September 2020: The State of All Things {NOT an....official Thing} (Patreon)

{patrons-only}

THE DRESDEN DOLLS IN CONVERSATION WITH BRETT MILANO is happening SOON.

brett is an old pal of ours, an esteemed music critic and columnist. some of you may remember him from his extensive work writing for the Boston Phoenix and the Boston Globe. he knows his stuff and was on the ground floor writing about the dolls when we first began playing around boston. this will be our first interview together in a long time, i'm so glad we're doing this live for you to join in and watch.

unlike previous crowdcasts, this one is LIVE ONLY. the recording of our chat will be shared exclusively as a bonus clip for folks who order the RETURN TO PARADISE concert film on VimeoOnDemand, i hope you're able to tune in, here's the details:

STARTING AT 4:30pm ET (new york time), which is an hour from now. We'll chat til about 5:30pm ET. you can tune in at the link below, it's public so feel free to share:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/dd20

........

hello loves!

what. a. goddamn. month. 

oh my lorrrrrrrrrrrrd.

BIG GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT: this "Althing" is not your usual althing. the concept is under construction...we did a POLL a few weeks ago and this is how the results came in...

this month's september althing is going to be UNTHINGED (i.e. we are not charging for it) while the team works on next steps & concepts. we've heard you loud and clear and we are excited to figure out ALTHING 2.0!!

hayley has been especially slammed this month with podcast tasks, new website issues, the dolls reunion and film, election season...we are all POOPED, friends. so please don't mind if this althing is a little different from the usual, we're rolling with the punches! it's a global pandemic, people. if you're new, here's a LINK to last month's althing, so you can see what we put together last time.

and....WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOMENESS!

.......

ok. FIRST OFF. IF  YOU'RE AMERICAN, MAKE SURE YOU'RE REGISTERED TO VOTE AND HAVE A VOTING PLAN FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 3RD. for a slew of nonpartisan voter resources, head to http://headcount.org.

there has never been a more important time to vote. PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU.

if you requested an absentee ballot, in most states it is now too late to mail it back, so check the resource above, or visit your local county's board of elections website (or contact them directly!) to find out how you can vote early or in person on election day whether you've received a mail in ballot or not.

.........

THIS COMING IN HOT....the dresden dolls are about to launch our EPIC LIVE FILM to celebrate the band's 20th!!!! if you missed to post, it's HERE...
https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-20th-dolls-43226275

and you have TWO CHANCES to see the dresden dolls live - ME and BRIAN - together online in conversation these coming few days:

1) WITH BRETT MILANO, BOSTON JOURNALIST, to celebrate and discuss the new film:

we go live at 4:30pm ET (new york) TODAY, october 30th.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/dd20

if you've pre-ordered the live concert film, you'll get a recording of this conversation as part of the film extras. if you miss the event live, that's the only way to watch the recording (note that this is different than my podcast webchats or other live streams on crowdcast).

2) ON ELECTION DAY! to make sure everyone is VOTING!!!

we'll be participating in the #iVoted project to help encourage people in the US to get out and vote. this would have happened as a live music festival in key states and locations around the country, but since live music is on hold in the states right now, like much of everything it's turned into an online digital festival.

head to http://ivotedfestival.com to register, they'll give you some prompts to earn points (like sharing a picture of you voting, or confirming your voter registration). and that'll give you access to tons of live concerts and programming on election day, tuesday, november 3rd.

the dolls will be playing the "new england stage" at 7pm and we'll have a special q&a, too right before at 6pm.

please keep your eyes peeled on social media and help spread the word about both of these things.

..........

i owe you ALL an "american pie" parody. when i get back from my dunedin show (in a week or so), i'm gonna work on it. seems right to wait til after the er, election, is over!

HEE.

.........

PHEW.

here is some of the usual althing updates.....

since these monthly Althing recap posts can be long and endless, here is a little table of contents for what you'll find in this post, after i ramble a little bit about how i'm doing:

• HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED - a round up on projects and events that have happened in the last month
  
• AN UPDATE ABOUT THE NEXT FEW TOUR DATES & PATRON-ONLY PARTIES  IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND....
  
• WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE - this is a lonnnnnnNNNNng list of projects that are currently in production.....and updates on where they're at. it is covid pandemic time, and my life just went through a whole tornado, and there's a ton of log-jam in project world, but we're trying. i am getting better and better at forgiving myself for late art shit and even better at taking the support this community is throwing at me. hey, i wrote a book about that!
  
• HOW THE PATREON ITSELF IS DOING - this is the nitty gritty numbers on the Things (or paid posts) released in the previous month. math nerds, enjoy!
  
• DISPATCHES FROM TEAM AFP - this is a space to all of team AFP around the globe to share what they're working on & how they're doing. my team are...real human people! don't forget: this patreon not only funds my art production and pays for life bills and collaborators and so on....it also affords me the ability to have a full-time staff - in COVID! - helping me (and all of you) to make this art community as wonderful as it is. i spend way more money per month on salaries and office costs than actual art making, and my staff is a critical part of my ability to work the way i do. i love that we are a family of art weirdos that talk to you.
  
• OTHER ARTISTS TO SUPPORT - this is a place where i share other patreons, crowdfunds, or other artist-undertakings who are making work i think you should know about.
  
• ART BEGETTING ART - there's always so many beautiful pieces of fan art, tattoos and art made inspired by my work, the dresden dolls and so forth... i always  like to include a little collection of some pieces to share with you each month.

..................................

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER......

mostly, we got our new website up and running and we PODCASTED!!!!

here is the episode we popped out in september, the INAUGURAL episode, with elizabeth lesser...

https://www.patreon.com/posts/37561956

and here's the link to watch our live follow-up conversation, which was AWESOME:

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/aoaes1e1

a reminder that if you wanna discuss her book "cassandra speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes", the link on the shadowbox is here.

....

TOUR IN AOTEAROA!

WELLINGTON WAS AMAZING! ALL three gigs. i'm gonna do up a photo post about the wonderfulness there, wait for it. but here's one, by alex hallag (themusicistalking on insta):

there are THREE CITIES left, then i'm calling it a day from the road for a second.

here are the remaining cities, venues & dates:

NOVEMBER 6 - DUNEDIN - The Regent Theatre

NOVEMBER - HAWKE'S BAY - Toitoi

AUCKLAND - St. Matthew-in-the-City

as always, tickets and latest show info is up on my site: http://amandapalmer.net/events

amd RSVP on facebook here.

and HERE is the post about patron-only parties in dunedin, hawkes bay and auckland!!! DON'T MISS THAT!!! THEY ARE GONNA BE FUNNN!!!!!!!

...

WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE

THE "ART OF ASKING EVERYTHING" PODCAST rolls on. we will be THINGING IT (i.e. charging for it) every week. make sure you've set a maximum limit to your pledge! (here's how to do that!)

here are the next few guests:

leslie salmon jones, movement innovator
nadya tolokonnikova, pussy-rioter
jamil zaki, empathy expert
kt tunstall, musician

.........

what else?

well.....in previous althings, to avoid being repetitive, since most of our projects in production are still in the (sigh) pipeline, i started to list upcoming list upcoming projects by title only....

and if you'd like more information or to see an in-progress picture, you can click here to view this section of MAY's althing....since news hasn't shifted much on some of the longer term projects. don't judge. it's a pandemic and we are trying.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/state-of-all-may-37552735

that includes....

• THE "CONFESSIONAL" DOCUMENTARY WE SHOT IN TASMANIA....
• LOOK MUMMY NO HANDS MUSIC VIDEO...
• THE BACKSTAGE TORONTO INTERVIEW PROJECT
• OTHER VARIOUS FILMS IN PRODUCTION....

and.....AS MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THE POST, the BIG THING COMING SOON IS THE DRESDEN DOLLS LIVE FILM is ALMOST HERE!!!!!

you can pre-order it here, but patrons will also be able to watch as a stream. 

read all about that HERE:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/returntoparadise

the film comes out at 12am ET on oct 31st, that's in a manner of hours!!!!

