Okay, first of all, are all of my blog posts from now on going to be about Patreon? I know some of you have been wondering. And NO, they aren’t! The last one wasn’t! But I have to write about it sometimes to help promote it. I really need this income, and I am very proud of what I am doing there. I am doing a LOT for $5.00 or so I have been told by my patrons, and I’m always doing more, and a loving, gentle community of women is growing. It is a way for me to be supported and a way for me to support others. I am just so proud of the work, so excited, and so happy.
BUT I have decided I will post about Patreon no more than 3 times a month, maybe only 2, and the rest of the posts, like last weeks, will be my usual kind of posts, all about life, the universe, and everything, here at Dragonfly Cottage, about writing, art, bipolar disorder, agoraphobia, gardening, stepping beyond our comfort zones and finding things we never thought were possible. You know, the usual Maitri fare.
And here’s something — and I was shocked to hear this, don’t want to believe it, and am going to carry on as if I never heard it! — that just completely blew me away…
I follow a woman on Patreon whom I deeply admire. She is not only a very gifted artist but she has created an amazing Patreon community. Nearly 3000 followers and $9,000 a month. She has been doing her Patreon since early 2016. And the thing is she is half my age and yet a great teacher for me. She is so unbelievably kind. Her name is Fran Meneses — also known as Frannerd online – she has a HUGE YouTube following that you can watch for free, and at the tier I follow her at I can participate in the private, once a month, Q&A’s. She does this only for the people following her at that tier but she takes a LOT of time, once a month, answering us all. She tells you the deadline to get your questions in and that night she produces a video, nearly 2 hours long, to answer people. And so I wrote. I told her everything I do, what my following is, how I have over 2 million followers to my blog, etc, and what she said, very kindly and almost timidly — “Blogs aren’t a thing anymore, people rarely read them, you’ve got to develop other means of doing and promoting your work.” She said a whole lot more very very kindly, she was loving and supportive, but she wants you to succeed. I listened to everything she said, but I was reeling. Blogging isn’t “a thing” anymore? People “don’t want to sit there and read, they want to watch a video, they want to hear a podcast, blogs are no longer a great option to try to build an audience.” Oh my God. As a lifelong writer at 66 I have always thought that blogging was the main thing I did to build an audience, but you know what? It isn’t. And this makes me sad.
It has given me pause.
You see because there is a counter on my website that I have nothing to do with, I just watch the numbers once in awhile, each month I have several hundred views to my blog, BUT, where there used to be, in the beginning, 20 or 30 comments after my blog posts now I usually get none, or one, or two, and yet the counter shows that several hundred people visit this blog a month? Do they not like my content? Do they not want to take the time to comment? Is blogging truly not “a thing” anymore? Oh me…
All of this has led me to Patreon. Since the beginning I have had a tip jar on my blog but almost no one ever used it, even when lots of people were visiting, a lot were commenting, and there were people, when I wrote so much about my mental health struggles and how I dealt with them and how I’m still here wrote to me and told me that my writings had kept them from committing suicide. I was shocked! In awe. I cried. And it meant the world to me to know that sharing, with an open heart, my deepest, most painful struggles, meant a lot to people, and yet, rarely did anyone ever put $1 or $5 in the tip jar. No one thought to do it. I am not complaining at all, it is just a fact.
And that is heartbreaking when you are working so hard, want so much to help, to reach out to others with love, and it’s not worth as much as getting a coffee from Starbucks or wherever? AND PLEASE KNOW THIS!!!!! I am NOT saying any of this to produce guilt, I am merely making an observation. And I am coming to terms with the fact that as a disabled senior citizen, with limited energy, I had to come to the place where I put the energy that I have on Patreon, behind what they call “a paywall.” I had never heard of such a thing and didn’t understand what it was but what it means is that I have a lot to offer, a lot I am proud to offer, but if it is of value to someone, if they want to see Maisie’s art progress to the book it is becoming, if they want to feel support and love for their difficulties, I will offer this and so much more at Patreon. I have to do it. I no longer have a choice.
I am sharing this very honestly and in a way that will make some people angry, I fear, but you know what, at 66 I think I need to tell my truth. Some of you have followed me for 20 years or more. Will you allow me to continue to serve you, for a small fee, so that I can live and pay my bills and buy the art supplies I need to do my work, and more? If you can, I thank you and bless you. If you can’t, or don’t want to, of course I bless you as well, and wish you the best of everything, and send you so much love, but I can no longer give my work away for free. It has value. I can finally stand up and say that it has value, I’m proud of it, and I need the help if you are so inspired.
