Dear friend,
Hi!
Late into last night while I was in bed, I lay thinking about the relevance and mechanics behind/of platforms such as these... Buy me a coffee. Ko-fi. Patreon. The new Dollar Heart thingy they have rolled out on YouTube for select creators (I hovered over the icon, it is called Super Thanks, I believe) where you can leave your favourite creator a sweet tip, & how cool it all is.
I am yet to reap the benefits of such features, and honestly, I have been ever so slightly sceptical of it all too. Not because I do not see value in my work or that of any other artist. I think for the longest time, as people who choose paths that do not seem to lead you to taking up conventional careers - the other side is usually wary of paying for such things. Okay, hear me out... I am translating onto paper all the thoughts in my head regarding this.
Thoughts... Not necessarily takes. Not proposing anything. Sharing.
Art is subjective, you know. There is no fixed price for it. It is something that might give you joy, might strike a chord with you, might entertain you, whatever. It varies from person to person. So how do you standardize it? More so, commercialize it, right? And even though that thinking might be unhealthy in the way of discounting-slash-dishonouring the value of the labour you are putting in... Then again, what about the people who work on jobs that are not different, skills-wise, but require manual labour... What about those folks? Do they not ought to be compensated fairly too? Handsomely, more like it. Work of their hands, fruits of their labour - all that, all that.
In that way, for the longest time, I wondered if it seemed fair for folks to pay me for enjoying my hobbies... You know?
Like I would offer things I do, my services in return for payment... But to pay me, month on month or whenever you want just because you like me or what I do? That is foreign to me.
Tiny tips, cute and sweet. Encouragement. I figure that my being on here is eventually for my business to grow, to further my bagging opportunities to work with more folks. I wish to be paid for what I do too. P.S. I will be listing out the things you can buy from me - digitally (for now), soon.
What I also wish to convey is how grateful I am, in this day and age, for platforms such as these. They seem sound as models, that are supportive of those who have a wish to create and please through their creations and do not quite know how to be entrepreneurie about it or run a business. I have so much to learn, I am excited.
What are your thoughts about/on platforms like these?
I suspect I will have more to say, in the time to follow... Anyway, that is all for tonight, folks.
Catch ya later, Alligator,
Roanna