This is a post inviting you to get behind those who create the words and pictures and ideas and music that move and inspire and excite and challenge you… and only one of those ways of support is about money so read to the end.

i have a Patreon page. 

Which you can visit over here.

The basic idea of a Patreon page as i understand it is that it is a space to tip or support content creators. Whether you follow a solo musician or a board game creator, a stand-up comedian or a maker of crafts or jewelry, it is a way of saying: I value the work that you are doing and want to help you to do it better or more efficiently or to see it have a wider audience.

Now while i love the idea behind the Patreon page, it couples with an idea i am not as big a fan of, which is asking for money. Now don’t get me wrong, i don’t have a problem with receiving or spending other people’s money [as long as they have it to give although in my experience it is more often those who have less to spare that give beyond generously], but the asking bit always feels a little awkward.

Which is why it took a friend of mine – Christy-Lyn [who is an excellent harpist you can check out over here] – with a well-working Patreon page to hound me for a while to set up my own page. And who has been one of my [three] faithful supporters from day 1.

So i set up a page and waited for the crowds to rush in and they didn’t and so i haven’t really done much over there and my last post [before this morning] was just before we set off for the Philippines [what now feels like forever ago!]

Patreon vibes

Take Two

i decided in light of the present content i am creating and some of the tools and resources that would be helpful to improve the quality and reach of my work [better camera, lighting, green screen etc] to relaunch my Patreon Page and see if there is a little more interest this time around…

i have a number of different things on the go at the moment in the content creation department. The ‘Race with me’ video series i have been doing for white people who are looking at working on anti-racism is on episode 36 of 50 over here; i have been working on a hopefully-soon-to-be-released Podcast… well, um Codcast season that will hopefully be dropping in the next month or two, tentatively titled ‘Out of the Fishbowl’; i continue to volunteer with BottomUp who continue to blow me away with the depth of work they do with learners from less-resourced areas in the greater Grassy Park area in Cape Town; as well as being a Partner for Possibility walking alongside Mr Fuad Viljoen who is the headmaster of Lavender Hill High School as we learn together and look forward to co-creating in his space.

Don’t get me wrong – i am not going to stop creating content any time soon. i am just looking for ways to do it better. i doubt you will ever see a time when the stuff i produce has limited access to the masses but for those who have found it to be helpful or challenging or inspiring in any way, there is an opportunity for you to get involved. And again, let me please emphasise that i don’t want to break anyone’s bank – this is specifically for people who do have some extra money to throw in some support. For you to say: I want to help you do what you do even better! 

And so, if that might be you, go and take a look at my Patreon Page over here and take a look around.

There are a number of benefits of being a supporter on Patreon. Traditionally artists use it to share an extra special something with those who support them – behind-the-scenes look or a personalised Q & A or content that only patrons get to see. i would love to see it grow as a community space where if we did get numbers then there would be more opportunity to co-create – to help give direction to the content being produced and to create live/online spaces of conversation where we can go a lot deeper than the content space usually allows. Also, it can be a way – if numbers start to rise – of helping the content find its way in front of a lot more people. One more way for people to engage and discover and hopefully start doing the much-needed work.

So that’s it, really. You can find BottomUp on Patreon over here and support their incredible work. My friend Terence aka Afrodaddy has a Patreon page over here where he shares his parenting advice and struggles and ideas from a dad perspective. Both of those are definitely worthy of support and you may even discover other fun people and organisations to get behind and support.

i would obviously love it if you read this and decided to become a financial supporter of the work that i do. But i think i would be even more stoked if someone read this and decided to support… something… or someone. One less fancy coffee a week or a month and the money adds up. One less meal out. One less bottle of wine. And someone right now is probably screaming “FEWER!” at their computer screen or phone! But if you’re not already taking some of the money you earn [big assumption there!] and supporting people or organisations that you know are doing good, please give it a thought – it does not have to be me!

The encouragement of someone supporting you – which carries a huge amount of affirmation – far outweighs the money aspect [which is helpful though when things need to be bought or paid!] because it means you have been seen, and this can happen with a Patreon signup, but it can also happen when you click SHARE on a blogpost or video, when you hit SUBSCRIBE on a blog or YouTube channel, when you follow on the Twitterer or leave a comment after reading something. All of those things help bring new eyes to the content and the possibility that more people will be affected and hopefully changed.

So whatever you can give – a SHARE or SUBSCRIBE or COMMENT or once-off or monthly support – please find it in yourself to do so. Not only here, but regularly when you read or watch someone that moves you or helps you, send it on…

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have yourself a most excellent rest of day!