As mentioned in my previous post, I decided to close down my Patreon page as I was struggling to maintain a steady presence on the site. I think the platform is a fantastic way for creatives who are very much immersed in their art to nurture a positive two-way dialogue with their followers. Personally, I was finding it increasingly difficult to offer a steady flow of rewards for those kind enough to offer support through a lack of quality time and a number of personal factors that have been demanding my attention.

I’m now quite literally in the process of redressing some of the Patreon imbalance and certain individuals should be receiving something unique in the post very soon!

However, I’ve recently found myself utterly addicted to a fantastic writing podcast called The Bestseller Experiment. It’s a particularly good audio companion for not only the drive to and from my day job, but also to focus the mind away from aching limbs while I run. Not only is it giving me regular doses of inspiration and positivity as I work my way through my very first book, but it has some incredible nuggets of advice for not only budding writers, but creatives of all persuasions. One particular interviewee on the ‘cast offered up the option of a Ko-Fi page…

This works differently from Patreon in as much as the option is there for fans/followers to donate a one-off payment as and when they feel like being generous, without having to make a regular donation. Much like Patreon, there is the option of upgrading to a monthly arrangement. This, of course, relies on the account holder making material available to their followers on a regular basis … so in my case, I think we’ll stick with the first option, just for now!

Despite technically being a freelance artist, I, like many others, still rely on a steady day job to keep the wolf from the door. I’ll always remember interviewing one incredibly prolific science fiction writer on a radio show, when out of nowhere he stated that he had only recently given up a salaried position in order to concentrate on full-time writing.

This, unfortunately, is the state of play for many a creative, whether they be writers, musicians or artists. Only the very lucky few have a consistent stream of paid work with which to refine their LinkedIn profile to the thing that truly makes them happy. I’m sure that other creatives would agree with me how frustrating it is to be in the middle of a meaty piece of work only to look at the clock at gone midnight and realise that at 6 o’clock the following morning you need to be awake for your ‘proper job’. Nothing quite focusses the mind on time management than a deadline that can only be batted away by relentless use of whatever time (and energy) is left after your day job has finished with you.

Still, I find myself moaning. It is a gift to have the ability to do anything creative and in this day and age it is a gift to simply have a steady job – particularly with a family to feed. And actually, as jobs go, it’s quite a nice one. To have the support of family, friends and followers on top of that is another thing altogether.

As a footnote, if you’d like to check out someone who runs a Patreon page and runs it well (She is fantastic at updating and offering great rewards to her followers) why not check out Raine Szramski’s page. Her work is incredible. >>>

 

Cheers!