Beautiful! In early 2021 I did a workshop facilitated by a woman named Monica Cadena. It was called “grow your community not your audience.” The workshop was about truly amplifying the authentic you and having an actual connection to those who engage with your energy on these platforms. I see life refining you and I see you aligning yourself with that refinement. Your community is out here! We see you, value you, and are holding the vision of you thriving. 🌷🌺💐🪷🌻🌼🌸🪻🌹
Thank you for seeing me, Yanique! You've reminded me of the mission I started this year, around building community spaces for black women like us. These sorts of spaces are so grounding for me and I think I have been feeling disconnected lately with all that has been going on. This week I decided that I would focus on building and refining connection with the audience I have built so far quality > quantity, and all of the more quirky and intimate ideas / stories / spaces I have in store. Can't wait to share with yewww ☺️🌺🙏🏾🐻😻
I’m a new subscriber…hi! I am really enjoying your content so far and as soon as finances allow, will happily become a paid subscriber.
This essay was so relatable and hit me hard. I’m an artist and writer as well and have never felt valued for my work. I often feel like I’m just sharing into the abyss. I’m about to launch my own substack and am trying to be positive and optimistic about where it will lead.
Looking forward to reading and engaging with your future work!
aww thank you. 🌺 I also sometimes feel like it's going into an abyss when I share something so vulnerable, so it means a lot to me when it resonates with someone who can relate and receive.
Ultimately, as Artists we have to command our value, set boundaries, and know our worth. This is the only way we will receive what we are worth in any sustainable way. Otherwise, we're subject to however others want to value and perceive us, which varies widely...especially in a world that already doesn't properly value us on a human level.
This is why I think being an Artist can be a great tool for spiritual and personal growth if we use it that way.
I'm happy you're launching your Substack, and I hope you find it to be a positive outlet for you as it has been for me. I appreciate your willingness to support, and I'll be happy to have you as a paid subscriber whenever you're ready! 💜
You are really valued and loved and so needed, espeically now.
There are no ships sailing for women anymore and its all so depressing.
All we have are these writers who put out work and its not enough.
I only know of you and Dr. Suzanne Verling. So many Black women don't see other Black women who are gender critical. I was so excited that you had a community but saddened when you shut it down. Women are really looking for space and every single space is attacked, or doesn't last. It is not you, I think women are being programed to not have hope. I also think people are really bummed out and only want to engage with fluff content and nothing too serious. Your work challenges people to think and that is why you may not see that pull. But I always share your stuff on my youTUBE. I don't have a huge following at all because Black women are not feeling "that TERF shit", but I get it. I will never stop talking. There will be a girl in the future looking for the both of us.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing your appreciation with me.
Trust me I completely understand how you feel and I scour the Earth to find black gender critical women. Our voices are incredibly valuable.
Now that I have a proper platform it's a little easier to connect with us because I'm waving a huge flag but we are still sparse in a communal sense. However I think that is also what makes platforms like mine so special.
You are right that a lot of folks are looking to engage with fluff and a lot of the "mainstream" convos happening out there are really not getting to the root of the problem or evoking any rich analysis or it's being reduced to liberal vs. conservative and it kills me. I definitely want to get my voice, and voices of my community out there so that more people can see that women like me exist and have something to say.
I feel that I'm planting seeds right now and I am starting to see the blossoming but it will take time for my community to grow. Yes, I shut down the online sapphic space I had last year but I have created other small in-person and online spaces here and there that have been amazing.
I am just going through a lot right now and I need time to develop capacity to hold space. However I have a lot of ideas in store and one of them is to focus on nurturing the community I already have and generating more connection amongst us. Thank you so much for supporting me and sharing my work on Youtube.
There are black women who value us and who are starving to hear voices like ours, but they are not in the mainstream eye and usually feel more alienated than ever because it's so hard to find women who speak uniquely to their lived experience. We are needed now more than ever 💜
You should be valued and supported. I value you! Your work is so important and you're also such a good writer. A reason you don't have more subscribers is likely because too many of us are too poor. I would love to subscribe, but don't subscribe to anything online because I literally can't afford it. I'm incredibly frugal to be able to survive on so little, but it's still not enough to do what many others can do. Dental bills for the last two years were more than my income for those years. And then if I could have, I would have written in support of your posts.
I love that you said about Angela Davis: "So not only are you mercilessly guzzling the kool-aid, you’re publicly lambasting women who don’t sit there and drink it with you? This really turned me off." Yes. She is so worshipped and has been known as an academic and Marxist decades before being out as a Lesbian. It's good she's out now, but why the betrayal of all women and girls by being yet another star who pushes the trans cult and vilifies those courageous enough to say no? I agree, she is overrated! Especially considering there are far more oppressed and in danger African-descent Lesbians who speak out defending girls and women from the men who demand we allow them into our last spaces, including our own bodies. Angela Davis could literally save lives if she said no to the cult and supported you and the few others who are more courageous. We live with the rape, mutilation, and death threats for daring to say no. Really, she should read you and consider that what they did to Pauli Murray could happen to her too.
