The Me of Me

Periodically, I’d say maybe three or four times a week – more if I’m “on” – I sit at this keyboard and do “timed writings”, kind of stream-of conscious, automatic writing in which I try to begin with a particular thought and then dish on that from there, the timer on the phone set for 17:59 – that’s where I set it – and write until the timer goes off. Whatever comes out, with as little self-editing through the passing seconds and as little feeling compelled to correct spelling errors. In other words, hit the timer, write, keep going, stop at the noise of conclusion, then fix spelling and maybe re-read what came out, what’s down there on the page. I do all these nearly eighteen-minute sessions on a Word doc titled “My Diet”. Maybe I can explain that another time.

Anyway, earlier this morning I was sitting in the recliner drinking coffee and taking turns with both “Walden” and a book on Willem de Kooning and the idea came that I needed to stretch myself out past my usual

thinking as to how to entice family, friends, and loves ones to support me and become “Patrons” on my new Patreon Creator’s site, so I came to the keyboard, set the phone, and spilled out – verbatim – this:

 

To attract “Patrons” – hmmm, let me look up the word. Possibly find a clue. Well okay, how to attract Patrons and in a way of ongoing positivity. Two thoughts a while ago – I must create a podcast, and I can use the time, I’m thinking 10-minute bursts – to philosophize, read stuff, rave and dish on motivators and heroes, da da da. It feels important, and there is the possibility of teaming up with someone to do it. Even possibly Cassie still. The other is creating a YouTube channel, and I need to start one from scratch, maybe make the video Cameron is creating as the initial post – but truly learn the technology, study, google, YouTube, ask Cameron a million questions, find friends in Portland that have channels and ask them to teach me in trade for something – things, advice, coffee time, anything. So these feel like two musts and especially the YouTube, which expands to learning how to make quality videos that I can post in promotion of Patreon but also to add as posts on my Patreon page, solely for my patrons. This is a really good idea. So, also today I have rather impulsively asked five people, actually a rather strange collection, directly if they would become patrons. At this point in my life I feel absolutely no concern that I’m going to turn someone off or lose a friend or something. All the way the opposite, I am giving and providing an opportunity to do something good – easy and cheap – and move the planet forward and be part of something plus of course cool gifts in the in-box and in the mailbox, but mostly like Thoreau said – The kindest thing we can do for another human being is to allow them to become part of our journey. Man, I completely get that – totally, and especially now, these days – so my asking people if they will become a patron for five or ten or even two bucks a month, which is pretty much next to nothing over a month, like joining the ten buck tier costs thirty three cents a day – 33 cents a day – and for that someone gets to feel good, and gets to feel connected, and doing something that matters, tangibly, and spiritually, and then there are the “rewards” of multiple but not obsessive or obtrusive “creations” and tidbits of creativity showing up in the mailbox every so often – and I know I love seeing those things when they show up in my mailbox from the people to whom I am a patron – which numbers eight as of this writing period – and plus the ten dollar tier, those 33 cents a day, means that at least four times a year I’ll be shipping some tangible piece of artistic creativity to my patron’s mailbox, like a set of greeting cards, one of my zines, a book of poetry, a signed print of a painting or drawing, and all kinds of other stuff I haven’t even thought of yet. Because, and this has dawned on me after I officially launched the site and got my first two patrons, once I have reached, say, 20 or more patrons, most at the $5 tier and above, I am obligated to be shipping “things” out to mailboxes regularly and that means I’m going to need a lot of things. Which means me being “all-in” on my creative behavior and devotion from the moment I’m lucky to wake and get up in the morning – oh, you blessed day – and hey, isn’t this right here a day about waking up in the morning – and stretching myself beyond the me of me and doing something else, making something else, creating something beyond where I have gone before. I have a new book of poetry close to done, major re-write going on. I have five other books or writings far along that could become books, in stasis, waiting on me and a powerful push to GET IT DONE!! Becoming a patron is going to help me so so much. Win-win. Symbiosis. Which is the most-est.