Welcome to Briarwood

It's like a little cottage in the forest.

(Originally published in 2022.)

I am guilty of many things.

Despite my best efforts, I regularly pee in the pool. (Look, you birth four children, come back and tell me how well your bladder works, okay?)

I am the one who leaves the tiniest bit of milk in the jug, instead of…whatever it is you people do with that last bit of milk.

I suck at finishing. My books (plural), that course you wanted, that email I half wrote over a month ago… it’s not done. Sorry.

And listen, I regularly overcomplicate so many things that it’s damn near criminal at this point.

This… *gestures vaguely* is one of those things.

Recently, I have come to the realization that my autistic brain creates ridiculous rules about things, that aren’t actually true.

And that, rather than questioning the rule, I just decide that that’s the way things are, you know?

So all those years ago, when my father said that I would never get paid as a writer, my brain decided that meant I couldn’t get paid to write things I enjoyed.

Not that I should, you know, stop writing (which I’m sure was his real intent).

No, I can write all I want.

I can even enjoy it.

I just can’t get paid for it.

OR, if I am getting paid to write, it must be writing that I hate. Think product descriptions and sales pages.

That makes it work, you see.

All of which is absolutely ridiculous.

But, it explains so much of my life and business up until this point.

People tell me I’m a good writer.

Now, I’m Leo enough to fully believe this. My self-esteem has never been the problem.

But the major malfunction occurs when I try to imagine making money off of this work which I love so much.

It’s kept me from pitching articles I really wanted to write. Or publications I wanted to write for.

It’s kept my work firmly planted in the land of deliverables, because I refuse to write things I don’t love.

And for the longest time, it’s meant that creating content always had to be in service of some larger goal.

Marketing.

Sales.

Not content for its own sake.

This year, I’ve done an incredible amount of work on reparenting myself.

I have started to make time and space for those things which I love for their own sake, and not because it’s appropriate or socially acceptable for me to do so.

I’ve focused more on my art.

I’ve practiced writing. (And not publishing it.)

And when I do publish, I always get at least one note from someone, telling me how much what I wrote meant to them.

I have cataloged these love notes for years, as proof that I am on the right track.

But still, I didn’t think someone would PAY for that work.

I’ve really had to sit with this belief.

For months, and many therapy sessions.

About who I am, and what I really do.

Let me be very clear.

This isn’t my big pivot.

I’m not quitting my business. (Later this week I’ll be updating the ways people can work with me, because I continue to have an astonishing amount of clarity around that, too.)

But I do now fully believe that people will pay for my writing.

In fact, they have done so already. Will spill the beans on these things as they come closer to publication.

So now I have no excuse.

Actually, this decision has come as a huge relief. It’s so much easier to do what we love when it’s not out of obligation.

Once I decided, everything got easier.

What it is, what I want it to feel like, and what I need it to be in terms of income and profitability.

And on that note, I’d like to welcome you to Briarwood.

I went to the woods, only to discover that they were always within me.

As such, I can’t tell you what this place will be.

I can tell you what it won’t be.

It won’t be predictable. (Sorry, I’m allergic to schedules.)

It won’t be restricted to any particular topic. I know what themes I want to hit, but the ways we get there won’t always be what you expect.

It won’t be in a particular medium. Expect audio, video, plus lots of writing. I’m really excited to play with composition in a way I’ve never done before.

And it won’t just be me. From guest contributors to interviews to active discussion, one of the things I am most excited to build is a collaborative environment that is engaged in thoughtful conversation around issues that are important to all of us.

In terms of how this will work, all of my current newsletter subscribers are automatically subscribed to the free tier, which will still include my regularly irregular newsletter.

The paid tiers get access to my new podcast, The Anti-Productivity Show, plus the ability to interact with the community.

When it comes to pricing, Substack focuses more on volume, which is not really my way. So, I’ve priced this in a way that feels authentically good to me.

As with all of my work, there’s a generous scholarship fund, and if you can’t afford my prices right now, just send me a message.

Additionally, I’m really looking to cultivate my community here, so if you have responded to any of my recent emails, I’ll be gifting you a subscription.

Finally, I want to say thank you.

My email list has never been large, but it’s been big enough for me. You have always read, replied, and made me feel like the words I write matter to you.

So now I’m making them matter to ME.

You all are directly responsible for that, and I truly can’t thank you enough.