Hey Bev. Thanks for chiming in and sharing your support! No worries, I understand and you don't need to explain your income situation. I know you support me and that you've been happy to share my work. I actually gifted you a week-long subscription last year as a thank you but I'm not sure if you received it.
As far as supporters-I know that there are some people would love to support but do not have the means to do so. But I think there are others who can support and choose not to. I don't assume that everyone who subscribes to me is poor, or that poverty is the only reason why someone would enjoy my work without giving back. Not everyone who discovers my work is well-intentioned or aligned with me, and that is the point.
I want to have a lot of people in my readership who support me in the ways they can, and find ways that we can support each other. That equates to a healthy readership community. It will take some time to refine a sense of community here but that is what I'm going for.
Also, yes! I always think of how Angela Davis would have felt differently if she were forced to live with a man who ID'd as a woman when she was in prison. I think she is very out of touch, but I hope she comes around.
Thank you so much, N3VLYNN! And thank you for the sub last year. I get so overwhelmed that I fear I'm missing a lot. (I broke my ankle a few days ago so am even more out of it now.) But you should get pay for your work, and, what I notice is that too often it's the class privileged who are stingier with giving while the poor often give the most, percentage-wise. I've read statistics on that also. And, ironically (or not), those who give their work for free are often less valued, which I noticed after putting almost our entire book online for Lesbians. Yet once this was how our Lesbian community tried to be and valued.
I hope Angela Davis comes around too, but so few care or think about it. It's always a shock to me, how they can be so oblivious when there are SO many ways to realize. Just the horror of rapists and murderers of women put into prisons with women, the male boxers being rewarded for beating women, the increasing numbers of these men attacking women in our name, the grotesque, bizarre images they show of themselves while bragging how beautiful they are, saying they are truly women and if you disagree, they will kill you, and all their endless, obvious male fetishes.... Just one of these alone should reach women, but they love those men....
Nothing wrong with what you said, I just don't feel that my work is for you. I removed your subscription right after I deleted your comment. Thank you for sharing. Be well.
Beautiful! In early 2021 I did a workshop facilitated by a woman named Monica Cadena. It was called “grow your community not your audience.” The workshop was about truly amplifying the authentic you and having an actual connection to those who engage with your energy on these platforms. I see life refining you and I see you aligning yourself with that refinement. Your community is out here! We see you, value you, and are holding the vision of you thriving. 🌷🌺💐🪷🌻🌼🌸🪻🌹
Thank you for seeing me, Yanique! You've reminded me of the mission I started this year, around building community spaces for black women like us. These sorts of spaces are so grounding for me and I think I have been feeling disconnected lately with all that has been going on. This week I decided that I would focus on building and refining connection with the audience I have built so far quality > quantity, and all of the more quirky and intimate ideas / stories / spaces I have in store. Can't wait to share with yewww ☺️🌺🙏🏾🐻😻
I’m a new subscriber…hi! I am really enjoying your content so far and as soon as finances allow, will happily become a paid subscriber.
This essay was so relatable and hit me hard. I’m an artist and writer as well and have never felt valued for my work. I often feel like I’m just sharing into the abyss. I’m about to launch my own substack and am trying to be positive and optimistic about where it will lead.
Looking forward to reading and engaging with your future work!
aww thank you. 🌺 I also sometimes feel like it's going into an abyss when I share something so vulnerable, so it means a lot to me when it resonates with someone who can relate and receive.
Ultimately, as Artists we have to command our value, set boundaries, and know our worth. This is the only way we will receive what we are worth in any sustainable way. Otherwise, we're subject to however others want to value and perceive us, which varies widely...especially in a world that already doesn't properly value us on a human level.
This is why I think being an Artist can be a great tool for spiritual and personal growth if we use it that way.
I'm happy you're launching your Substack, and I hope you find it to be a positive outlet for you as it has been for me. I appreciate your willingness to support, and I'll be happy to have you as a paid subscriber whenever you're ready! 💜
I have one paid subscriber. If I had 46 of them, I’d be over the moon. Considering the economy and your niche, I’d say you’re doing amazing.
Aww thanks for the perspective 🥰 I really appreciate it.
Black gender critical women are so RARE to find.
You are really valued and loved and so needed, espeically now.
There are no ships sailing for women anymore and its all so depressing.
All we have are these writers who put out work and its not enough.
I only know of you and Dr. Suzanne Verling. So many Black women don't see other Black women who are gender critical. I was so excited that you had a community but saddened when you shut it down. Women are really looking for space and every single space is attacked, or doesn't last. It is not you, I think women are being programed to not have hope. I also think people are really bummed out and only want to engage with fluff content and nothing too serious. Your work challenges people to think and that is why you may not see that pull. But I always share your stuff on my youTUBE. I don't have a huge following at all because Black women are not feeling "that TERF shit", but I get it. I will never stop talking. There will be a girl in the future looking for the both of us.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing your appreciation with me.
