Arlee Maxwell has been a writer for as long as she can remember, but has only recently found her true voice. That newfound voice is one of honesty--no matter how brutal the truth is, ambition--no matter how high the obstacles in front of her may seem, and fearlessness--both in the endeavors she explores and the life she creates.

I’ve spent the last four years of my life living and breathing Vocal—I was there when the very first creator signed up for a free account, and watched as over 600,000 creators followed suit. As Head of Vocal's Business Intelligence team, which oversees strategy and data science, my role is to study all of these interactions within our ecosystem to better understand what makes Vocal tick:

Hmm... How exactly can we describe Kat King? Well, she's a fantastic writer for starters; but, beyond that, Kat is thoughtful, open-minded and driven to make a difference. Whether that be through her unique style of storytelling, her years of service in the United States Military, or her humanitarian outlook on the world, we just consider ourselves lucky that Kat found a safe place to explore and document her work on Vocal.

Dr. Babb is about as selfless as they come. As a mother of 4, devoted wife, active community member, and primary care physician, we often wonder how she has enough time to churn out such thoughtful, deep content. Whatever her secret is, we sure hope she keeps it coming. Megan's dedication as a primary care physician transfers beautifully to text. She invites her readers under her wing as she confronts the hard-hitting injustices found in America's health care system. She's earnest, fact-driven, and personable—it's almost as if you can hear her voice as you read her stories.

You’re familiar with the saying, “if a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Similarly, if a creator has a wonderful, engaging story to tell, but no one’s there to read it, have they actually told it?

As a creator, there are so many ways you can foster a sense of community—even during a global pandemic full of sheltering in place and social distancing. Here's how you can support fellow artists, connect with fans, and help your local community online.

As a creator, it's important to treat our creative muscles like we would any other muscles. We have to exercise them to strengthen them. We have to create. We have to write, sketch, paint, sing, act, dance, and express ourselves. Even when we don't want to.

If you find yourself struggling during these uncertain times, you are not alone. Millions of people are finding themselves in need of assistance, many for the first time. While there are ways to earn extra income online - even during a pandemic - these are not always enough to cover a household's worth of expenses. Even a household of one.

Nathalia truly does it all—since joining Vocal, she's proven to be an incredible writer, actress, and political scientist. Talk about a triple threat! Her political stories have educated us on candidates and their policies arguably more than our local news ever did, encouraging us to learn more and stay informed. Her stories reflect her vibrant personality and charisma, which have made us big fans of her stories over the past few months. Nathalia is one our most passionate creators so we wanted to learn more about what inspires and shapes who she is. Here's her #VocalSpotlight.

Megan has been a creator on Vocal since July of 2019. Thanks to the compelling stories she creates and the way she uses Facebook to find her audiences, Megan’s gotten hundreds of thousands of reads on her stories and has seen her earnings spike. We asked her to share some of her advice to help you learn to do the same.

Daisy has been a creator on Vocal for quite some time now and every time, her stories have inspired us to be more adventurous and brave in unexpected ways. Whether she's talking about dreamy getaways or unique experiences, her stories are always a good way to take a mental break—something that we could certainly use, especially now. We wanted to learn some more about what inspires her travels and mindset so we got to chat with her and ask her some questions. Read below for her Creator Spotlight.

Our creators are the ones who inspire us to provide a platform that rewards creativity and coming together over shared passions. Mark Wesley Pritchard has been part of our community for over a year and has since helped us foster this idea of coming together through his powerful stories. From interviews with some incredible cosplayers to raising awareness on human rights, he continues to inspire us here at Vocal. We got to sit down with Mark and learn a bit more about him in this Creator Spotlight.