.....

THE SHADOWBOX COMMUNITY FORUM has been bopping along!

here are a couple of screencaps/links of good conversations to follow!

FUCK FACEBOOK! TALK TO YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE FORUM!!!!

in honor of the dresden dolls 20th....

https://forum.theshadowbox.net/t/672-other-mysteries/1886/43

...and a decent question to ask...

https://forum.theshadowbox.net/t/are-there-seriously-anti-maskers-in-this-community/5727

....and this is a painfully good painful story from Meredith_McGuire...

https://forum.theshadowbox.net/t/finally-reading-taoa/5965

....

HOW THE PATREON ITSELF IS DOING...

and now...NITTY GRITTY TIME.

as of this writing there are 14,724 patrons pledging about $49,326 for the first Thing each month.

i go over this stuff every month, but if you're new to all this....patreon charges you monthly & retroactively, meaning that you get billed on the 1st of the month for all the Things released the month prior.

because people have their pledges capped (HOW MANY TIMES CAN I SAY THIS....if you are on a budget, you should cap your pledge please: here's the tutorial again), the first "Thing" raises the most money by far, and anything released thereafter raises less and less. I LIKE THIS! THIS IS GOOD! it means i never feel too guilty!!!!!. really. do it. cap cap cap your pledge if you are on a budget. 

the numbers below are gross. they are not net. meaning: it's the money raised before fees were deducted by patreon and is not the total deposited to me. patreon takes a 5% fee (which they use to build and sustain the platform, which is GOOD) and then there's a payment processing fee, which varies on a ton of factors and is usually between 5-9% of the total collected. 

also, none of this reflects the money i SPENT MAKING THE ART, running the business, paying the office rent, getting myself around, getting the team around and fed and slept,....all the collaborators and my actual staff payroll, etc. 

i don't share that level of nitty-detail-stuff with you because i assume it would bore you to fucking tears. but you can trust me: paying for a full-time staff, office, manager, accountant, and massive team of art-collaborators ain't cheap. sometimes we barely break even, especially when we do a lot of charity projects.

back in August, i Thanged Three Things:

July 2020: State of All Things was the first Thing and it earned about $54,651 from 14,820 patrons

The Man Who Ate Too Much (patron-only) was the second Thing and it earned about $23,597 from 8,601 patrons

The new amandapalmer.net was the third Thing and it earned about $14,130 from 5,431 patrons

(we say "about" because patreon may be still trying to process some pledges that have yet to go through...we never know, you know.)

them's the numbers.

i believe in the ebb and flow. so the patreon has dropped a bit $$-wise, but the number of patrons has stayed pretty steady, which is really great. it means that people are adjusting but sticking around.

....

DISPATCHES FROM TEAM AFP.....

a note: the whole of team AFP has been working in a pandemic, without their boss in the country, for too many months now. everyone is fucking fried. including me, the boss. but can we have a hand for the whole fucking team, who are dealing, as we all are, as best we can given the insanity. we are due for a break. stay tuned for that. it's coming.

some words from the team below....

from hayley: 

Hi everyone,

First, I want to start of and let my fellow Americans know, these are the three websites I recommend to get general voting information for each state -

HEADCOUNT.ORG is a great non-partisan resource that Amanda recommends, we've worked with them plenty of times and they are fantastic.

VOTE.ORG is also a great thorough non-partisan resource.

BALLOTPEDIA.ORG is also fantastic, you can see a sample ballot for your district and it can help you do your homework to learn about your local elections and candidates. I use this resource for every election I vote in, for primaries, local and state elections and federal elections. It rules.

I also want to share some fun stuff before I get into the real-real.

In September, I saw Michael, albeit briefly, for the first time since February. He drove by to drop off a belated but very much appreciated, birthday gift from Amanda (Amanda I am wearing the slippers as I type this, so cozy, so warm!)

