Reasons You Should Jump On My Patreon

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I was trying to think of something I could write long-form. It’s always some controversial topic, or a topic of interest, and then a week of lulls in inspiration of anything to write about. There’s plenty going on in the world, and there are lots of people talking about that stuff. But, I figured, it’s time for a change of pace. I want to talk about my Patreon, and hopefully bring in some new faces.

In October 2014, right on the heels of having lost my job at the time (see: harassment, bullying, failures of HR, etc.), I started up a Patreon that would be central to my creative writing. I mostly used it to upload little drafts of snippets as I worked my way through a novel I was writing. For a while, though, I kind of stopped posting (as I began maintaining a store in Second Life), and didn’t really pick it up again until 2017. And, ever since, I’ve been giving regular updates.

Updates in regard to writing, a whole lot of music (seriously, a huge amount), things relating to my Second Life store, and then, eventually, blog posts, and web development related achievements.

I’m not really a traditional creator in the sense that, I don’t have a merch store, I don’t really have any material rewards that I offer, and I’m not a big streamer, or Youtuber who enjoys posting my face online at all times. Mostly, if you’re on my Patreon for, at minimum, a dollar, you can download a zip archive of every single album I’ve ever released, plus copies of my old books that, at this point, I’m not sure anyone even knows exists anymore. And, then, of course, there’s my, admittedly, pretty quiet Discord channel with auto-roles, where you can join, and hey, maybe start up some conversations!

In regard to Second Life, I have a Patreon group in-world that gives an automatic discount on all of my digital products.

But, you don’t even have to pay. You can just follow my Patreon, and this helps boost its visibility to others.

The reason I’m writing this, though, is, why? Why do I have a Patreon?

For years, I’ve worked pretty much nothing but retail. I graduated high school as a kid who wrote websites in notepad, and, even as I inch closer to 40: I’m still that kid who writes websites in notepad. But, I could never really hack college. I’ve tried numerous times and I just do not have the energy to hold down a job, and then also stress out about assignments, homework, and mid-terms. I just can’t.

I have a Patreon, because if ever there’s an escape from menial jobs that I’ve never wanted to be my career, it’s going to come from community support. From people looking at my work, looking at what I do, and deciding to support it. Which, isn’t even an impossible endeavor. There are people online right now who make an entire living just … doing what they love.

And what do I want to do? I want to be … a web developer. I want to be a creator, a writer, a maker. But what makes that so hard to achieve, now, is that I am almost completely bogged down, mentally, by my day job. Escaping to a career becomes harder and harder, as you get older, because manual labor, and the stresses of jobs that treat you like a number, a replaceable, disposable number, eventually takes its toll.

I will never accept that this is just the way it is. Even if it’s until my last breath, I will keep trying to do what I love, what I really want to do. Because, without that, what else is there?

You should jump on my Patreon, so that I can build a cushion, a foundation for escape. And, you know, if you like what I do, and make, and write. This isn’t a thing where I want people who aren’t interested in anything I do to simply sign up out of a feeling of obligation. Absolutely only sign up if you’re genuinely interested in my work, or what I do.

I know times are rough, and nobody’s got any money anymore, but the only way to build a future, is to actually talk about that future.

Thank you for reading.