More than fidgets...and beyond the fries.

Hello, I am Tiffy.

This is part of my free Saturday newsletter. If you find that you like what you read here, please consider supporting me financially here ($5/month). You’ll have access to not only this free weekly newsletter but other postings (such as the Wednesday newsletter, a weekly video, and advice on parenting, marriage, Autism, and more).

I would first like to thank all of you for being here. I know how difficult the algorithms on social media can be and how tempting it is to NOT leave one app to follow a creator to another. Even if it is your favorite creator, these apps make it so hard for you to leave. But this is something I have been thinking about for quite some time and if I don’t jump into it, I don’t think I ever will.

So, this is me. Jumping. Maybe I will fall. Maybe all of this will be one big fail. But I thought the same about building a community like the one you are part of. So, now it’s, “what if I succeed?”

I am a writer. I was a writer before I even acknowledged myself as one. It is laborious work, but it is what holds me together. It’s what sees me through the toughest of times. It is what helps me to celebrate those joyous moments. Writing is what brought many of you here.

The platforms you met me on are not serving me in the way I would like. I long for a more writer-friendly space. I give so much of myself away for free. My time, my energy, my focus, my talents, etc. and while there will always be some aspect of this space that will remain free, such as this Saturday newsletter, I wholeheartedly believe that creators, be they artists, podcasters, writers…should be paid.

Your financial support here will help me to continue to show up in these spaces in the capacity I currently am, allow myself the breaks I require to keep going, fund the expenses it would take to manage a solid online presence, provide the resources, materials, and accommodations for the boys as they learn to navigate this world, provide a savings for their future, paying those who would write for this newsletter, and gives me the opportunity to be something I never thought I could be: an entrepreneur, a small business owner…someone who works from home to provide support for her family.

I want this to grow into something big here. This is one of the only few spaces where I feel as though I can own the things that I put into the world. I will continue to work on my own website. I will continue to find ways to take more ownership of the creations of my mind, but this is an amazing start to that journey.

I plan on collaborating with other writers here. There will be essays here, behind the scenes videos, stories from beyond what you see on IG or FB, and more. I used to do Zoom meets on Patreon. I will probably open that back up on here in a group format. There is a podcast option here and I intend on exploring that further, but should I add that to the mix here, I will offer that to paid subscribers as well. But don’t hold your breath here, I am a writer, period. I don’t know if I want to branch into speaking like that. I guess I will see how I do on the weekly videos.

This is a space where Tiffy dwells. Not Fidgets and Fries. I love what I have built on social media. But I need the room to stretch my legs. The room to breath. I am so much more than disabled and activist. I want to share that part of my life, in addition to the activism (that won’t ever go away). I want to share the advice I have on parenting. I want to talk about the love I have for my husband and how even we struggle with marriage. I want to talk about my love of pie. I want to share how I am struggling to make this small home livable. The frustration that I am living on this side of the state…I want to share things that bring me great joy and love and spark passion within me. I want to write about all of our food fails.

I just want to write, y’all. It’s how I make sense of this here world. I got stuck in trying to keep up with the algorithms on social media that I was beginning to lose myself. I feel more free even writing this post and it isn’t about anything but a soft plea to get you to subscribe. But on FB, which I feel is more writer friendly than IG, I find myself feeling as though I need to chase the audience. My reach has dropped significantly since I monetized my space there and I am tired of fighting against that machine. Those who are here are because they want to be here. I didn’t have to fight to get you. I don’t have to write things so that I am seen more. I don’t have to write in the hopes that it somehow picks up traction and spreads to others.

I can just…write.