Another fun thing: Amanda surprised me with a random Cameo from Brian. She was poking around the app, right as she was planning to use it to help fundraise for the Biden/Harris campaign and sent me a random text one day asking if I was sitting down. I was surprised, delighted, and enamored. Brian shared it on his instagram if you'd like to check it out. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFS4d7knDDI

Okay, excellent fun stuff out of the way, here's the real talk -

These last few months have been so incredibly busy and difficult, it's been hard to keep my head on straight. You may remember from my team dispatch last month that August was quite a challenging one for me with big projects to push out the door with less help than usual. It was hard, and so I desperately needed to take some time to myself and hop offline. So, in the very, very beginning September, right before the labor day holiday, I took a day off work to make a long weekend and left the city for the first time since February (when I came back home from my time on the road in Australia with Amanda). I headed upstate into the catskills and went camping for the very first time for two days. And let me tell you, it felt so good to get out of my apartment, to be surrounded by trees and nature and fresh air. It feels like this happened a year ago, and yet, it was only several weeks ago. I even saved a turtle from a dirt road and wrote about the experience on my instagram:

This has been a hard & strange year, for me & for all of you, I’m sure. I started 2020 off traveling for work & by the time I came home to New York, the city I love, was in lockdown & things were dire. We were the epicenter of the pandemic in the US. The roar of people taking to the streets to fight injustice was louder than it has been in some time. The intense isolation of living in a small apartment alone, going months & months without feeling the touch or energy of another human being or any living thing. It was hard, & outside my window, in my community, in my orbit, I know it was even harder for others.

After 6 months confined to my tiny neighborhood in Queens, I left the city for two days last week to experience my very first camping trip up in the Catskills with @beccalovelove. Masks were worn everywhere & caution was taken as we drove through toll booths & walked the woods. We stopped to take a dip in a swimming hole on the drive up. We cooked gorgeous meals on a campfire, methodically preparing each step. We went on a beautiful hike, gazed at the bright stars that reminded us that the world is both terribly big & incredibly small. We shivered in the coldness of the pitch black night, we delighted in the warmth of the sun, we ate by candlelight, we saved a turtle hanging out in the middle of the campsite’s dirt road, & I longed to pet Gordon the camp dog who greeted us. From the moment I stepped on the dirt ground I began to feel full. Full in a way I’ve never quite felt so instantly, a sign of how dry my well has been. As much as I love the city, I need to be around some type of nature every so often, it fuels me, & this was a super charge unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I am grateful - for so many things, but most of all for the excellent company & conversation, the teamwork & a gentle push to experience something new. I had no expectations & yet, somehow, they’ve been exceeded. I hope the fire that this time has lit for me continues to burn to help get me through what is sure to be a very cold winter. I hope wherever you are, you find some light in this dark time, too. Wear a mask, wash your hands, check your voter registration and vote.

.....

I have been working on this Althing since the end of September, and yet here we are at the very end of October finally getting it out. This month has been harder than the last and as I type this I think, "How is that even possible?". The podcast has taken up so much of my time, my thoughts, my energy; the work there would be a lot easier each week if the timezones between me and Amanda were more aligned, and if she had more time at her desk to "do her homework" (as I like to call it) and get us what I need for her website and each patreon post in advance so I can leisurely put things where they go rather than be annoying and nag to get them just in the nick of time. Each live stream with each podcast guest every week is also a lot of work for me, and then we throw in The Dresden Dolls activities this month and I'm super happy and excited for all of it, but as a worker charged with Making It All Happen, I am super burnt out and have little gas left to run on.  I have worked late every night for the last few weeks, the latest nights ending at 12am two days ago and 2am yesterday, but more regularly going til 8pm. I'm tired, y'all. I'm tired in a way that feels more tired than any tired I've ever experienced. And this is just the work stress, this doesn't account for the personal stress I'm dealing with...so needless to say, I hope and dream of having one less thing on my plate....

