Happy Birthday to Us!
The Drip turns 1 today!
Dear Reader,
Today is The Drip’s birthday! A year ago, I launched this newsletter through the Joel Gay Creative Fellowship, which still feels like a dream even after all these months. When I hit the publish button for the first time, I sat in my office cubicle, struck by the contrast between the silence of my surroundings and the frenzy racing through my body. To shake off my jitters, I went to the café down the street, grabbed a slice of key lime pie, and ate it alone at my desk in shock, relief, and celebration.
In my first post, I wrote about artist alter egos because I wished I had one to hide behind. Putting this project out there and writing weekly on THE INTERNET felt terrifying to me. And trust me, it still does—but I’ve grown to appreciate this fear and the ways I’ve learned to move through it. I’m feeling so many things today—but above all, gratitude. I’m taking my time reflecting on how much this opportunity has meant to me, and I promise to share that soon.
Today (and every day) I want to thank Dr. Roxane Gay for this incredible opportunity, for believing in this project, and for the generous mentorship over this past year. Thank you to Dr. Megan Pillow for being the most amazing, supportive editor, for always encouraging me through moments of self-doubt, for teaching me to embrace vulnerability, and for offering so many insightful perspectives, ideas, and areas for expansion. (And for comma control!) Thank you to my fellow Joel Gay Creative Fellows, Jesús Rodríguez (Alienhood) and Jet Toomer (Tiny Violences), for sharing your brilliant words and wit, and for inspiring me to take more risks in my work. I’m so grateful to have shared this experience with all of you. And of course, thank you to Substack!
Weird, why are my eyes sweating? There are so many more people to thank and I promise to do so in part two of these reflections. For today, I’ll keep it short and sweet and end by saying THANK YOU to everyone who has ever read, shared, and/or recommended The Drip. Thank you to all the subscribers (including unsubscribers—inbox self-care I see you and respect it). Your support means everything to me.
I’m so proud of the conversations and the community we’ve created through exploring these intersections of art history, hip hop, and human expression.
Happy birthday to us! I’m going out tonight.
Thank you,
Elspeth
What a valuable addition to the internet this has been!
Happy Drip Day!