This was a very hard post for me to write and I am trembling, but finally one must tell their truth.
If not, why not? If not now, when?
I have so much to give. Will you allow me to give it to you? If so come join Patreon here for only $5 a month. It would be lifesaving, it would change my world, and now that I’ve said it I feel so shy my stomach is in knots. But it needed saying, and I said it.
Now, let’s carry on…
Dear Matri,
I just finished a certified angel card reading course with dear Radleigh Valentine. He is VERY POPULAR. He had a whole lesson about how to get clients and blogs are still a thing. He mentioned blogging and to do it. Yes video is important too but don’t give up your blog. Could you have a contest on it for someone to win a free month or two on Patreon on your blog? Or a free picture you painted? I don’t think that would take too much work. Just a thought.
Oh Jean, how marvelous. I love Radleigh Valentine and have some of his cards. What a fabulous experience that must have been. But as you see through the fact that you took his course these courses don’t come for free, or if they do it is a short course to promote a longer more expensive one. That seems to be the way it works these days,
And I have no way to give any months free nor do I have a way to give any merchandise for free through Society6 because payment goes through those two places, then they take fees out of my earnings, and I get what’s left.
As far as it “not taking too much work” I’m sorry honey but it takes a LOT of work to create Maisie’s paintings. Because of the detail I put in them it can take weeks and I would never give one of them away for free. I’m sorry, I’m just not able to do that. These are not doodles, they are long thought out pieces of art, drawn and redrawn, and then painted which takes a long time. No, you see, it does indeed “take that much work.” It’s just the way it is.
I concur with Katya on both points: Blogs.are not.dead and if you decide Patreon is a venue that works for you, it will work for those of us meant to take this journey with you as well.
Please keep up the great.work… You’re an inspiration!
xoxo
Thank you so much dear Trish, both you and Katya have saved me this night! I appreciate your kindness and support so much. I’m sending you a warm, gentle hug, and I’ll see you at Patreon! 🙂
I say “pooh!” on anyone who says “no one reads blogs anymore.” Since writing is sacred to me, i PREFER blogs to videos, honestly. PLEASE go on writing your blog. Of course you should remind people about Patreon even as your blog talks about other things. It’s not one or the other. I hope you take this to heart, honey. xo ka
Thank you Katya honey, I have no intention of stopping my blog but it was a real wakeup call to me to hear this, and the thing is honey you and I are from a different generation. I think people our age read more, which isn’t to say a blog isn’t valid but the evidence shows in terms of visits and comments to blogs and people who have followed for a long time and would buy a pizza or sandwich or cup of coffee and think nothing of it but don’t want to support a long term blogger because blogs are supposed to be “free.” It’s a mindset thing and at this point no way to change that mindset. That’s why almost everyone I know personally is going to Patreon. $5 a month is less than people pay for all kinds of things, and it doesn’t have to be a choice people make, people must do what they feel is best for them, but I’ve seen quite a number of regular commenters drop away since I started talking about Patreon, who have read this blog for a long time, and it’s hurtful because it means it wasn’t as important to them as they have sometimes said. I hate to say this, I want to help people, but right now it’s like on an airplane when the air hostess says “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” I’m 66 and I have to take care of myself first. You are in the Patreon community, you see how much content I put there, I’m working really hard, but I want and badly need the support if people find my work helpful. I have a hard time standing up for myself in this but at this time I have no other choice.
I love you honey, and keep coming back, I will always be blogging once or twice a week.
Love you lots,
M. xoxox
Maitri,
I am a solid blog person. I want to read thoughtful and encouraging posts, not watch videos. I listen to podcasts, too. But, I am not a video person, so perhaps I’m an outlier.
I will not be following anyone’s YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest feed. I’m on Facebook, but that’s it.
So follow the path that makes sense. The other two folks that I support on Patreon only write posts and one very infrequently. But I don’t mind as I was on a writer’s retreat with her in Ireland five years ago and trust in her work.
I don’t have time, even in these strange times, to be watching YouTube videos about anything that doesn’t REALLY interest me or enrich my experience or help me cope with with these times. And podcasts and blog posts/poems/ live interactions — well, that’s all good.
I’ve loved my Zoom classes/programs online and have been so glad to interact wtih women across the continent and more. That’s what’s brought sustenance to me.
I’ve paid for those programs, whether it’s David Whyte’s 3 Sunday series ($60 — but of course, he has a vast audience) or Suzanne Anderson’s Sourcing Sanctuary 6 week series. (based on a give what you can sliding scale, starting at $49 up to $150).
