Patreon 2014
So I am now a Patreon member and supporter. Why is the most important question you could ask. What we're going to do always follows the why we do it so here is the answer to why, then I'll cover the what.
Art exists because of a unique ability of artists to create. A buying public does not like this. They need boxes to put artists into. They really want to understand art easily by means of the packaging, and they really don't want to be too surprised by the next box sporting the same label. What this means is the next album by the same musician can't be a different genre. The next book by the same author can't be theology if the last was a mystery novel. The next painting can't be realism if their last popular work was abstract. I have spent the years of my life doing real art and defying the marketers.
The problem has been that without marketing, there is no way to survive doing this and therefore, while my production has been prodigious, there has always been the need to only allow my reach into the public a level of "hobby" status. I do package my work to make marketing possible and I do have a team to help me. That is why a portion of what I have done can be accessed... but let me ask you, Does over 2000 songs that I have written, (a platinum award for one of them), 30 album projects of my own and involvement in a dozen others, dozens of paintings and sketches (including work on my own album covers), several books that have been written and published along with a lot of others that have not, sound like the work of a hobbyist?
I create because I am driven to create. The rest of what I have done with my life in order to survive, pales in significance. Enter Patreon. This is a model made for the ancients, the timeless, but made possible with modern technology. No longer does my art have to be boxed to sell to the masses to be acceptable. You can now buy the package. You can assess the value of my approach and reward the artist who stretches, who reaches for the creative edge. You, who had no vote that would count in times past, can now make a difference. Power to the powerless is now a reality. Unlike the politicians, we artists with patronage have to answer to you directly. Your contribution does not have to reflect any individual work but our individual works must be valuable to retain support. Since this is not mass market economics, every $5.00 vote counts.
So now we get to what am I about to do and how can you participate.
When I write a song, it's usually on an acoustic guitar or piano and I consider this the pencil sketch that could become a masterpiece. The studio production is like the oils on canvas that gets all the glorious attention. The art still begins with the sketch. This Patreon account is so that I will be able to get youtube video up of the raw material. Anyone desiring to licence the material can contact me from there. I am asking you to contribute a regular amount to this effort so bills can be paid and I can then get a few more masterpieces created. I plan to release approximately one item per week for as long as I am able. Since I work across many genres this may not always be music. I am not going to try to make you like every posting, in fact I can pretty much guarantee you won't. There should be things you love and some that will make you scratch your head, but the art will be real. Pledge an amount per month. My output exceeds what most people would be willing to pay per post. This caps your contribution in a month so if I am being exceptionally creative or productive your costs won't run away on you.
You will of course be notified of all posts 2 days before the public will be able to access them. In addition there are other awards for being my subscribers. I am incredibly excited about all the potential. My work has always been an incubator for other artists that I manage to get involved with as well. There is a creative world to discover and I look forward to truly adding value to your life, your universe and everything.
Go to http://www.patreon.com/jael and pledge!
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