Welcome to the DrawTogether GUT
Questions about the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table? We have answers.
Hello, DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table members and GUT-curious folk!
Here are answers to commonly asked questions about the Grown-Ups Table. Hopefully, most of your questions are answered below related to:
What is the Grown-Ups Table (aka the GUT) and what do I get as a subscriber?
Who is this Wendy MacNaughton person??
How can I participate in the Grown-Ups Table Community and share my drawings?
What if I have subscription issues or questions about policies?
If you are having technical difficulties with your subscription or have trouble accessing the Substack app, please contact support@substack.com and they will get back to you stat. Substack also has a Help Center.
If you have a question specific to the Grown-Ups Table or Wendy Mac that is not answered below, please reach out to community@drawtogether.studio ❤️
What is the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table, aka the GUT?
DrawTogether is a creative community of people who want to become more curious, connected, and confident. It’s led by me, WendyMac, and every week we gather together and use the simple, joyful act of drawing to slow down, open our eyes, and change ourselves (and the world) from the inside out.
DrawTogether started out being oriented towards kids. But quickly I noticed that a ton of adults were drawing along with the kids, too. So in August 2022, I launched the grown-up version of DrawTogether DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table, affectionately called “The GUT”.
Part of the idea was to jumpstart my own regular art practice (aka my Drawing Habit) so every Sunday I gave myself an art lesson and a drawing assignment, shared my drawing in a group chat, and invited other people to join the journey. Since then the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table has grown into the biggest, most active, most trusted and beloved creative communities on the internet.
What do I get as a paid subscriber/member?
All lessons are FREE. All members receive weekly dispatches with a free preview of weekly Grown-Ups Table lessons as well as free access to all DrawTogether programming for kids. Why give the lessons away for free? The lessons are built on decades of my education, hard work and life experience, and take A TON of time every week. But as long as I can make it work, I will keep them FREE. I believe we ALL need this vital information and I am on a mission to bring everyone to the art side. (If you use lessons in teaching, other public or group forums, I only ask you credit me/DrawTogether and “share the good news.”)
As a paid subscriber (I prefer the term member🤗): you get a seat at the Grown-Ups Table, a creative community for DrawTogether-minded adults, and so much more. Members get:
Full access to weekly dispatches including the weekly drawing prompts, activities, tips, and interviews with other artists. I’ll send these via email, or you can also view the dispatches on Substack’s website or in the Substack app.
Occasional exclusive extra posts, updates, and giveaways, like books and art supplies and DrawTogether SWAG.
Access to our amazing, life changing Community Chat. That’s where we share our work, encourage each other, make friends, and generally cheer each other on!
Access to special subscriber-only challenges like our 30-days of Drawing that typically happens in January.
Access to the archives (note: some drawing challenges will be taken down after several months)
Gratification of knowing you are helping to keep DrawTogether kids content accessible and free for all!
Support me, WendyMac, and my awesome team to keep this awesome creative service going and growing so we can offer more people the life (and world) changing impact of drawing together. Thank you so much.
Who the heck is driving the car??
Remember the goofball at the top? It’s me! I’m Wendy. I am the creator and leader of this thing and all things DrawTogether/Grown-Ups Table.
I’m an artist and graphic journalist, and I’m trained as a social worker. I’ve drawn everywhere from Guantanamo Bay to high school cafeterias, and published 12 books (including three New York Times bestsellers!), including Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat, and The Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul, and my own most recent book, How to Say Goodbye. My work (and life!) is dedicated to creating connection through drawing, and offering the tools for others to do the same.
If you know me at all, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect in DrawTogether and the GUT. I like drawing, talking about feelings, art, life, people, creating a full, meaningful life — all that fun, real stuff — always with a wink, usually with a smile. (Life is too damn short.)
Other people you may meet along the way: in the chat you’ll meet Art Auntie Kathleen, who welcomes new members, helps out with encouragement and answering questions, Kyle Ranson-Walsh is behind-the-scenes and will respond to community emails, and Candace has her hands deep in the edits! Yay, team.
How do I engage with the GUT community and share my drawings in the chat?
Paying Subscribers (or what we call members) have full access to the GUT Community. The GUT community shares our drawings and supports one another in The GUT Chat. Substack’s Chat is separate from the comments section below each dispatch. It is a different space where we can post images and reply to each other. And it is exclusively for paying GUT members. You can access the chat feature within the Substack app or on the Substack website. Here’s how.
Share your drawing using Substack’s MOBILE app:
If you haven’t already, download the Substack app.
