Happy Holidays: All 84 of My Substack Essays Are Un-Pay-Walled Until 2026!

In gratitude for your support this year and with Avoidance Advent, and as a point of reflection on the past year writing longform online

One year ago, I began writing on Substack seriously with Avoidance Advent, year two. A portion of the following I had on TikTok followed me here, and that bolstered my confidence for the rest of the year to keep writing. Over the past year, I’ve put out about 70 essays, articles, listicles, and the rest, and most of them have been either paywalled from the start or went behind a paywall after four weeks. This and the Etsy journals have been my primary way of monetization as someone who accepts very few social media sponsorships over the years, and has helped me begin to pay off some medical school loans slowly over 2025.

If you had told me intern year (2022) as I started writing about Taylor Swift’s Lover album on TikTok that eventually it would become a legitimate, integrated part of my career as a psychiatrist, I would have either not heard you because I was so sleep deprived OR I would have laughed. I’m very grateful to you all for following along here and across socials, and for the time and attention you afford to my work. It means a whole hell of a lot. Being able to worry a little less about loans and the deceased SAVE program has also been a gift.

My gift to you this holiday season is that all of my pieces are now out from behind the paywall from now until January 1st, 2026. I will not be spamming you in resending them, but highlighting a few of my favorites as reminders as we head into 2026. I hope you enjoy a little extra reading from me, and it gives you a sense of what you can expect in the New Year if you decide to become a paid subscriber ($8 a month, aka a hot cup of coffee, a pump of vanilla syrup, and a small pastry OR one ridiculously overpriced latte).

I hope your Avoidance Advent is going well and, when it is not, that you are getting creative and kind in your problem solving.

For my 201 paying subscribers: you are my patrons. Without you over the last year, I would have picked up more hospital shifts and written less. Thank you for support and engagement over the last year, and I hope you know that your support has meant the world to me.

Take care & Take your time,

Margaret of Bad Art Every Day