Have you heard of Patreon yet? I’m in love.
Patreon brings back the patrons of the arts by allowing fans to support the artists they care about with a monthly subscription. For as little as a cup of coffee a month, you can make a HUGE impact on an artist, not only by valuing their work through financial support but also by being a part of a community where they know that people want to hear their music; that they aren’t just sending songs out into a void never to hear from the people who listen to them.
I’m so grateful for this chance to have a Patreon page. Not only does it give me the financial ability to do what I love to do, but I have the creative space to write more songs! Which brings me to my goal for 2023.
I am going to write and record one new song a month. The catch is, it will only be available to my patrons for the first year. Patrons will get downloads and behind the scenes of writing and recording this project. At the end of the year, I will put the songs on an album and release it to the streaming platforms, but until then it will be our little musical secret.
I’m excited about this project for a ton of reasons. Practically speaking, it will stretch me as an artist. Both musically and as a recording artist, since I will be recording it at home instead of in a studio.
But the thing I’m most excited about for Patreon is the community. Social media makes me a little nervous. I don’t always know how to show up in an authentic way, whether or not people want to see me, Tricia, separate from musician. So I end up not sharing a lot about my music or creative process. It is also a very vulnerable thing to do, so having a community of Patrons who are there supporting me and wanting to see what I’m up to helps me feel a creative freedom with social media! Where I can feel safe to show up and be myself!
The second part of a patron community is accountability. I’m not sure if it’s just a part of my personality or society’s expectations of women/mothers, but it is so easy to get lost in everyone else’s needs and put my projects and work on the back burner. Now I know, there are plenty of task tracking, goal setting, accountability ensuring hacks out there… the best one for me is other people. I love community and showing up for them, so if I tell you I’m going to write and record a new song, or make you a monthly playlist, then I’m going to do it!
I’ve already started the first song of the year, and I’M IN LOVE! I’m starting to record it this week, and it’ll be ready for my patrons end of next week. You guys might even help me name it!
So here we are! Please check out the levels of support and consider becoming a patron or sharing my page with somebody you think would like to support my work. I’m so very excited for this year. In the words of this month’s song “we gathered our things and jumped off the train to begin.”
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