A very timely post! I recently made the decision to take down my website/blog, as ads/affiliate marketing wasn’t bringing in enough revenue to keep things going and explore getting my Substack going again.
As a paid subscriber for more than a year, I want to encourage other readers to upgrade as well! I look forward to seeing your newsletter pop up in my email every week - you always have something interesting + thoughtful to say.
Just subscribed! Your book really inspired me as I’ve been struggling with overconsumption and overspending. The AI stuff is crazy and I hope you get paid by Spotify. I want to use my money to support creators and not AI when I can.
As a consumer, I love how Substack works. Being able to read unpaid content has allowed me to explore many newsletters. That exploration has allowed me to find the writers that I really like, and pay them. While exploring it has felt good to see boundaries. When I come across an essay that is for paid subscribers only that I really want to read, I take it as a clear sign it is time for me to start paying for that particular Substack. More often it has been the reading of a small handful of essays that I enjoyed that has led to me being a paid subscriber.
While I already knew the way I am choosing to consume on Substack, your thoughts in this essay have validated my choice on platforms for consuming this type of content.
Content writer employed by an AI company here. 🙋♀️ NOT as in writing for the AI (we're not building that type of AI), but in the marketing team. Maybe a little hopeful that even an AI company see the value in writers. 🙂
I really loved your posts about the financial costs of immigration (especially the last one which focus on areas that are not often written about), and the recent posts you listed. Even when I can't relate to some of what you share (I looove budgeting) it's fun and informative to read.
Happy to support a fellow writer and deep thinker of life! I had no idea about the Spotify thing without consent, that seems like it should be illegal. It's terrifying to me that the AI beast is staged to make such an impact on the life of creative work. While I appreciate technology, I am what some might call skeptical (not quite a luddite) about placing all hope and life processes in the hands of said tech beast. I'm thankful for your transparency and love what you're doing with your space on here!
That Spotify stuff is wild. What a burden to even *begin* to investigate. As for Substack, I feel the same. It's the ease! I've been working on my "maternity leave" post while I bake this giant human, and it's such a leap of faith to be like "pay for nothing because it's the right thing to do." Lolz. Life!
Delighted to be here and connected to your work, words and world Cait.
Thank you for modelling this model for us all.
As you know (in part), my story is similar but in the adjacent cultural / heritage sector and Substack has quite literally saved my career and brought me so much joy along the way. ✨ ✍️
Thank you for pointing out the struggles of writers. I incorrectly assumed that you had more control over your work. What a shame! I completely agree that Substack is a wonderful platform. I am gratelful for the free content offered by many because I can't afford to pay for them all...as much as I would. Yours was the first that I did pay for right from the start. I was in from the beginning no matter what you wrote about. I am glad that you found your grove...it shows. ❤️
Just gifted a year's subscription to a friend who I thought would enjoy your writing! It cost me just a little bit more than a hardcover book, and I'd gladly gift a book to a friend. Worth every penny for this non-AI content!
I make it a priority to pay for the writing I value, *especially* when it means supporting fellow women who are self-employed. I'm already a paid subscriber here, and I'll gladly continue to be so. I'll also be **cheering you on** as you promote your work as something you deserve to be compensated for.
Yours is the first Substack I upgraded to paid and, though I have since added a few more paid subscriptions, I find TMC is one of only two that I feel I absolutely must read as soon as I see the email hit my inbox. Your work has added great value to my life - going back to your original blog and your budget planner, as well as the guided journaling sessions. All of the ongoing developments with AI and streaming make my stomach twist, and I am more determined than ever to continue supporting and seeking out new work from thoughtful, creative humans.
The thing about AI is that it isn't genuinely creative - it simply slices and dices other people's words and puts them together in ways that seem plausible but don't always make sense. I've taught English writing at a university and the essays that students submitted that were written by AI were immediately obvious because of their bland tone and lack of discernable voice. I can see that AI will be useful in writing the kinds of things that no-one reads properly - government policy, tech manuals, bland opinion pieces for low quality publications, and perhaps even the kind of trashy novel that already feels as though it's been written by a robot - but I can't see that it's going to write anything analytical or reflective or thought provoking. Also, a lot of the time, it's just plain wrong. As with most technologies, at this point in its development, it's the Wild West, but I expect there will be a raft of legislation that will rein it in. I know that there are class action copyright cases pending, for example. And if we look at history, waves of technology have displaced people in certain kinds of jobs, often with disastrous effects in the short term, but in the longer term, people who are skilled and passionate about their craft have always found ways to make a living. In many cases, the effect of mass production of cheap goods has been to elevate the hand-made and bespoke to an art that people are willing to pay more for.
A very timely post! I recently made the decision to take down my website/blog, as ads/affiliate marketing wasn’t bringing in enough revenue to keep things going and explore getting my Substack going again.