So when Amanda ran the poll about the Althing, and said this month would be simpler.... I kind of laugh to myself. Because it's not all that simpler. I put hours of work into this before Amanda touched it, as I normally do. And once she went in and added her text and her bits, I go in and add links, photos and fix typos. I'm looking at this Althing and this has taken just as much work, time, energy and thought as every other one has taken, but this one is not being monetized. I wonder what the future of these posts will look like, one that satisfies your needs and desires as patrons, but makes the workload more manageable for both me and Amanda. I was amazed to see in the comments of Amanda's poll that many folks like these team dispatches, and want to hear more from the team. Thank you for reading, and thank you for caring. I've said this many times before, and I'll say it many times again: you, the patrons, the community, you make this all worth each and every moment. We're in this together in our deep care and appreciation for art and our community. I am thankful you're here to read this, and for your support of Amanda and the team - the monetary support of this patreon that literally enables us all to have jobs and food on the table, and the support you send in sweet notes and thoughtful comments. Thank you.

I didn't really want to write this dispatch. I told Amanda on the phone last night, at around 8pm my time, because you know, all these late work nights, that I don't feel that I have anything all that exciting to write about here. I don't want to write "I feel stressed as hell and I am extremely tired, working late all the time and not sleeping well" - that to me, is boring, that to me isn't making the most of this space. But she posed the thought that perhaps this is not boring, that you want to, or need to, hear that behind the scenes it's been tough to keep everything together. We're releasing more projects than ever before and Amanda's time and attention on the internet is not scaling up (because: tour, life, pandemic, and all these things happening around us), and so that places a strain on getting all of this out. I'm super proud of the work we're doing, the podcast is a beast and it's beautiful, our podcast producer is on point, our team is working together wonderfully, Alex has been a wonderful help for me as I've been throwing misc. tasks his way to help get things done, Michael too, is working in concert with me nicely, Jordan, has my back and I so sincerely appreciate it. Amanda sees that I'm trying my hardest and forgives me when I throw decorum out the window in effort to keep all the projects going (I like to think my crankiness is relatable when it surfaces ha!). Through it all, we are kind to each other, understanding and all trying the best we can.

Anyway, this is a ramble to say: we're working damn hard, i'm working damn hard, and I truly hope the art, the music, the webcasts, the podcasts and the blogs are all taking a space in your heart, helping you find comfort and joy and hope and all the good things, because that's why we're doing it, that's why I'm doing it.

I'll leave you with this, the photo of me saving that turtle in the catskills from being crushed by cars...

love,
Hayley

.....

from michael:

Hello Patrons.

Like everyone said. . . September was a busy month, but both Ash and I turned a year older on Sept 16th.  I celebrated by being silly in my back yard while wearing a kilt and by making a huge batch of homemade poutine.

I hope you're all doing well. . . considering. . .

Many hugs,

Michael

....

from alex:

hey chums,

I actually spent a lot of september chasing up the landfill CDs that we gave away in august, which ended up being stuck in customs for about 3 weeks. but! 3 emails and 5 phone calls to fedex later, THE LANDFILL CDS HAVE BEEN RELEASED. Now begins the long old task of packing up 800 orders, so if you ordered from the UK store, they should be arriving on your doorstep ANY DAY NOW!

In the meantime, it's now October which means we are into spooooooky season, aka the TRUE most wonderful time of the year, so here's my new spooky decor to get you into the spirit (pun fully intended)

until next time, you'll find me buried under a pile of CDs <3

-alex
xoxo

.......


OTHER ART TO SUPPORT!!!!

SUPPORT BASILICA HUDSON ON KICKSTARTER - their pledge drive is JUST about to end.

this is a venue near and dear to my heart in upstate new york, run by my friend melissa auf der maur. they're been struggling to keep the roof up during covid. especially to my new yorkers, if you can pitch in here, it'd mean the world

i'm one of the prizes, if you want a poem read to you/zoom serenade, and to support a good cause....GO!

i've already been sold ONCE. somebody kick this shit over the top!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/basilicahudson/support-basilica-hudson

............

THE DRESDEN DOLLS' BELOVED FRIEND KIM AIRS IS NOW ON PATREON!!!

kim is an old friend of ours from boston. she was a huge supporter and ally of mine early on in my career, and she's a really important force in the sex education, feminist, sex worker and queer communities.

https://www.patreon.com/KimAirsGrandOpening

a special note from the dresden dolls' very own brian viglione:

 I am VERY excited to announce the upcoming mid-October launch of Kim Airs Grand Opening on Patreon! 