Look on the menu for the speech bubble icon - that’s the Chat feature.
Click on the DrawTogether with WendyMac collection of threads. You should see the DrawTogether logo.
There is a chat thread for each drawing prompt. The latest is always at the bottom; you can scroll up to find the chat threads for all the previous prompts which you can add to. Click on the note from me or Art Auntie Kathleen, or the reply box, to jump into the thread.
At the bottom of your screen, you will see “Send a reply…”. First, click the plus and it should open a small menu: tap the landscape icon to add a photo of your drawing or tap the camera icon to take a new picture. Write some text if you want, click the arrow, and voila! You shared your drawing with the GUT community!
Share your drawing using a DESKTOP computer:
Point your browser directly to club.drawtogether.studio/chat or click on “Chat” in the top menu bar.
Click the DrawTogether logo on the left. This is where the GUT community chat threads live.
There is a chat thread for each drawing prompt. The latest is always at the bottom, or scroll up to find the one you want to contribute to. Click on the chat thread you want to open.
At the bottom of your browser window, you will see “Add a reply…”. First, click on the landscape icon to add a photo of your drawing. Then, add any text you like. Click the arrow, and your contribution is now in the thread!
Your own posts show up differently to you than to others. For instance, your post may look like you’ve been nested under the previous post, and your name will not appear above your post like everyone else’s does. But other members will see your name and the post will appear like the others to them.
How to Reply to another Member in the Chat Thread
Since this is a community, please give positive feedback and kudos to your fellow members!
Substack has two kinds of replies: “Reply” and “Reply in a new subthread.”
A Reply will quote the previous comment and post chronologically within the main thread. Substack’s chat function defaults to this method.
By clicking “Reply in a new subthread” your comment will branch the conversation and keep all related comments together. You can access this option with a long-press (on mobile) or clicking the “…” menu to the right of the comment.
Still a little lost? It can be confusing at first, but you’ll get the hang of it fast. More information on using Substack’s Chat is here. The GUT community is the heart of the Grown-Ups Table and well worth the effort, I promise! And you can always leave a note in the comments and someone, probably the wonderful Art Auntie Kathleen will respond.
I shared my drawings in the chat but I can’t see them! What’s up?
Sometimes our GUT community shares so many images that the system has trouble displaying everything. While you might not be able to see your work, others can! Substack is working on fixing this glitch.
Subscription Issues
Help! I want to make a change to my subscription. Where do I go?
You must sign in to Substack via a browser, not the app, to see your subscription status and make changes. Then…
Click on your profile avatar
Click on Settings.
Scroll down to Subscriptions, then click on DrawTogether with WendyMac.
You should be at the Manage Your Subscriptions page, where there is information about your subscription.
When you cancel you subscription you will have access to paid benefits until the next billing date when it will end.
If you believe you have a paid subscription, but it does not show up as paid here in the status or you cannot access comments and chats, please contact support@substack.com.
How do I request a refund?
Contact community@drawtogether.studio
Our refund policy is:
If a refund request is made within 7 days of payment we will issue you a refund for both monthly and yearly subscriptions.
If you have a yearly subscription that renewed more than 7 days ago, we can offer you a pro-rated subscription.
If you’ve had a monthly subscription for more than 7 days, you can cancel it and you will not be charged for the next month, but we don't offer refunds after 7 days.
I am not getting my GUT emails – what should I do?
Substack support has information to address this issue here. If you signed up but are still not receiving emails, email support@substack.com. If you use Gmail, check the Promotions tab.
You don’t need the email to access the weekly dispatch. It is also available in your Substack account’s Inbox in the app or web page.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes! Access to the full GUT is for paid subscribers only, but no artist is turned away for lack of funds. We have scholarships available for people experiencing hardship. Contact community@drawtogether.studio to request a GUT scholarship. Paid GUT subscribers can access the whole GUT community, including the GUT Chat.
What do you expect from me when I join the DrawTogether community?
We have a very simple policy for DrawTogether and the GUT. We ask that you follow the code of conduct which is:
Be curious
Be creative
Be kind
If you can't be these things, you can take a break and come back when you are ready. If you consistently don't follow these rules, we have the right to remove you from our community.
Other Technical Assistance
If you’re having technical issues with Substack, please contact support@substack.com. They are responsive, helpful, and ready to assist.
Other Questions?
Anything we haven’t addressed here? Email us at community@drawtogether.studio and we will do our best to get back to you, stat.
I am so, so happy you are here. See you at the Grown-Ups Table!
xoxo,
wendy and the DrawTogether/GUT team