Support This Publication
If you'd like to support for less (or more!) than $18 USD/mo, read this.
“Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.”
— Joan Didion, Let Me Tell You What I Mean
The Fool’s Renaissance
I have bounced around between subscription & tip-based models and platforms to support my writing and other creative work: Medium, Patreon, BuyMeACoffee (where I still host my one-time Tip Jar), and most recently, Ghost.org. In fact, back in the day I was an extremely early adopter of Patreon: I was on the site 3 days after it launched, in all its mint green & grey, clunky glory. When I finally got around to making my own profile, I quickly found myself amongst the top performing creators, and — in alignment with my politics — doing so with none of my content paywalled or any rewards at all, actually.
I believed then, as I do now, that the way forward for independent creatives is to view our work as an act of service to our collective culture. In an ideal society, creatives would be fully or partially subsidized by the collective, and there would be little to no corporate or middle man profit motive guiding what kind of art gets made and seen, or what it says, or who says it. I have similar thoughts on copyright, with the exception that I feel like limited exercise of copyright law can and should protect independent creatives from having their labor appropriated for the wealth and benefit of others without their consent. Looking at you, generative AI.
(For all of those exploits, my journey finally brought me to settle in for however-long-the-haul, thanks to the encouragement of the inimitable Zawn Villines of Liberating Motherhood. Tell her I sent you!) While I am keenly aware of Substack’s “libertarian” origin story and some of the controversies that have followed its growth, it is an incredible ecosystem of creativity, connection, and genuine community that fits everything I’ve everything I’ve been looking for, and I’m looking forward to finding my stride there with folks like you along for the ride.
By becoming a paid subscriber (starting at $4.50 USD/month), you’re enabling me to honor my rhythm as a creative, produce quality work that is meaningful and not driven by profitability or brand appeal, and thus fills the world with art that has meaning rather than content built solely to convert a sale. Oh, and you can join the Subscriber Chat + comment on posts! :)
If you’d like more personalized, 1:1 support and time with me, you can always sign up to Work With Me here.
P.S. — My base rates are quantities of 18 because I am a Jewish cliche, but also because 9 is a sacred number for the Grandmothers *and* my personal lucky number is 9. I like to think I am asking Creation to double my luck every time I have the courage to ask to be seen + heard by others.
P.S.S. — If you’d like to support this publication with a one-time tip, you can do so via BuyMeACoffee.
PLEASE NOTE: iOS USERS ON APPLE DEVICES
Apple is requiring that Substack use their in-app purchasing system and remove all other billing systems from the iOS app by November 2024. This means that starting in November, new memberships purchased in the iOS app will be subject to Apple's 30% app store fee.
Rather than passing on this fee to you or raising my rates to compensate for this outrageous price gouging, I ask that all new Apple device users switch to a browser to become a paid subscriber.
I know it's a pain in the butt, but if you do that, I will HAPPILY comp you an extra month of your subscription for the trouble! Just send me an email at admin[at]bunnymorganbrown.com with the subject line “Apple Comp” xo