Kim Airs is an absolute icon of sex education and empowerment. With over 25 years in the industry as owner of Grand Opening, giving classes and lectures around the world, she has helped thousands of people explore and connect with the most positive experiences in their personal lives.  Kim is also a dear friend of Amanda and I, and The Dresden Dolls had some fun years ago doing a demo of a toy that buzzed along to your music:    

(photo of the dolls with Kim *and* a new ipod-operated-vibrator, by Sheri Hausey, 2003/4!?)

In recent months, as I was catching up with Kim, I mentioned that she would absolutely excel at using Patreon as a platform to reach people, and she said, “I have all the content I need, but I could use hand with the basics of organizing an uploading, which for some reason seems overwhelming to me!”   Which is when I tore open my shirt, revealing the emblazoned emblem on my superhero costume that says, “LET’S DO THIS.” and we were off to the races.   Kim had already been doing this privately and professionally for years, and I just encouraged her to “take it to the stage” on Patreon, to reach more people that have the same questions.

This is also a subject I have been passionate about since I was a little.  The more informed and confident people about their sexuality, or any “fear of the unknown”,  the greater understanding and acceptance people find within themselves and with others, which is the kind of world I want to live in.  
This new Patreon is all about being informative, fun, straight-forward, and shame-free. The tiers offer everything from short video toy reviews, to articles on Kim’s adventures in the industry, and with a primary focus on video classes and Q&A with Patrons about real questions, not paltry “sex tips”, but real information to build communication, self-respect and respect for others, and a sense of fun, freedom, and play in your life.

We’re launching on October 15th, so join us here:
https://www.patreon.com/KimAirsGrandOpening

See you there!
Love, 
Brian

Kim Airs
www.GrandOpening.com
TWITTER & IG @kimairs
www.KimAirs.com
www.Medium.com/@kimairs

VIBRATORS FOR ALL!!!!!!!

.......

WE LIGHT CANDLES!!!

my wonderful friends lance and kurt - whose NYC city hall wedding i attended with jason webley not too long ago - started a CANDLE COMPANY!!!  CANDLES MADE BY ARTISTS!!! they were staying at me & neil's house in upstate new york and needed to make ends meet...and they hit upon the idea of making candles. a light. in the darkness.

if you need candles, GET THEM FROM LANCE AND KURT!

and you need candles!!! 

so get them from ARTISTS!!! 

https://www.welighthome.com

100% American soy wax candles with braided cotton and paper wick, optimal for fragrances featuring essential oils. Phthalate-free, hand-poured in the heart of New York City.

and here's a little article about them...

https://www.stephanmatthews.com/2020/10/keeping-light-shining-on-broadway.html

...

ART BEGETTING ART

there's been some beautiful things....

from joni augustine on IG, for INKTOBER

...

from @flowerfriedeggs on insta:

...

from @probably.upsidedown:

....

a sweet comic from @tashi_rd on insta:

you just did, tashi, you just did.

......

thank you.

love you guys. 

thank you, thank you, thank you all for being my patrons and supporting this crazy moment - a collision of life and art of the tallest order.

i know you have my back. and i'll keep trying to have yours.

my team thanks you, too.

til soon.

i'm hoping to have more time to write next month when the insanity of halloween, dolls and tour is over.

x

AFP

------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

IF YOU'RE IN THE USA.....DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER 2020 ELECTION. DO NOT BE CONFUSED!!! help is there: you can register to vote, find your local voter registration deadlines, update your voter registration, check that your registration is still on the books, find your polling place and other important election information HERE at http://headcount.org

..........

1. if you’re a patron, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol. that's always nice for me to see, so i know who's reading. 

2. see All the Things (over 100 of them) i've made so far on patreon: 

http://amandapalmer.net/things

3. JOIN THE SHADOWBOX COMMUNITY FORUM, find your people, and discuss everything: https://forum.theshadowbox.net/

4. new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff (at least up until a few years ago, this desperately needs updating) on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/

5. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net