Why I Hide My Substack From Everyone I Know
The Secret Identity Cloak and the Bond It Creates
(Photo credit: Sergiu Oana ~ Canva)
Am I the only person who feels like a superhero every time I step onto Substack? Not in the sense of scaling tall buildings or saving someone from sliding into a parked car and six months of crutches.
I’m talking about the “Secret Identity” cloak that leaps out of the closet and begs to be strapped on prior to each writing session. When secured tightly, it inspires me to create with freedom, anonymity, and grace while almost no one I know is watching in real time.
No crowded rooms of posturing. Just me, my Chromebook, a savored cup of coffee, and words falling onto the screen.
I keep my Substack mostly separate from my everyday life.
My BFF and my beautiful sister-in-law are the only two treasured souls who subscribe, know me in my everyday life, and visit regularly. That’s it. No promoting, no urging, just letting the words find their readers.
Why Anonymity Matters
Why is this so alluring, thrilling, and captivating? Maybe it is simple:
Reinvention feels safe
Anonymity reigns supreme and brings out the ‘honesty sinkhole’ in grandma-sized doses
No familiar faces reminding me who I am expected to be
You get to create freely, outside the world that defines you.
Reinvention and Labels
It is not often in life that we get to reinvent ourselves. Accumulated roles and responsibilities pile up like dishes after a holiday meal, and it is challenging to shed the usual bios we share as though they define every tender morsel of our being. You know the gig:
Parent
Grandparent
Spouse
Occupation
Age
Hobbies
Medical conditions, and more
Stepping out of these defined positions is freeing. We are so much more than all those labels. Watch us soar!
(Photo credit: Mathew Schwartz ~ Unsplash)
Travel and Transformation
Maybe that is why traveling feels so appealing. From the moment you step on an airplane, bus, or taxi, you get to be whomever you wish to be.
If you tell a taxi driver you are a private detective doing research, and they happen to be a person of interest, they won’t dispute it. They might wish you exit the taxi sooner than if you said you were a cake decorator, but the point is, you get to choose who you are.
And so, I ask again, am I the only one who keeps my Substack mostly anonymous?
The Mama’s Wisdom
In the last years of my mother’s life, affectionately called The Mama, a tender ritual began that I will hold dear forever. After a heartwarming embrace, we would walk to the door of her apartment, and I would exit onto the patterned, carpeted hallway.
I can still see her tiny frame standing in her doorway calling out to me, “Now you stay out of trouble.” We would both laugh. Mamas always know.
Most days, I cling fast to my secret identity cloak and travel savored and inspired pathways.
Perhaps courage is not about taking the cloak off, but about choosing when to wear it and allowing yourself to be wrapped in its embrace.
Looking Ahead
Possibly one day I’ll shed the cloak and share my Substack widely. Writing that sentence makes me break into a sweat, so I doubt it will happen soon.
For now, I’ll keep writing from behind the cloak, immensely grateful for the journey and for all those I meet along the way.
And maybe… that is enough. As I shared with a dear friend, my words will travel to the hearts that need them most, and I will be sincerely grateful for every single connection.
As a superhero of the written word, you get to decide who receives your golden links, and whether your identity cloak travels with doors wide open or lives quietly in the shadows.
Your voice
Your words
Your choice
Wishing you peace, light, and love on your journey. May the winds of creativity flow freely and gracefully, with courage dialed high.
If something in this piece resonates, I would love to hear your thoughts.
With much love and gratitude,
Lis at Savor Life Studio 💖💖💖
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P.S. If you’re interested in another reflection on identity and modern life, my recent piece explores what my 6th graders revealed about children and technology:
70 Hours a Week on Screens? What My 6th Graders Taught Me About Children and Technology
PS — This post is public, so please feel free to restack and share with others. Thank you! 💖
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