This was a really difficult decision to make...

Something has been weighing on my mind lately. And it is how much of myself and my experiences and insights that I share very publicly online.

I love sharing my experiences and my writing with the world, but certain posts don’t feel meant for everyone’s eyes to see. We all know boundaries are important, and as I spoke about on my last post - some people don’t deserve everything we are, and everything we have to give. I want to protect my privacy, my longevity on this platform and my energetic boundaries.

I pour a lot of myself, my pain from the past, my hope for the future and my love for life into these posts, and the relationship has started to feel a little one-sided, or extractive. That’s not to say I don’t really appreciate all the engagement, the likes, the comments and the wonderful exchange we have in the comments sections and on notes. I love the people that show up in this spirit of exchange, but there are a lot of quiet views and I don’t know who those people are, or what they think when they see my work.

I often find myself thinking about what certain people in my life would think if they saw some of my more sensitive posts here. I think I would like to reserve some posts for a smaller, more intimate audience.

Going forward some posts will only be available to paid subscribers.

Some other posts may be free initially and then for paid subscribers only after a certain time period. And most posts older than three months will be for paid subscribers only.

Paid subscribers will retain full access to all of my posts, all new posts including the ones that are only ever available for paid subscribers, and the entire back catalogue of my work here.

Actual image of me transmitting my work to paid subs.

Do not worry!!! There will still be a lot, and I mean A LOT of free posts.

But I am really excited about the possibility of being able to be even MORE OPEN, MORE VULNERABLE and MORE AUTHENTIC in a safer, quieter, smaller space.

I am beyond excited about what I could talk about when I am free from the fear of unwanted intruders or people with malicious intent in this space. When I know that the people who receive my post are those who resonate most strongly and will GET IT. When I do not have to worry so much about how big my online footprint is becoming, how much of myself I am revealing to the entire world, because it is limited to a core group of really cool individuals who value me and what I am doing, as much as I value them.

I am excited about sharing the things I have been holding back, because Substack as a whole has felt like too public a place to share freely.

I am thinking of activating the subscriber chat for paid subscribers only so we can have a weekly discussion thread about each week’s post, maybe with some journalling prompts or an opportunity for each person to share and connect.

This could be us in the paid-chat!

I am figuring this out as I go, based on vibes, and this shift has been weighing on my energy for a while. I will give all my paid subscribers the ability to have input as this space evolves, to have a say in what is most useful, valuable and beneficial and what they would like to see more of from me.

This is the messy middle!

Come join me and let’s figure it out together!

I would love to create a poll to find out what kind of subscriber benefits you are interested in and what you would like to see in this space. If you have any ideas for what you would like drop them in the comments below.

I am excited for what we can build together. If you are on board and want to help support me in figuring this out, and of course to receive all my future posts, upgrade to paid today!

I know that money can be a barrier for a lot of people in our community so I am committed to still offering valuable free posts. If that is not enough and you really, really need access to the rest of the space but can’t afford it, please contact me and I will see what I can do.

I am also thinking of offering my future paid posts as one-off purchases via PDFs on my ko-fi store so that you don’t have to purchase a whole subscription if you just really want access to one post.

This feels good to me, a good balance. I hope it feels good to you. I value all my subscribers and the life they bring to the comments sections. I hope some of you will join me in the private paid tier, but I respect that is not possible for everyone and I will still ensure there is good content for my free subscribers to benefit from.

how i feel after making this decision

If a membership is not right for you at this time, but you still want to support my work, my poetry zine Fragments of Desire is available for purchase on my ko-fi store and is a great way to support my work and read some poetry!

My Ko-fi store is also open for one-off tips and donations.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my work.

I hope you all have a beautiful week :)

Lots of love,

Percy