Goodbye Substack

Hello to the slow, authentic, human, small-scale, soulful approach to life.

‘The Panic’ - Life and Tobacco

NUTS AND BOLTS: This is the last newsletter I’ll send out via Substack. The Creative Buddhist newsletter will be sent from my own website from now on.

Next week, when the new Dharma Bundle launches, I will send a last email from Substack to all my paid subscribers. In that email there will be a discount code which lets you sign up for the Dharma Bundle at a reduced rate. If you’ve paid for the whole year I’ll turn that into credit for the Dharma Bundle. I’m confident that what I’m creating will be of more value, so I hope you won’t feel you are losing anything.

After next week’s email I’ll cancel the paid subscriptions here on Substack. Any questions, just hit reply to this email.

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Dear friends,
It’s goodbye to Substack, but not to you!

I'm moving away from Substack and back to my own website, Red Ladder Studio (inspired by William Carlos Williams’ poem 'The Red Wheelbarrow').

Why? In a word, simplicity. I see a pattern in my life of complicating things, connecting and branching out. Then simplifying, burning it all down to the ground in order to start again.

Moving to Substack turned out to be way more complicated than I anticipated, both for me and many of my dear readers. Plus it’s such a distracting environment to spend time in.

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What I thought Substack would give me?

I had two reasons to try it. One, that I could get out of my own little bubble and reach more people. And two, that my newsletter could become a source of income.

I did reach more people, maybe I found you there? I’m always happy when someone signs up. But I also found out from experience how easy it is to sign up, too easy. One new subscriber also read 267 other Substacks! I’m happy for my list to stay small, if you call nearly 1000 people small.

I also created a source of income with over 150 paid subscriptions, amazing. It’s not easy to make money doing what I do, sharing the Dharma. Maybe that’s why the Buddha’s robe was made of rags. And maybe that’s how it should be.

Sharing the Dharma is like sharing a cure for a disease people don't know they have! By the time you realise how valuable the medicine is, you no longer need it, you've freed yourself of unnecessary suffering.

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Burning down the house

But at the end of the day, Substack as a company, and a phenomena, doesn’t really sit right with me and my values. For example, I never liked putting things behind a paywall, or sending out half an email saying you have to pay to read the rest (I'm sorry for the rare times I did that!)

The Creative Buddhist is a Substack success (thanks to you) and yet here I am, about to burn my own house down by closing all those paid subscriptions. Don't think I haven't had a few sleepless nights about it.

Rather than criticise Substack, I'll tell you what my own values are and how I think I can better serve you from my quiet little website.

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The business I want to run

When I imagine my business, the metaphor that comes up is of a small, local, soulful little corner shop.

It's not ambitious in the sense of wanting to expand, or wanting to make a 6 figure salary. But it’s ambitious in the sense of having high standards. It wants to be dedicated to its customers and to making things of the highest quality, even if those things are quite simple.

This little business doesn't want more and more people turning up, there's not room. Instead it wants those relationships with existing customers to go deeper, it wants them to come back year after year, to share a life with them.

In this little corner shop there's not much stock, but everything is really well chosen. You don't go there when you are in a rush, it's not that kind of place. Things move slowly, you take your time, it's a nice place to be. Sometimes it closes for a summer holiday, it’s small enough to do that.

What will you find in my little corner shop?

The Dharma Bundle

I'm resurrecting the Dharma Bundle. Many of you were part of the original Dharma Bundle membership and this one will carry on where the last left off.

Themes will last from one to three months and will include illustrated dharma videos, led meditations and reflections, as well as creative assignments. There will be occasional study groups if you want to go deeper.

The Dharma Bundle will be accumulative, building into a library of creative Dharma that you can use in your own practice. You can read more about it here. It launches on the 9th of March.

If you were part of the last Dharma Bundle, how would you describe it? You’ll probably say it better than me!

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Wabi-sabi Workplace, co-working for Buddhists

A co-working membership, for solopreneurs, creators, freelancers, and artists. I love the freedom of working alone, yet I yearn for co-workers sometimes. People to learn from, to pass on good ideas to and to talk over my dilemmas. I figured if I feel that way maybe you feel it too?

There will be co-working sessions three times a week, weekly workshops and a friendly network to plug into. It starts on the 11th of March.

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Creative Monday Club - A weekly date with your creative self

This has been up and running since the beginning of the year and is now a highlight of my week. Originally open just to paid subscribers of the newsletter, it's now open to everyone. The format is simple. Turn up on Zoom, Monday night. Post in the comments what you are working on. Then we all work in companionable silence on our own creative projects (from sewing to singing). At the end we meet in 3s to share what we've been doing and gradually get to know one another.

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I started the year with this thought, “What if I plan my work around what I most want to do, then see if it turns out that others would like to join me?”

Everything I'm doing, I'm doing because I want it in my own life. Deep Dharma contemplation, people to work alongside and more creative time.

Now the question is, do you want to join me? I hope so!

Much love going out to you all,
Vajradarshini

Below is a video tour of the membership areas on my website, hopefully it answers some of your questions:

How do I sign up? How do I change my email address? How do I access my memberships?