As a paid subscriber for more than a year, I want to encourage other readers to upgrade as well! I look forward to seeing your newsletter pop up in my email every week - you always have something interesting + thoughtful to say.
Just subscribed! Your book really inspired me as I’ve been struggling with overconsumption and overspending. The AI stuff is crazy and I hope you get paid by Spotify. I want to use my money to support creators and not AI when I can.
Friend, this post (and of course, your honesty) is the reason why I'll continue to financially support your work ❤️
As a consumer, I love how Substack works. Being able to read unpaid content has allowed me to explore many newsletters. That exploration has allowed me to find the writers that I really like, and pay them. While exploring it has felt good to see boundaries. When I come across an essay that is for paid subscribers only that I really want to read, I take it as a clear sign it is time for me to start paying for that particular Substack. More often it has been the reading of a small handful of essays that I enjoyed that has led to me being a paid subscriber.
While I already knew the way I am choosing to consume on Substack, your thoughts in this essay have validated my choice on platforms for consuming this type of content.
Content writer employed by an AI company here. 🙋♀️ NOT as in writing for the AI (we're not building that type of AI), but in the marketing team. Maybe a little hopeful that even an AI company see the value in writers. 🙂
I really loved your posts about the financial costs of immigration (especially the last one which focus on areas that are not often written about), and the recent posts you listed. Even when I can't relate to some of what you share (I looove budgeting) it's fun and informative to read.
Good on you for promoting your work!
Happy to support a fellow writer and deep thinker of life! I had no idea about the Spotify thing without consent, that seems like it should be illegal. It's terrifying to me that the AI beast is staged to make such an impact on the life of creative work. While I appreciate technology, I am what some might call skeptical (not quite a luddite) about placing all hope and life processes in the hands of said tech beast. I'm thankful for your transparency and love what you're doing with your space on here!
That Spotify stuff is wild. What a burden to even *begin* to investigate. As for Substack, I feel the same. It's the ease! I've been working on my "maternity leave" post while I bake this giant human, and it's such a leap of faith to be like "pay for nothing because it's the right thing to do." Lolz. Life!
Delighted to be here and connected to your work, words and world Cait.
Thank you for modelling this model for us all.
As you know (in part), my story is similar but in the adjacent cultural / heritage sector and Substack has quite literally saved my career and brought me so much joy along the way. ✨ ✍️
Thank you for pointing out the struggles of writers. I incorrectly assumed that you had more control over your work. What a shame! I completely agree that Substack is a wonderful platform. I am gratelful for the free content offered by many because I can't afford to pay for them all...as much as I would. Yours was the first that I did pay for right from the start. I was in from the beginning no matter what you wrote about. I am glad that you found your grove...it shows. ❤️
Just gifted a year's subscription to a friend who I thought would enjoy your writing! It cost me just a little bit more than a hardcover book, and I'd gladly gift a book to a friend. Worth every penny for this non-AI content!
I make it a priority to pay for the writing I value, *especially* when it means supporting fellow women who are self-employed. I'm already a paid subscriber here, and I'll gladly continue to be so. I'll also be **cheering you on** as you promote your work as something you deserve to be compensated for.
You are absolutely one of my favorite writers Cait! So glad that you chose Substack to share your writing with us 🥰
Yours is the first Substack I upgraded to paid and, though I have since added a few more paid subscriptions, I find TMC is one of only two that I feel I absolutely must read as soon as I see the email hit my inbox. Your work has added great value to my life - going back to your original blog and your budget planner, as well as the guided journaling sessions. All of the ongoing developments with AI and streaming make my stomach twist, and I am more determined than ever to continue supporting and seeking out new work from thoughtful, creative humans.
I'm here to stay!
The thing about AI is that it isn't genuinely creative - it simply slices and dices other people's words and puts them together in ways that seem plausible but don't always make sense. I've taught English writing at a university and the essays that students submitted that were written by AI were immediately obvious because of their bland tone and lack of discernable voice. I can see that AI will be useful in writing the kinds of things that no-one reads properly - government policy, tech manuals, bland opinion pieces for low quality publications, and perhaps even the kind of trashy novel that already feels as though it's been written by a robot - but I can't see that it's going to write anything analytical or reflective or thought provoking. Also, a lot of the time, it's just plain wrong. As with most technologies, at this point in its development, it's the Wild West, but I expect there will be a raft of legislation that will rein it in. I know that there are class action copyright cases pending, for example. And if we look at history, waves of technology have displaced people in certain kinds of jobs, often with disastrous effects in the short term, but in the longer term, people who are skilled and passionate about their craft have always found ways to make a living. In many cases, the effect of mass production of cheap goods has been to elevate the hand-made and bespoke to an art that people are willing to pay more for.