But think about how you can help your following cope in these times. Yes, art is wonderful, but I think that your gifts of mindfulness practice, etc. would be more than welcome.
Thank you for your thoughtful insights Lisa. One thing I have to say honey is this Patreon page IS about art because I opened it to get support to do my Maisie work and create her book. So yes there will be a lot of content about art but also creativity, and gentle support. Mindfulness is something I practice, it is part of my life, but this Patreon page wasn’t opened to do a lot of writing about mindfulness. I need help getting Maisie’s work out, and I want everyone to do what is comfortable for them, certainly, but I love doing the videos, it feels like a more alive connection to me, and you needn’t ever watch them but a number of people have written me both in Patreon and privately to tell me that the videos mean so much to them, they look forward to them, and they make them feel less alone. THAT is a big part of what I wanted to create, that connection, to help people feel less alone, and to that end will always be a big part of my work.
Dear Maitri,
I read blogs. I rarely watch videos (unless it’s a free summit, LOL), and never listen to podcasts. You are the only person I follow on Patreon, and I feel like I get huge value for my little donation. I take free classes, and will sometimes buy a class, but not often, and it has to be unlimited access. Sometimes I have to go back and find the classes I have! Just trust you instinct, and Maisie’s, and you’ll be fine. xoxo Trece
Thank you so much sweet Trece. You are so dear to me and I’m so happy that you are with us on Patreon. And there you take what serves you, supports you, and makes you happy. There will be all kinds of content. I do appreciate your comment so much and I am sending you a warm gentle hug this night…
Maitri
Dear Maitri,
You are the artist, so you decide what content you share in which ways!
I personally am glad that you still give free access to your Blog posts and love to read them, even if I didn’t have the energy to comment the last few weeks with my dear old Ben struggling for this life.
And I, too, belong to the reading generation. Nearly never do I watch longer videos online, even at TED Talks on Facebook I read the transcriptions. But your Sunday Videos are special, I love them!
I do not follow anyone on Patreon and am glad you found a way to do it without putting too much pressure on yourself / spinning too many plates 🙂
And who is this woman to tell you that what you do so wonderfully is “not a thing any more”?! I’d like to see data on that before changing your work, not just one woman’s personal perspective.
“Blogs don’t create income” might be another matter. I understood them to be kind of letting the world share someones musings, blogging not being their income-creating job.
So whatever you decide to keep doing or changing: you are a woman with lots of experience yourself, do whatever feels right to you deep inside and: just because you are that ladies patron don’t let her patronize you!
Sending lots of love over the ocean
Yours
Silke
Silke honey, FIRST OF ALL!!!! is Ben okay? That upset me terribly to read that! I am hoping and praying that he has come through whatever he was struggling against. Our dogs are everything as we both know and I am praying really hard and looking forward to an update on how he’s doing.
Next I never considered, in spite of what she said — and she did not mean it in a mean way — to put it in context the conversation, or rather my question to her, was what could I do to build my Patreon, to bring in more people, and that was when she said blogs were no longer a thing, no longer a way to build an audience that will follow you to paid content. People expect blogs to be free, and my blog will always be right here, in no way would I stop blogging. It is true, however, that less people are blogging and it isn’t “the thing” it once was because of the culture of the internet. What I notice — and there have been a lot of comments to me both here and on other social media — is that there are many people who said that that is bunk, that they still prefer blogs and reading to videos and podcasts, BUT almost without fail the people who are saying that are women my age, or close to it (or even older). It seems to be a generational thing. The woman who said that is 32, very successful, and making a lot of money on Patreon. She is half my age, she is a whole different generation, and the younger people prefer, or seem to prefer, video content to written.
And you know last night I watched a very interesting (and disheartening) documentary about the state of books. Young people aren’t reading much at all, they are all about their electronic devices, and bookstores are dying everywhere, and publishing houses are closing or struggling. Again, it seems to be a generational thing. I grew up with my nose always in a book. I sit here with books all around me right now.
And I do want to tell you that I was delighted that you like the Sunday videos. I love doing them and it is my attempt both to bring people to Patreon but also it is for people who can’t afford or don’t want to join my Patreon but still would like some content. And as its a women only community I wanted men to hear Maisie’s and my message too.
