I’m eager to create communities of like-minded folks who want to talk about the things I like to talk about. For my work on burnout, I’ll be creating a separate community, just as I’m going to create a separate e-newsletter to support the folks who need that information the most. Today’s launch, however, is way more fun than that!
I want to have a community space that allows me to talk about ritual theory and design, about unicorns, about mythology and fairy tale retellings, and sort of nerd out about the stuff that I’m working on right now after my Ph.D. To that end, I’m creating a community around these topics on Patreon.
One of the ways that creators of content, writers of words, and makers of things have been making financial ends meet is by creating Patreon accounts. The idea is for fans and supporters of these creators to be come “patrons” of their art. By subscribing with a low monthly dollar amount, the patrons help the creative people they enjoy following to continue creating more art, rather than having to spend time working on efforts that are not art.
I’m not in financial dire straits, but I do need to generate some small amount of income to continue making ends meet while I spool up classes, books, and other sources of cash. (Many of which won’t show a return until 2025.) So, I thought I’d offer Patreon as a way for folks to support me, and to get something in return.
Further, I wanted to create a community where I can offer exclusive access to some of my work at low-or-no cost. While my e-newsletter is a great way to stay abreast of my news and efforts on a quarterly basis, some of my followers are interested in more regular updates. Patreon gives me not only a way to create a small cashflow, but also to curate and offer unique, specific work that might not belong on my website or main YouTube channel.
After polling my e-newsletter subscribers about the “goodies” they would like to get for these tiers, and the dollar amounts they are comfortable with, my Patreon has four tiers. I’ve named the tiers after the occasions when you may run across a rogue storyteller.
- Busking in the Marketplace tier is Free! This tier includes access to the post archive and patreon-exclusive content.
- The Bedtime Stories tier is $3/month. This tier includes the post archive, patron-only videos, access to the private community, and the ability to vote on polls and surveys.
- The Stories around the Table tier is $6 / month. This includes everything from the previous two tiers, plus live sessions (Q&A, book readings, storytelling sessions), and at least one “random surprise” once a quarter. Sometimes these surprises are digital, and sometimes they are literal tangible things, so be sure to add a mailing address if you select this tier or the next one.
- In the Seat Beside the Hearth tier, for $9/month, in addition to all of the other tier’s stuff, you also qualify for a free ebook at publication of any books that I publish, acknowledgements in books and on YouTube videos, and other surprises and snail-mailings.
One of the important elements of patreon is that makers can share their goals for their patreon income.
A few of the things that I’m hoping to fund via patreon are:
- Self-publishing expenses (cover art, ISBN, editing, etc)
- Better camera equipment for video production
- Money to hire a video editor
I will still be sharing posts and updates here, and on my YouTube channel. This website will remain my official “home,” and a mashup of all of the various things I’m working on across multiple platforms. I’ve just got content I’m creating (which may eventually be fodder for books) that I don’t want to give away entirely for free. I also want to make sure that folks interested in burnout recovery aren’t inundated with unicorns, and vice versa.
Stay tuned for the next few days and weeks, because I have some more exciting things to announce. They aren’t quite ready to come off the stove just yet… but soon!