The paint’s still drying
but I’m not waiting for it to
A couple of months back, I packed up and moved my blog from Substack to my own little corner of the internet. And while I'm still not "ready" to post here — I'm doing it anyway. Because I'm having too much fun writing to you to let a construction zone stop me!
Sure, some rooms aren’t painted, some plumbing needs installing, and you’ll likely spot a few missing lightbulbs while I settle in. But this place doesn’t need to look like a museum. In fact, I don’t want it to. And to be quite frank, I’ve started to lean into my own home looking a bit in disarray, because I want it to feel like people actually live here. To be cozy and lived-in. Wild, right? Plus, I’m learning to accept the utter chaos that is life in general: this unfinished website, this unkempt house that’s too small for all my stuff, and being an unpolished yet genuine human being.
So, why now and not later? Well, in case you're new, here’s a quick refresher on why I started While You're Here in the first place (and why I left Substack):
I started blogging for three reasons: to make a conscious effort to exercise my long-form creative writing muscles again. To fall in love with writing again. And to share my stories in my own words in hopes they may help someone else along the way.
And I left Substack because, well…I may have been living under a rock — or maybe it's because I only recently got back on all the socials — but I had no idea how problematic things had gotten over there.
Profiting off people like Andrew Tate and literal Nazis doesn't align with my personal values.
And while I'm not charging anyone to read what I write, I can't consciously support what's happening or direct you to a platform so full of hate.
That's not me.
That's not While You're Here energy — nor will it ever be.
If you missed the Substack posts, here they are — all moved into their new home:
So, that brings us to the here and now. A brand-new space for my writing — same Natalie, same stories you've loved, just completely mine now. Things may be untidy and half-painted, but that's me. A work in progress in every sense of the phrase.
But what if that's also the whole point? I don't have to figure it all out to get started or take up space. I learned that long ago, way back in the early-stage startup days of my 20s. I'll just keep showing up and keep figuring it out.
While you're here…what if you started the thing you want to do right now? What's the worst that could happen? Someone sees that you're human? Maybe they'll even feel free to show up just as they are, too. And we definitely need more of that in our all-too-glossy digital world.
Thanks for reading. I'm really glad you followed me over here. 💖
–Natalie
p.s. If you like what you're reading, forward this someone’s way.
