I'm a Substacker...

Well, it’s official. Actually, it has been official for over a month.

Ya gurl is a Substacker.

Yes, I have joined the Wild Wild West of Writing, and began a Substack

Why? Because (brace yourself): I dislike social media. “Dislike” might be too mild a word.

I KNOW, RIGHT?! I am late to every party, it seems. Doesn’t everyone hate social media, now? Well. I never did. I used to love it. Until I figured out - and it took a long time - that so. many. people. are not who they seem to be there.

Shocker. (…some of you are squinting right now. You’re squinting at me. Stop it. I can’t help it that I believe in fairies.)

Not only that, did you know that “they” now monitor you on social in ways they really did not do before 2020? Did you know that the algorithm is programmed to reward woke? I mean, of course you knew. And, you’ve tried to tell me.

Thing is, I thought I had some serious friends there….over on social. { ::insert “womp, womp” sound::}

Nah, girl. I don’t.

This is not to say that I have “zero” friends on social media, I emphatically have many. And I find out more and more with each passing month who they actually are. But man. The ghost-ers and the roasters are real. So when you add all that together, and toss in censorship/AI/trolls/pay-to-play/algorithm…

…I’ve tapped out.

Except for, I’m still there.

I know. You don’t understand.

I haven’t blown up my accounts, if that’s what you are wondering. I still post, pretty much daily. But here’s the strategy:

IG “reels” are like my neighborhood. “Oh, hi.” ::keeps walking::

IG “posts” are like my sidewalk. “How are you doing, neighbor?” ::waves, because I’m not a mean girl and I am a big believer in the wave::

IG “stories” are like my front porch. “Now that I can know who you are, and have a way of knowing that you are here, and ya can’t ghost me like the other creepers, have a seat. Welcome! You can’t come inside my house and see what I’m reallllly up to, but would you like a glass of water?” ::smiles::

SUBSTACK is my living room. “Can I get you a blanket? Hot tea? Here’s all the books I’m reading right now, and let’s talk for hours. What would you like to know?” ::opens heart::

I still get cheeky over on Facebook. It feels like a bit of a different space to me. It fills a nice middle ground, where I can say some things and sometimes even get away with it. Still - my engagement is way down. Because, algorithm. And because, errybodyyyy hates social media now.

(The Preacher is off of it entirely. He left it to write his book over a year ago, and just never went back. He still posts his devotionals and occasional podcast and links to messages, but he reads not one post….nothing…zip….nada…zilch.)

(the name of my Substack)

In short, Sheila Atchley is done with sharing her best thoughts and ideas for free on a platform that steals from artists, instead of a platform that has a built-in system for voluntary remuneration by friends and strangers.

I love the vision of Substack - to give back to writers, artists, and creators of all stripes what they should have had all along: support. credit. control, creative freedom, and even remuneration, should readers so choose to reward their favorite writers by way of a paid subscription. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram should not get the best a writer has to offer for free.

Like Substack.

Writers - real, human writers who can listen to God, read the Scriptures, love the church, and write from the position of being carriers of the presence of Jesus - are irreplaceable in present culture. We need them now more than ever.

(And thank you to my many subscribers - paid and free. I will treasure you and pour outtttttt for you - all of you. There will be free content that is so, so worthy. And there will be a paywall, behind which you will find the fruits of lots of labor. I work for hours to craft great content, share video, and generally provide solid inspiration for middle age women, and creatives of all ages.)

I’ll still be posting here, too. Bear with me, as I figure out the new landscape. One thing is for da…ng sure, there will be no AI posts here, there, or anywhere. Goodlord. What is the world coming to?

Here’s the link one more time. This is your Substack invitation. I’m grateful.

A Little Bit About Me

I’ve built a spacious simple life. One that reaches for greatness by being small and rooted in place. In a culture obsessed with upleveling, change, chasing new experiences and having hashtag allthethings, I stand smiling and a little bit alone - alone, not aloof.

I definitely stand a little apart from all the cool influencers.

I do not fit in with Alpha Girl Gangs. Never have. It isn’t that I am unwilling to put myself out there. I am more than willing to do that - but not for the usual reasons.

I’m about staying put and paying attention.

I call this defiant way of life “loving what is mine”. Interestingly, the more I preach a rooted, making, artisan, Trinitarian, new covenant gospel, the more I’m asked to travel. And so I pack my bags with a few uncomplicated tools to fulfill a pure uncomplicated call to inspire women “in the middle”. I show up and I demonstrate what it looks like to be creative as a soul-tending practice.

I inspire women to make physical things in the physical world, and to do that either alone with a great glass of wine, or better yet, in the company of friends.

(all photos and videos in this post are by Elisa Trentham of Sherwood Media )