I know many of you like what I--and other artists--do, but don't quite know how to support us. Maybe you love the art, but haven't found that just right piece to purchase yet. Maybe you love the art, but have no use for it personally, and so (reasonably) haven't purchased anything. Maybe you just don't have the money to spend on an artist's work--I think many of us have been there! But, you still love the art, and you still do want some way to support it.
Let me introduce you to Patreon.
Patreon is a website that allows people to become patrons of their favorite artists. It also allows artists to connect with their fans by creating campaigns explaining their work, their goals, and what they are trying to achieve. Artists can set whatever goals they like, and patrons can donate any amount they like; artists are supported, and patrons get special perks and gifts for supporting something they like anyway. It's a great win-win situation!
Since quitting my job to care for my son and pursue art full-time-- a decision you can read about in full here--I've been struggling to meet all my goals. I can usually meet my business bills, and I can usually put food on the table, but that's about as far as it's gotten. Do I think it can get better? Yes. Do I have the patience to persevere? Yes.
But I'm not ashamed to ask for help, either.
I've got some lofty goals I want to meet with this business. First, I want to make enough to put food on the table and pay some basic bills, which I'm pretty much doing. But I could do better with some equipment upgrades and supplies, and without support it's going to take quite a long while to get those. Still, that's my Selfish Reason, and it's low on my priority ladder.
More importantly for me, I want to spread the knowledge of pyrography as much as I can. I want to educate people about this (obscure) artistic medium, spread some knowledge about it's history and modern applications, and help people to get into the hobby themselves.
Doing this means I have to accomplish a few specific things, including:
--Getting out to Festivals, Cons, and other events.
--Getting vendor insurance, so events and festivals are more likely to allow me to demonstrate on-site.
--Getting equipment to record proper, high-quality tutorials and training videos.
And, ultimately:
--Eventually, getting funds to rent space for hands-on pyrography workshops.
That's where you and Patreon come in. I've set up my own Patreon account, explaining my goals (which will change from month to month, depending on need) and giving perks for each level of contribution. These perks include 20% off of ANY order at ANY time in my Etsy shop, for the length of your patronage.
(NOTE: payments are automatically reoccurring, so if you only want to make a one-time contribution, please be sure to set a calendar reminder to cancel your contributions at the end of the month!)
I hope you'll consider giving the site a visit, and perhaps becoming a patron yourself. There are a lot of worthwhile artists on that site, so please brows around while you're there!
And, as always, thank you so very much for your support.
