subscribe to hear my musings about Substack. I promise this is a one-off. Future posts are all gems and jewelry.

What do you think of Substack? Are you as enamored as I am? Am I wearing rose-colored glasses? Perhaps. Time will tell if Substack continues to be a place I enjoy. For now though, I’m content.