If you are a creative and you don't have a Substack, Beehive
or any other email platform: start intentionally your newsletter today!
👋 Dear creative. How are you doing today?
The email = a start of something new
I began my newsletter journey with Mailchimp, but it felt bland, and the backend did not resonate with me. Then, last year, I stumbled upon Substack and had my first ''aha'' moment. Substack has been a teacher, a healing tool, and a training ground for me. Starting my Substack has led to many insights into entrepreneurship, branding, and creativity.
The AHA moment
It's been over a year since I switched to Substack, but only in the past few months I intentionally consider Substack as a potential business. Before, it was just a place for me to share ideas once in a while. I realized it could be full business after hearing the story of Daniella Pierson, the founder of The Newsette, and her journey. From just one daily newsletter, she now reaches millions of people.
I don't have millions of subscribers and my number is quite small, but Substack celebrates every milestone growth. That is the spirit that I appreciate about Substack, every author is important regardless of their size. As I observe people subscribing and showing curiosity about the newsletter, I wonder what inspired them to sign up. As I continue to build the identity of my letters, I understand how organic they can become. The visuals and content will playfully evolve, and that's perfectly okay. The key is to focus on crafting your space(s) one letter at a time.
A redefinition tool
For a creative who enjoys the email format, it can become a new aligned playground and help to redefine your creative identity. I was a designer for over a decade, but today that identity is gone. It was a painful process to let go of years of building, yet it became my beacon of growth. Substack helped me reveal writing and give it a place of its own: which is a gift. Today, I am redefining myself, and what I know is that writing just popped in stronger, bolder into the plan. My letters have helped me in the process of allowing this shift to happen.
Start one letter, start two letters, start as many as you want
I have two newsletters, Your Creative Letter and Your Branding Letter, and both of them complement each other. They both shed light on a different angle of my creative journey. I must confess that I just started a new Substack entirely for French readers. I had thought about it for a while but wasn't sure if it made sense to create another Substack. However, I don't regret the move. It is nice to give ‘‘French’’ a proper space and bring balance to my way of communicating: as I am bilingual.
Today, I have three Substacks with slow but steady growth, and that's progress for me. I am gaining a better understanding of my segmented niches and trying out new things, Substack is the perfect place for that.
Surprise! What made it so popular?
I never know how an issue will perform, but what I find engaging is how it was built. This process ensures that next time, I will tackle a new pain point or idea. All of a sudden, I realize I have a new body of work that speaks for me. Each issue is a delivery of a refined and experimental process, and as creatives, we love that!
A place for creatives
On Substack, many creatives are super inspiring. They share their sketches, doodles, videos, and art pieces, analyzing creative fields and beyond. You can start a Substack on anything you want, the only rule is to have fun and provide your subscribers with an experience of what it means to be around you.
The power of a sense ''all in one place''
I often joke about it, but Substack has the potential to become like YouTube in the sense that within the platform, authors can share audio, video, articles, and pieces, build a community, and even share notes (the new Twitter). All in one place and authors can even get paid for it. If you observe big Substacks with a massive following, having everything in one place is powerful. They navigate and make an impact within the space.
In the highly competitive creative space, where we are all trying to bridge the gap and get our message across to our audience, I feel emails give perspective and ownership to that audience. They intentionally choose to read your work, and that is a support to keep "doing your thing".
What do you need to start?
✅ What do you want to talk about?
✅ Just start! Don't overcomplicate things. You will figure it out as you go.
✅ As a creative, you already have a sense of your brand, it is an opportunity to expand on that or try new things
✅ Keep in mind to create your space (logo, visuals, tone of voice, systems with your letter, the story you want to embark on…)
✅ Make it a routine. Start small, maybe once a month, and level up to 2x a month, and why not once a week? or even daily?
✅ Look at your data and let your letter find its people. Let that encounter happen.
✅ Why not start another Substack? As long as you can manage them and they nurture your creative process. The sky is the limit.
✅ Have fun!
You can read here a glimpse into my process when I started.
Sending start now vibes 🌞
Have you heard of Louise Fili? I first discovered her during my graphic design studies and have been in awe of her craft ever since. The Artisan approach of her studio is inspirational to me. I love her ‘‘Before and After series’’ which highlights her ability to reinvent the story of brands. Louise is a master at storytelling, which any creative can relate to in their creative and branding journey. She has an enticing vintage-modern feel that gives her work a strong identity long-term.
If I stumble upon one of her packaging designs, for sure! I will treasure it.
🐎 Opportunity knocks
In every letter, I share opportunities I stumbled upon. There are so many cool grants, funding, competitions, and more to enter to experience progress. I hope the list of the week will be useful.
Call for Bilbaoarte grant (6 months or 1 year, a maximum of 10 scholarships)
🇫🇷 Food photography (annual ‘‘Food Temple’’ festival. Deadline → June 2nd)
Submit your work to Yatzer (people in art, fashion, design, and architecture)
Black Ambition Prize Competition (a prize that highlights the talents of Black and Hispanic founders. Their goal → provide a pathway to entrepreneurship, increase access to capital, and promote growth. Deadline → May 8th)
🤩 Cool links to click on
An AI artist explains his workflow (from traditional art to mastering AI collaborative tools)
The Happy Creative (Phoebe Taylor paves the path of Joy for creatives)
Plan• Make • Do (a 360º insightful creative support. Laura’s space is so nurturing! If You have a question on your creative economy, she got you covered)
Stunning website experience (‘‘No Revisions’’ set the bar: my UI & UX awe!)
Creativity is in every little curious experimentation
I hope you enjoyed the read of the week. If you enjoy this letter → 💖 put a heart on it and feel free to share it with peers, friends and family! It helps more people discover this space.
Yours creatively,
Keva.
I am sooooo glad I did