“If the internet didn’t have rules - and it doesn’t - what do you actually want to do?”
Thank you Mary Beth Kaplan🪶, Betina Cunado, Liza Debevec, Laura Michelle Wolff MEd, Susan Jimenez, and many others for tuning into my live video with Amy Suto!
Creative Power & Joyful Growth on Substack: Interview Summary
Guest: Claire Venus ✨ at Sparkle on Substack
Host: Amy Suto (12-hour book launch for “Write for Money and Power”) - subscribe to Amy 💡 Sutoscience by Amy Suto or ✍️ Make Writing Your Job
Ai summary - thanks Claude
Key Themes Discussed
On Creative Power in 2026
Claire defines creative power as moving away from gatekeepers - not waiting for permission to publish, write books, or host memberships. We don’t need to feel fully qualified or ready anymore. Everything is subjective, and we can create any way we want while having fun.
The Reality of Sustainable Growth
The Subscription Commitment: Plugging into a subscription model is terrifying because subscriptions are forever. It’s a big commitment to show up, even just for free writing.
Year Four Insights:
Most revolutionary year yet, despite early success
Last year felt “random” - what worked before stopped working
Had to return to “audience alchemy” - where your work meets your right-fit audience
Dashboard stats can’t be the internal measure of success
Permission to Evolve:
Stripping back the paid newsletter after hitting bestseller status
Now at 95 paid subscribers vs bestseller numbers, but that’s okay
Considering it might be the last year for that paid newsletter format
Not focused on growth anymore - “I just feel like a bit of a rebel”
On Connection vs Numbers
Depth Over Scale:
Started with small Instagram audience and people she knew personally
Craves depth of connection over big numbers
Had to work through ego battles about wanting big numbers
Real joy comes from depth of connection and running a sustainable business off that
The Redwood Tree Philosophy: “A redwood tree wouldn’t ask another redwood tree for permission. It’ll just be the tallest tree if it’s meant to be the tallest tree.”
What’s Working on Substack Right Now
The New & Bold Phenomenon: People who are new and evangelical about Substack often do well initially (it’s algorithmic). But sustainability requires different skills.
Reality Checks:
Payment disputes, refunds, platform complexity
What Claire thought would be an 8-month membership has people still with her from the beginning
People with existing skills/audiences from other platforms can arrive and “blow up” - but often they’ve had strategist help or multiple Substack team meetings
Evolving Trends:
More direct sales asks now vs gentle invites
More value stacking
But also seeing burnout from people who can’t sustain it
Attention spans are getting shorter on Substack
Practical Tips
First 90 Days Focus:
Find your voice: Blend of personal and professional - what’s calling you here, not what you’re known for elsewhere
Curate your Notes feed: Make it lovely, hang out with colleagues, see what lights you up
Build community understanding: You’re already invited, already in - doesn’t matter if you’ve written one post or sixteen
Positioning for off-platform growth: Add Substack URL to email signature, understand how to talk about it on other platforms
Common Small Tweaks Needed:
Subscribe button needs to be higher up (after just one paragraph)
Use multiple subscribe buttons throughout posts
Add subscribe buttons to About page
Don’t presume people know what you’re about - repeat it multiple times
Keep the Archive button visible - people want to check your consistency
Add PS sections linking to archive content
Write like a letter, not a diary
The Letter Framework:
Concentration at the beginning
Break focus with images, bullet points, bold text
Strong call to action at the end
Write FOR your reader, not just for yourself
On Boundaries & Sustainability
The Duality: Hold both “everything is possible” (viral posts, big opportunities) AND “everything is impossible” (we’re only human).
Practical Boundaries:
Takes Fridays off
Takes full months off (August, December)
Lays it out clearly on About page
Subscriber chat disappears when she’s off
“Substack is not that urgent. We’re not saving lives. We’re just writing on the internet.”
Managing Energy:
Created A to Z library so people can self-serve
Added resources to footer to reduce repeated questions
Monthly subscriber chat for live questions
One-to-one support through structured programs
On Staying Creative During Quiet Seasons
Input Matters:
Craves solitude AND inspiration
Gets recharged by galleries, travel, nature, concerts
Ideas often come during car drives or after being around big energy
Understanding what makes you tick outside of being online
The Creative Cycle: It’s not about pressing more levers and buttons. Come back to center, get inspired externally, then that translates to writing people want to gather around.
On Consistency
“Consistency for me is like... we can all do challenges and fits and spurts. But what do you want the rest of your life to look like?”
Strip away the heavy rulebook from social media
Don’t commit to things you can’t sustain long-term
Be upfront about downtime
Some of the best posts are honest: “I couldn’t write this week”
Notable Quotes
“If the internet didn’t have rules - and it doesn’t - what do you actually want to do?”
“The dashboard metric can’t be my internal measure of success. It needs to come from within.”
“We’re only human. What does it mean to know that if something goes bananas, your space can hold it outside of you?”
“Everyone has different communication styles. It’s very often not about us. Mostly it’s not about us.”