Finally, and perhaps naively, and maybe because I grew up in the Hippie generation, I always thought blogging should be like busking, you know, people who play guitar or something in the street, and the people who passed would throw in a dollar or whatever they wanted to. Some people throw in a $10 bill, others the change in their pocket, but it is a showing of support and appreciation for what is being offered. Somehow and for some reason it doesn’t work that way with blogs. People expect to get them for free, no matter how hard the person creating them is working, and I have blogged to the detriment of making income, and I simply cannot do that anymore. So will I stop blogging, or providing free content? No. But will I give as much time to those enterprises? No, I simply can’t. I seriously need the money so most of my time will be spent doing Maisie’s art and Patreon, blogging when I can, and doing my Sunday videos for everyone. I am finding my way, I am seeking balance. I don’t want to leave anyone behind. Maybe my mistake was thinking that my community would support me. The truth is my community, whom I love dearly, and who have supported me in many ways, do not and never have supported me financially, it was my mistake to think many would follow me to Patreon because they had so long loved the blog and loved Maisie. But in that sense blogs are NOT a thing, not a think to make a living from. That blogs aren’t THAT kind of thing does not devalue them, but it has been a wakeup call for me in terms of how I need to use my energy if I’m going to make the money I need to live comfortably and not be afraid all the time.
I wasn’t offended by what Fran said but I was shocked. I hadn’t realized. It is making me think about all kinds of things. But no, I will still be here, I will not stop blogging, and as always I love you all dearly and appreciate the support you give me. Comments mean so much and I appreciate every one. They are food for my soul. They are a kind of engagement I need, and so I will continue on, with the new realization that if I’m going to make money in 2020 and beyond this isn’t where its going to be coming from.
Please let me know about Ben, and I send my love, as always…
Maitri
Ben recovered, thanks to our lovely vet, and we celebrated his 14th birthday last Saturday, but it took nearly two months. We did not find out if it was an infection or something else. He could not eat, we had to go potty every 2-3 hours, blood in his doin. He was very weak, tottering around – and I was a mess, not sleeping, permanently afraid of this being his last night or last day. He is really old now, but we are still together and I cherish every minute!
Thank you for loving him, too.
Love, Silke
Oh Dear, Dear Silke, THANK GOD!!! I have been sitting here with a knot in my stomach and tears in my eyes worried that Ben had passed. Thank God he is okay and still with you. And thank you so much for getting back so quickly and letting me know. I was so worried. You know all too well that Molly is everything to me, as were my pugs. Losing my last 3 pugs all in one year took me down so hard it very nearly killed me. And after adopting and losing 11 pugs in 12 years I just couldn’t adopt another one, it just hurt my heart too much. But I always adopted seniors and you know going in that your time with them is limited. But losing 3 in one year took me down hard. I just keep repeating myself but THANK GOD sweet Ben is okay and still with you. And yes, I cherish every minute with my baby girl too and I’ve told her I’m going to live to 103 and she has to last that long too and then we will both go together! The loss of a beloved dog is one of the most terrible kinds of pain in the world.
I love you darling Silke, please kiss Ben on the nose for me. 🙂
Love,
Maitri
Dear Maitri,
I am so glad you will still blog! My heart sank when I read what that other lady said about blogging. I looove reading your posts. I enjoy your Patreon content but I don’t make it over there every day. I don’t like podcasts because I can’t sit still long enough to enjoy them. Hugs, Memarge:)
Hello Darling Marge, never fear, I will still be blogging, but if you read the long response I wrote to Silke above you will understand that I will be blogging less (Once or twice a week, say?) and why. And I have to thank you, so very deeply, because you are one of the few people who have supported me, not only in your lovely comments, but you have made donations to me, and you followed me to Patreon. You will never know what this has meant, and means, to me. Very few have.
And I laughed when you said you couldn’t sit down long enough to listen to a podcast, ha ha ha! I love podcasts and audiobooks but I listen while I’m doing other things, housework, doing the dishes, drawing and painting. I don’t just sit and listen. I don’t think I could “sit long enough” to just sit there doing nothing while listening. Great stuff when you’re knitting or crocheting or doing crafty things, etc. So I totally get where you are coming from!
I hope you are doing well, I can’t wait to hear more about your drawing! Have a wonderful weekend honey. Much love, always…
Maitri
Dear Maitri,
I’m sending so much love to you and Molly, Maisie and Daisy. I don’t follow anyone on Patreon simply because their method of payment doesn’t suit me, it’s not because I don’t care about you. I wish you joy and every success with your work and your Patreon platform, I’m glad you’ve found a place where you feel happy and at home. xxx
Thank you so much dear Jenny, you are very kind. I hope all is well with you in your world… 🙂