紅葉のかんざし

Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

Welp, I did it. I did it! I’m a little nervous, but I did it. If you read The Muse Mentor, or are looking forward to Vanished, OR would in any way like to support the artwork that I do, this is now the way that you can do that. Consider it like a tip jar!

If you have never heard of Patreon, you can read more about it here! If you are SPECIFICALLY thinking of becoming a supporter, check out the FAQ’s here!

If I could cut back even one more day off my current work schedule and dedicate it towards comic-making only, it would be so much easier to get Vanished launched, and also to possibly up my Muse Mentor updates to 2 pages per week. Plus BONUS REWARDS! But I’m not sure - much like I am with any new thing I consider trying out.

- there are fans out there who want to support the work of their favorite artists, and I think this is a good way to make it easy for them to do so without relying on one-time donations or complicated kickstarters. 

- the question of how to get micropayments to work has always been a tricky one, but it seems to me that people get how Patreon operates - it makes a sort of intuitive sense and seems fair, which I think is how it's become more popular fairly quickly.

- I've never really made money off of my drawings and sure, I would like to! 

Pros: 

- Patreon takes, I think, 8% - don't quote me on that - and it's not like creators have to pay any sort of up-front fee or give up a large amount of what they've been pledged.

- So it doesn't take too much before it becomes worthwhile to you. If 10 people pledge $1 per creation and you make four creations a month, well, heck, that's not bad at all. The cost to you is creating the Patreon page and making time for whatever rewards and goals you've set up.

- more financial support leads to more creative works, which leads to more people finding your work, which hopefully leads to even more support...

Cons:

- its intuitive sense, promise of reward and low barrier to entry means that everyone will be doing it. So while it seems optional now, after a while it may feel like something you have to do just not to lose out. 

- fulfilling rewards and goals could end up taking more time than the creator envisioned and wind up not making financial sense. 

- I find that the Patreon interface isn't polished yet - for example, you can't schedule posts, and some of the terminology (what was meant by creations versus what was meant by activity) was a little confusing at first.

- it encourages optimism, which I suppose could be a pro or a con! I don't know anything about your traffic or fan base - you may get enough to cut down your hours at work, or you might not. I am treating anything that comes from mine as a happy surprise.

When I was putting together my Patreon page, I looked at these examples: http://www.patreon.com/erikamoen

http://www.patreon.com/PartyPrincess

http://www.patreon.com/tinycartridge

http://www.patreon.com/newdisruptors

This never ever gets old.

Japonism at it’s finest. 

Jean-Philippe Worth (French, 1856–1926)