Alien Botany Gets Serious with Patreon

Last Monday, I launched a page on Patreon, focused largely around my ongoing Alien Botany project and this blog. I hadn’t made much noise about it online because I wanted to feel things out first, and so far it’s been an overwhelmingly positive and brain-tickling experience. As I say on the page, Patreon offers something that’s part old-school patronage we can actually afford and part art coven, with secret blogs, special stuff (like patrons-only Crystal Cat postcards) and occasional face time. It’s mutual motivation and encouragement and a moonlit harbor in the murky fog of creative seclusion, which appeals to me a lot.

Also appealing: seeing some of the places I want to take this series laid out in one place. Seems simple, but for me, writing stuff out is one of the most crucial and powerful steps when making art. With this visible roadmap in place I’m more inspired than ever, and having patrons along for the process in a more personal proximity adds a stimulating  new dimension.

I had fun creating different tiers of patronage and spent a lot of time coming up with unique rewards folks would enjoy, including one-of-a-kind art prints (signed and numbered 1/1), raffles to choose post themes here on Biorequiem, and one-on-one Skype consultations. The levels begin at $3/month and range from Space Rat to Exoplanetary Medici. I even made rocket fuel for some of the thank-you photos:

My first milestone goal was reached in under 24 hours, so I’ll be releasing a high-res Alien Botany paste-up at the end of this month to everyone. And I’m just $17 away from goal # 2, which is to bring culture coverage to Biorequiem – the arts, weird science, fashion – the things I loved writing about here, on Coilhouse and Chinashop, but haven’t had the time for, will be back if we hit $300/month. I still won’t be Serious-Blogging daily, but the pace will pick up.

Launching the patrons-only blog has been especially stimulating – I’m treating it as an art journal, collecting everything from relevant reading to brainstorming fragments, and compiling them into a weekly progress report. I anticipate that this will help keep me on track, create a handy reference library, and give patrons unique insight into my process, as well facilitate dialog about materials, technique and whatever other topics happen to surface. Also, at last: a home for my ever-growing collection of silly anatomy/gesture/etc. reference images!

If you’d like to get in on the action and help me make more art, you can become my patron here. Next up: a Photo Flurry from the gorgeous National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, featuring the biggest, most beautiful glasshouses I’ve seen yet!

Until the Future,