Trust me I completely understand how you feel and I scour the Earth to find black gender critical women. Our voices are incredibly valuable.
Now that I have a proper platform it's a little easier to connect with us because I'm waving a huge flag but we are still sparse in a communal sense. However I think that is also what makes platforms like mine so special.
You are right that a lot of folks are looking to engage with fluff and a lot of the "mainstream" convos happening out there are really not getting to the root of the problem or evoking any rich analysis or it's being reduced to liberal vs. conservative and it kills me. I definitely want to get my voice, and voices of my community out there so that more people can see that women like me exist and have something to say.
I feel that I'm planting seeds right now and I am starting to see the blossoming but it will take time for my community to grow. Yes, I shut down the online sapphic space I had last year but I have created other small in-person and online spaces here and there that have been amazing.
I am just going through a lot right now and I need time to develop capacity to hold space. However I have a lot of ideas in store and one of them is to focus on nurturing the community I already have and generating more connection amongst us. Thank you so much for supporting me and sharing my work on Youtube.
There are black women who value us and who are starving to hear voices like ours, but they are not in the mainstream eye and usually feel more alienated than ever because it's so hard to find women who speak uniquely to their lived experience. We are needed now more than ever 💜
You should be valued and supported. I value you! Your work is so important and you're also such a good writer. A reason you don't have more subscribers is likely because too many of us are too poor. I would love to subscribe, but don't subscribe to anything online because I literally can't afford it. I'm incredibly frugal to be able to survive on so little, but it's still not enough to do what many others can do. Dental bills for the last two years were more than my income for those years. And then if I could have, I would have written in support of your posts.
I love that you said about Angela Davis: "So not only are you mercilessly guzzling the kool-aid, you’re publicly lambasting women who don’t sit there and drink it with you? This really turned me off." Yes. She is so worshipped and has been known as an academic and Marxist decades before being out as a Lesbian. It's good she's out now, but why the betrayal of all women and girls by being yet another star who pushes the trans cult and vilifies those courageous enough to say no? I agree, she is overrated! Especially considering there are far more oppressed and in danger African-descent Lesbians who speak out defending girls and women from the men who demand we allow them into our last spaces, including our own bodies. Angela Davis could literally save lives if she said no to the cult and supported you and the few others who are more courageous. We live with the rape, mutilation, and death threats for daring to say no. Really, she should read you and consider that what they did to Pauli Murray could happen to her too.
Hey Bev. Thanks for chiming in and sharing your support! No worries, I understand and you don't need to explain your income situation. I know you support me and that you've been happy to share my work. I actually gifted you a week-long subscription last year as a thank you but I'm not sure if you received it.
As far as supporters-I know that there are some people would love to support but do not have the means to do so. But I think there are others who can support and choose not to. I don't assume that everyone who subscribes to me is poor, or that poverty is the only reason why someone would enjoy my work without giving back. Not everyone who discovers my work is well-intentioned or aligned with me, and that is the point.
I want to have a lot of people in my readership who support me in the ways they can, and find ways that we can support each other. That equates to a healthy readership community. It will take some time to refine a sense of community here but that is what I'm going for.
Also, yes! I always think of how Angela Davis would have felt differently if she were forced to live with a man who ID'd as a woman when she was in prison. I think she is very out of touch, but I hope she comes around.
Thank you so much, N3VLYNN! And thank you for the sub last year. I get so overwhelmed that I fear I'm missing a lot. (I broke my ankle a few days ago so am even more out of it now.) But you should get pay for your work, and, what I notice is that too often it's the class privileged who are stingier with giving while the poor often give the most, percentage-wise. I've read statistics on that also. And, ironically (or not), those who give their work for free are often less valued, which I noticed after putting almost our entire book online for Lesbians. Yet once this was how our Lesbian community tried to be and valued.
I hope Angela Davis comes around too, but so few care or think about it. It's always a shock to me, how they can be so oblivious when there are SO many ways to realize. Just the horror of rapists and murderers of women put into prisons with women, the male boxers being rewarded for beating women, the increasing numbers of these men attacking women in our name, the grotesque, bizarre images they show of themselves while bragging how beautiful they are, saying they are truly women and if you disagree, they will kill you, and all their endless, obvious male fetishes.... Just one of these alone should reach women, but they love those men....
Yes, supporting each other is so important too.
I hear you, Bev! Thank you again. Wishing you a safe recovery for your ankle 💜
Thank you again too! xoxox
LoL. Certainly don't think there's much value in subscribing if you're going to delete comments that offend your too "delicate sensibilities":
https://substack.com/@humanuseofhumanbeings/note/c-66693871
Lotta that goin' round these days. And on virtually all sides of any given fence.
Nothing wrong with what you said, I just don't feel that my work is for you. I removed your subscription right after I deleted your comment. Thank you for sharing. Be well.
🙄