I have something potentially awesome to tell you about today. I was listening to one of my favorite pod casts and discovered a fairly new site call “Patreon”. After looking into it a bit and reading some of the success stories I took the plunge and joined.
Find my patreon page at www.patreon.com/geneploss
What is Patreon exactly?
Patreon brings creators and patrons together. It’s a crowd-funding site like kickstarter. But instead of raising lots of money for a huge project, it’s about accepting small amounts of money to support artists who create more regularly and on a smaller scale.
Find my patreon page at www.patreon.com/geneploss
What is Patreon exactly?
Patreon brings creators and patrons together. It’s a crowd-funding site like kickstarter. But instead of raising lots of money for a huge project, it’s about accepting small amounts of money to support artists who create more regularly and on a smaller scale.
How Much Does it Cost?
To become a patron, people pledge a dollar amount that they choose, even as little as $1 per month! Depending on their pledge level they get different rewards. Most patrons pledge between $1 and $8 per month. Plus, they can cancel at any time. Bank cards aren't charged until the beginning of each month.
What do you get?
I looked around at other artists to see what they did with their Patreon pages and came up with my own set of rewards. First, I will always post my artwork online like I always have… for everyone to see, for free. But if someone makes a pledge on my Patreon page they would get several things:
1. My sincere thanks and gratitude
2. The right to call themselves a patron of the arts!
3. Also, they get rewards! Depending on the pledge amount, they get exclusive access to my patron-only feed, my monthly studio image journal and archival prints and even original artwork mailed right to their door. I’m very accessible to my patrons. On my feed patrons can see private posts… things like work-in-progress shots, behind the scenes stuff, special links, you know… stuff you can’t get anywhere else. Plus we can chat directly. They can post on my feed and even upload pictures too!
4. Besides all of that, another benefit is that the more money that comes in, the more time I can spend making more and better artwork! I can upgrade my equipment and do a better job running my art business. Ultimately, my patrons will be helping me to better support myself and my family.
My Experience with Patreon so far
I started my Patreon account back in October with some photos of artcards I had created in the past. Then I started doing caricatures because I love drawing faces and I can do them fairly quickly. The idea is to post images of new artwork on a consistent basis so there is always something interesting to look at. I immediately got two patrons right away, then another one the week after that. Then I didn’t get another patron for quite a while. I’m assuming that when you first start your Patreon page it’s more visible. Then it gets shuffled in with everyone else. This site has a sizable audience but it seems like the artists who are doing well are those who already had a large following before joining. I currently have 6 patrons and I’m going to do my best to grow my audience.
My plan is to keep going, doing my best to keep my Patreon feed as interesting as possible to please my small group of patrons. Hopefully, with consistent work over the course of time I will grow my Patreon campaign into a large community of fans and a sizable income stream. Wish me luck!
I started my Patreon account back in October with some photos of artcards I had created in the past. Then I started doing caricatures because I love drawing faces and I can do them fairly quickly. The idea is to post images of new artwork on a consistent basis so there is always something interesting to look at. I immediately got two patrons right away, then another one the week after that. Then I didn’t get another patron for quite a while. I’m assuming that when you first start your Patreon page it’s more visible. Then it gets shuffled in with everyone else. This site has a sizable audience but it seems like the artists who are doing well are those who already had a large following before joining. I currently have 6 patrons and I’m going to do my best to grow my audience.
My plan is to keep going, doing my best to keep my Patreon feed as interesting as possible to please my small group of patrons. Hopefully, with consistent work over the course of time I will grow my Patreon campaign into a large community of fans and a sizable income stream. Wish me luck!