HI friends,
Thanks for reading. I've set up a Patreon page. It's difficult to do, but I've done so for two reasons. First, to be connected with those who are enjoying what I create. I want to connect more often and build a sense of community around what I'm making and putting out into the world. Being an extrovert in a fairly introverted line of work, I get lonely! I love hearing that what I'm putting out into the world makes people happy or makes people dance, or helps someone through a shitty day. I write about intensely personal stuff that likely resonates with a lot of you. I want to hear about how it impacted your life, and I want to tell you why I wrote it in the first place. Mostly, I want to inspire people to stay up later than they should to chase their secret creative dreams.
Second, making all of this stuff is expensive. My overhead is high. I have a career, but the income from it generally covers off the student loans, bills and mortgage that so many of us face. There is little buffer to support my creative endeavors. However, something deep inside is telling me to keep pushing and creating - and in order to do this I need a little grease for the proverbial wheel. It's damn hard to send out this email, as it's damn hard enough for people to care when it's free. My pledge is that with support will come access that others don't have. Behind the scene Barn videos, exclusive tracks and direct conversations where you can hit me up for any sort of advice - music, life or whatever.
My ultimate dream is to build this into a self sustaining content engine. I have a vision for what it looks like and I want to build a community around the music and videos I'm putting out. I want to discover other videographers and musicians who can help me hone my creative vision and I want to support others who, like me, can't ignore the fire burning within.
Over the past couple years, I've become a fairly spiritual person. It's a strange turn of events for someone who has always been a staunch (even argumentative) atheist. I'm not about to preach or try and convert (it's not that sort of spirituality), but it's given me inspiration and drive to do what I'm supposed to do, and not what social pressure tells me to do. The more I allow myself to fall into this inspiration, the wider the flow of creative channeling I find myself privy to. It's wild, no other word for it. It's as if I'm suddenly a receiver for an unlimited amount of creative whims, and it's merely about finding the hours in the day to harness, capture and bring to life.
I want to share this with all of you because it's only possible for me to do this if my creative output touches others as it touches me (no actual touching). I want to share my process and not just the final result. I want to post writings, drawing, poems and rough songs to a small (or huge) cadre of fans and friends who are engaged. In theory, this platform (Patreon) seems a two way street.
My overarching mission and vision is to not only satiate the internal drive to follow my path, but also (and most importantly) to inspire others to do the same. I'm 40. I have 2 kids. I have a good career. By all social metrics I should be fine and content. I'm not content, never have been, and am guessing there are many others who feel the same creative impotence. Too many of my friends have hung up their guitars, or given up their creative endeavors because they are too tired or don't have time. It's tragic to me. I want to inspire others to stop ignoring these late night cravings, to give into the crazy every now and again (or 6 nights a week), and to put work out into the public space regardless of fear of rejection. It will get rejected a couple times, and people won't care... until they do.
Here's hoping that you do, because I do. It drives me with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. Sounds dramatic, but it's real. If I stay up until 1 am on a work night and create something good, the next day on 4 hours sleep is blissful and productive. If I go to bed at 10 pm and don't create anything, I'm a cranky zombie until the next night.
Thanks for reading this, thanks for caring, and hopefully - thank you for contributing. I'm looking forward to developing this with you, as it's really not possible without your support.
Keep coming back and I'll keep making cool shit.
Nick Arneson