hello, hi, welcome to gabby writes things

the one where I attempt to pigeonhole myself

the problem

The main problem with writing an introduction to my Substack is that it poses a question I’m very eager to ignore, namely, what is this space about?

I understand the value of “niching down” when you’re trying to reach an audience. I understand defining your lane is best practice. And yet.

And yet, I can’t force myself to pick a lane. Maybe the problem is I don’t really want a lane at all, I want to create a world.

I want to create a portal where people can step in and immerse themselves in life through my eyes for a minute, probably because that’s my own favorite way to engage with things that interest me. I don’t like to consume things— I want them to swallow me whole.

Maybe, I think to myself, if I’m clever at storytelling, this Substack will be somewhere people go when they want to escape, or settle in with a warm drink, or even, if I’m very clever indeed, they will actually smile and laugh too.

if i must

But if you need some main headline topics of what to expect before you can really get comfortable, I will give you a small list of the things I’m most excited to write, learn, and share about.

Herbalism, naturalism, foodfoodfood, books + reading, diaries of a beginner gardener, a dabble in mental health, culture, music, motherhood, and occasionally, maybe, some spirituality.

I reserve the right to grow this list, and before you come at me for all the typos (future, past and present) let me just say in advance that I’m not deliberately sloppy, I just struggle with a bit of dyslexia and so I’m doing my best as a woman without an editor.

admin notes

My dream is to write two newsletters a week: one paid, one free. I will probably paywall some of the more personal and in-depth pieces (to avoid trolls!), but if you ever find yourself in a place where you’d like access to it all and can’t afford a subscription, you can always email me at Gabriella.llewellyn@gmail.com and I will make it available to you. My only request if you receive a gifted subscription, is that you share my writing occasionally when you find it resonant.

other platforms

I exist on Instagram (although it’s my goal to majorly scale back my engagement on that app this year), I don’t really exist on TikTok, and I have a podcast I co-host with my friend Mel called The Making An Effort Podcast.

Okay, I think that is all. Welcome to gabby writes things.

love,

g xx