Some of you have been keeping up with my activity on Patreon. Thank you for that. For those who have no idea what it is, here is a brief summary. Patreon is a platform that was developed in 2013 by a musician by the name of Jack Conte. His vision was simple: “…a new way to connect people making incredible things to the people who want to pay for them. Since then, the Patreon team has been on a mission to put creators in control of their work and their futures by strengthening the bond between them and their communities.”
Today, Conte’s vision continues:
“Patreon is the best place for creators to build community with their biggest fans, share exclusive work, and turn their passions into lasting creative businesses. Starting a Patreon is free for creators and their fans. If they want to start earning an income, they can choose to launch their own digital shop or run a paid membership. Here, creators get a direct line to their communities. That means they never have to worry about ads or algorithms getting in between them and the people who matter most.”
The way it was explained to me when I began my account in August of 2021, was that it was a way of ‘crowd-sourcing’. That is looking for support within your community so that you can continue what you are doing even though you may not make your livelihood from your endeavor. I have not followed that model. I wanted to offer an online learning platform where I could post a stream of information that folks could follow and learn something and hopefully be inspired in their journey of craftsmanship and artistry. I believe that many are starved for hands-on accomplishment and this was a way I could give back to a community that means a lot to me.
“How does it work?” you ask.
It’s quite simple…you just follow the link here and choose from several different tiers depending on what you’d like. The first tier is free and will include much of the content that is in the next tier ($5/month). The top tier ($20/month) has the entire library of videos and other information. The top tier also includes an occasional opportunity to purchase something I’ve made but also have occasional give-away. My goal is to have some of the heavier content on the top tier like longer videos and indepth information on business and a lot of other relevant stuff.
If you are a free subscriber, I invite you to jump into one of the paid categories as a way to support this effort. Patreon offers a ten percent discount if you subscribe for one year. That makes your lower tier investment $54 per year and the top tier $216 per year. I challenge you to find a better buy for this kind of information. This is the next best thing to an in-person class. As we gain paid subscribers, it will keep the cost of the subscription lower for everyone.
If you would like to learn more about Patreon in general, follow this link:
If you would like to check it out as a free subscriber, or have a look at the other tiers, follow this link:
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=58513298
Sincere thanks for all your support…it’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve always been up for a challenge and am having fun with it!
Cary
