One of the things that originally appealed to me about Steemit (as it was called, at the time) was this notion that artists and creatives could "set up shop" here and use this platform not only as a place to generate an additional social profile and presence, but also as a way to supplement — in some small way — their income.
On a personal level, that manifested mostly as being able to justify spending more time with my blogs... which have always been purely a labor of love.
Let's face it, many creative endeavors are.
A couple of years back, I even wrote an essay here about the value of "serializing" books through Steemit, as a more desirable alternative than having a Patreon account.
Where to, next? Our local ferry departs...
Why Bother?
The thing is that most "creative starts" are tough because you are trying to create a new direction, while you also have to work full time to fund your life.
Well, at least most people do.
I have been exploring some of these avenues lately, as part of our own household changes, as we close our retail store at the end of this month.
Sadly, Steem has lost some of its potential as a sideline support income for creatives since the entire nature of the community here has changed so much, and it many ways has become so automated. But that's just life.
So now I am back to looking at — and working with — Patreon, as is Mrs. Denmarkguy.
But it's not as easy as it might appear... that is, creating the base format is not as easy.
Flowers on the hill where I walk to work...
The Challenge of Multipotentialities
A few weeks ago, I did create a Patreon account for my art; at least with the intention of having a small source of "backup funding" to help me build my art as a business. Without that, the art would have to pretty much be 100% shelved, because I'd simply have to dedicate that time to working for income.
Of course, now the challenges start to arise... because I am also going to start working on a book I have had in the hopper for several years. And I was getting ready to set up a Patreon profile for that, as well.
But this is where I discover that Patreon actually doesn't support multiple creator accounts. Which leaves me pondering what those who have multiple — but completely unrelated — passions are supposed to do?
Of course, the standardized answer is "pick ONE lane and stay in it!"
Which has pretty much never been the way I approach things.
"Well, very FEW people approach things like that!"
Sun on the leaves, afternoon...
DOES Creativity Warrant Support?
I grew up in a very "practical" family, and the idea of supporting art for its own sake was not something that came up a lot. In an odd way, my grandparents and subsequent generations were great lovers and admirers of painters... but they cared not in the slightest whether those painters were forced to a life in the streets, in pursuit of their art.
If what you did wasn't "good enough" to support you financially, you had no business doing it, in the eyes of my parents and extended family.
However, these particular worldviews were also from an age where people went to work at a job 40 hours a week, and their income was sufficient to afford a comfortable life without significant financial worries.
Which is NOT how most people experience life in 2019. For many, that 40-hour work week of the 1960's is now two jobs and 60 hours... and hence the need for "additional support" for creative projects... or they will simply never see the light of day... for purely practical reasons.
As such, crowdsourcing for creatives does make sense to me, in large part because maybe I can afford to support an artist or musician's work I really like to the tune of $5 a month... because I happen to believe in the value of creativity.
In the meantime, I'm finding myself in the process of fine-tuning how I am going to "re-brand" my Patreon to reflect being ONE person with three very different creative endeavors going concurrently...
Thanks for reading, and I hope you are all having a great day!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190614 15:20 PST
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