#116: Five Years In Review

Celebrating half a decade on Substack!

This past Tuesday officially marked my five year Substack anniversary! When I shared my first post (titled Click Here For a Virtual Hug—a subject line I truly thought was brilliant), I was living at my parents’ house during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact that this was half a decade ago astounds me, as if time has warped and folded in on itself.

A rare selfie from 2020, featuring my classic Zoom outfit (the one cute sweater I’d brought to my parents’ house and sleep shorts…)

In honor of this milestone, I put together a comprehensive guide to the posts I’ve written thus far! If you’re a longtime reader, I hope this helps you find things you may have missed or want to revisit. If you’re a newer reader, let this be a choose-your-own-adventure! I’m categorizing based on topic/general vibe.

As a little celebration, I’m offering 25% through the end of May for paid subscriptions. If you join, you’ll automatically be able to sign up for my snail mail club, download exclusive-to-Substack phone wallpapers, and gain access to paywalled posts. I know it’s a big decision to decide which creators you have the means to support, so please know I’m so happy you’re here either way. That said, every paid subscription allows me to produce this work (and other longer form projects!). Thank you so much. I love you beyond words!

A Comprehensive Guide to Five Years of Haley Wrote This

Note: Most of these essays are free to read and funded by paid subscribers. Thank you again for your support!

On Being Online:

#62: You Are Not Your Phone

#71: I Got Scammed

#80: The Instant Gratification Of Being an Instagram Artist

On Love + Romance:

#22: Love, Marriage, and Other Unfinished Thoughts

#30: What Does Love Look Like?

#53: Am I Too Anxious For Love?

#66: How To Vow

#69: The Wedding Edit

#114: I Drew My Wedding Invites

On Writing + Book Publishing:

#60: The Story Behind My Book Cover

#61: Like a Birthday, But Better: My Book is Here!

#72: How The Fuck Do I Market Myself?

#83: Imposter Syndrome, Constantly

#105: Don’t Hate Your Past

#110: Seven Things I Learned After Publishing My First Book

On Friendship:

#41: Michelle Icard’s Bed Is Her Happy Place

#59: How To Maintain Long Distance Friendships

#70: Platonic Soulmates

#104: In Case of (Personal) Emergency

On Body Neutrality/Acceptance/Etc.:

#28: An Ode To Your Body

#64: I Didn’t Lose Weight For My Wedding

#77: Just a Body

#103: An Argument For Loving Yourself

On Family:

#7: An Illustrated Q&A With Nana

#15: Annual Grief

#36: Meet My Mom

#38: Not Your Average Dad Jokes

#63: Reasons I Have Facetimed My Mom

#67: Reasons I Have Facetimed My Dad

#79: Come For a Dog Walk

#88: Good Grief

Illustrated Guides:

#23: How To Prepare For Winter

#39: How To Enter a New Decade

#41: How To Find Energy To Do Things Outside of Work

#42: A Guide to a Slow Morning

#56: A Guide to Slowing Down

#82: A Guide to a Cozy Life

#85: How To Get Out Of a Funk

#90: How To Show Up

#91: How To Be a Tourist Where You Live

#93: How To Start the New Year

#95: How To Celebrate Someone You’ve Lost

#96: 30 Life Lessons for 30 Years

#107: An iPhone Hack That Actually Made Me Happier

#109: A Guide to a Slow Spring

On Mental Health:

#1: I Am Tired, How Are You?

#2: Seasonal Affective Disorder (And Other Uninvited Houseguests)

#6: Revenge Bedtime

#14: An Emotional Quilt

#46: ‘Tis the Season…al Depression

#73: Happy Meals: My Go-To Recipes When I’m Tired/Sad/Depressed/Over It

#87: I Have No Words

#92: Ouch: On Pain + Depression

#101: Spiraling: A Comic About Shame

#111: Today Will Be Different

On Keeping a Sketchbook:

#74: Northern Attitude, Northern Sketchbook

#76: I Am An Autumn Bean

#81: A Little Gourdy

#84: Turning the Page

#89: Art Slump

#99: Travel Sketchbook: Chang Mai

#108: Travel Sketchbook: Koh Phangan

On Coping:

#44: Distract Me, Baby

#48: Social Anxiety, Partying, and Me

#51: Liar, Liar: The Absolutely True Story Of Being a Tad Deceitful

#52: I Want (And Want And Want): An Illustrated Essay on Retail Therapy

#57: Let’s Unpack That: A Comic About Compartmentalizing

Other Illustrated Essays:

#4: If Lockdown Were a Flavor

#13: An Illustrated Newsletter, But Right-Handed

#43: A Walk, Cartoonified

#45: Reading and Not Reading

#54: A Winter Walk, Cartoonified

#75: It Takes Practice (Open Water Swimming and Everything Else)

#78: Choose Your Own Adventure: Cozy Night Edition

#86: Be Mindful Of Your Neighbor Babies

#100: Where To Put the Dread

#113: A Spring Walk, Cartoonified

Thanks for reading (and reading and reading and reading!). See you next time!