Ahhh. Thanks for the clarification. You're asking some really big questions, which I probably can't deep dive well enough in the comments section to give them due attention. But, I'll do my best in the space I have to address some of what you're asking. 🫶
Practically speaking, I don't think Substack is old enough to know for sure if only "pure" writers can make it here. Substack found its footing in promoting the value in longform writing, which can, from a basic standpoint seem antagonistic to an artist's goals. But the all-inclusive format in Substack does remove a lot of the administrative barriers that creative types often struggle with, especially when first starting out.
With that said, I think Substack working for you and other artists is only really confined by how much imagination you bring to the table AND your business goals. I saw a post from an artist the other day who said she had seen tremendously fast growth in subscribers (I think she was at the 2k point) but ultimately, she's trying to earn a living by selling prints of her art and Substack wasn't a place where readers were reading her longform writing and then purchasing her work. (She was also balancing her outreach between Substack and her original email list and that seemed to also be spreading her thin.)
So take all of this with a grain of salt. Can you be an artist on Substack? Yep, I sure think so. But you might have to bring some "instagram tweaking" (posting much shorter content, more often on Notes) with you.
I'd definitely encourage you to join Ask an Editor in a few weeks. The "opening paragraph" prompt seems to get such a wonderful sense of community and real work done around our writing. So, if I have a "regular" I go back to, it'll be that one. But I will say that readers are generally much more forgiving around grammar and spelling than an editor at one of the Big 5 publishing houses. In fact, every single one of my favorite writers on Substack has had a few (not many) hiccups in everything they publish. As long as the readability and experience of the writing is in tact, readers don't seem to mind much at all.
Side note: I'm going to close the comments on this Ask an Editor (I usually only leave them open for 24 hours), but if you think of other things, feel free to tag me in Notes and we can keep chatting there.
Ahhh. Thanks for the clarification. You're asking some really big questions, which I probably can't deep dive well enough in the comments section to give them due attention. But, I'll do my best in the space I have to address some of what you're asking. 🫶
Practically speaking, I don't think Substack is old enough to know for sure if only "pure" writers can make it here. Substack found its footing in promoting the value in longform writing, which can, from a basic standpoint seem antagonistic to an artist's goals. But the all-inclusive format in Substack does remove a lot of the administrative barriers that creative types often struggle with, especially when first starting out.
With that said, I think Substack working for you and other artists is only really confined by how much imagination you bring to the table AND your business goals. I saw a post from an artist the other day who said she had seen tremendously fast growth in subscribers (I think she was at the 2k point) but ultimately, she's trying to earn a living by selling prints of her art and Substack wasn't a place where readers were reading her longform writing and then purchasing her work. (She was also balancing her outreach between Substack and her original email list and that seemed to also be spreading her thin.)
So take all of this with a grain of salt. Can you be an artist on Substack? Yep, I sure think so. But you might have to bring some "instagram tweaking" (posting much shorter content, more often on Notes) with you.
I'd definitely encourage you to join Ask an Editor in a few weeks. The "opening paragraph" prompt seems to get such a wonderful sense of community and real work done around our writing. So, if I have a "regular" I go back to, it'll be that one. But I will say that readers are generally much more forgiving around grammar and spelling than an editor at one of the Big 5 publishing houses. In fact, every single one of my favorite writers on Substack has had a few (not many) hiccups in everything they publish. As long as the readability and experience of the writing is in tact, readers don't seem to mind much at all.
Side note: I'm going to close the comments on this Ask an Editor (I usually only leave them open for 24 hours), but if you think of other things, feel free to tag me in Notes and we can keep chatting there.