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Hallo loves!

As mentioned in the Althing yesterday (and thank you all for your supportive feedback & comments)....I'm back ATCHA today with a how-do-we-patreon patron poll.

I'll try to keep it super-simple....

SHORT STORY.....WE HAVE A NEW VIDEO SERIES fresh out on YouTube! 

It's called THE COUCH OF TRUTH, it's a wonderfully emotional and candid set of interviews/stories from the community, and the first episode - "Suicide & Mental Health: Three Stories": is here. We put it out about a week ago and I *just* hit social media with it and the comments on the video alone will restore a little of your broken faith in humanity.

When it came out the other day, we "THING'ED" it; meaning, it was a PAID POST.

Now...this footage is from 2019, and we've edited it into FIVE episodes. They're all about 10 minutes long, and all really beautiful. It all cost money.

We'd like to put one out in the next few days, then one about every week.

The team struggled with HOW to thing this. It was too expensive a project to thing ONCE (it would have lost money), but not so expensive that it felt ethical to thing EVERY episode.

So....we have a choice. 

We could thing each episode (as suggested by a few of you in the comments of the original post), or we could drop all four videos at once and thing them as a bundle. (Or, similarly, we could drop them weekly - without THINGING - but thing the last one as a paid endeavor). 

I can see the sense in thinging these one by one. I can also see why it makes sense to stop going back to the well again and again.

Then again, we thinged every podcast episode (those wound up costing about $5-15k apiece).  

And then again, I've thinged videos that cost about $100,000. (ooh! it's almost hit 500k views, go us).

And then again, I've thinged a poem that cost NOTHING at all to write and record on my phone. Nobody complained.

AND then again, I did fuck up royally and forget to post the Althing before the clock struck midnight on July 31st in San Francisco, thus turning $17,000 of team income into a rotting pumpkin.

I want you to also KNOW this about this avant-grade process: this patreon PER-THING business is pretty damn confusing. It's why i beg and plead for you to cap your pledges....and even so, I feel I must put this one to a vote.

As if on cue, the team has a call tomorrow morning about slowly (possibly) moving me to a per-month paradigm and leaving the per-thing paradigm behind...but I'm not so sure.

For now, this is the way we gotta do it.

Please weigh in and tell me what you think!!!

I'm also open for fun, weird, graceful alternate suggestions. Hit me. Sometimes ya'll have the best ideas. And I'm tired.

I never want you to blow smoke up my ass: you're my patrons. So be honest, think it through, and if you're feeling like it's overkill but the vote goes to thinging every epiosde, for the sake of the baby jeebus, CAP YOUR PLEDGE.

And in the hiding-under-the-blankey life department, I'm still pretty under the blanket today.

If you write in with any nerdy comments, please also tell me how you are and where you are. I want to know. Everything feels weird and crazy all over the globe.

x

a

p.p.s. $10 patrons, keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for the date and time of next week's ask me anything poetry cry cry cry webcast

p.s. TOTALLY off topic but here are two adorable pictures of ash that rebecca took yesterday:



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

1. if you are a patron and new to my work, don’t forget your patronage allows you access to ALL of my patreon releases to date. HERE is the link to download my latest big solo record, “There Will Be No Intermission”, and HERE is a link to download the PDF of the art/essay book that goes with it.

2. if you’re a patron reading this post via an email notification, 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.

3. see All the Things (over 150 of them) i've made so far on patreon:

http://amandapalmer.net/things

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

5. are you 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/

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





Comments

Stefanie Oepen

I voted to thing each one, but I have to add that I only pay for two things per month so this is easy for me to say.

Anonymous

We are all getting more than we pay for so thing away! Could you make Patreon force members to cap in which case you can be sure that everyone knows what their monthly max amount is? Personally I cap at one thing a month because I know what being connected is worth to me even if it's just one photo or poem. It's the heart to heart that fills my joy bucket. The art and videos and music are bonus beauties. We are here for you. Don't be scared. :)

Catherine Hannah

I voted to #thingallthingings - I think this is ok. If you are feeling tense about it, title a post All Caps to say once again "we are thinging all, cap your pledges!!!" Really, no one can say they haven't been warned....

Anonymous

As you said, people cap their pledges. We pay what we can afford. This all costs you money to make, you gotta give us the chance to give you what we can. Thing them individually

Anonymous

Thing the Things! I think you've been very clear about capping pledges to what you can afford and want to give. As for the why of it, all of this production stuff costs money. And the better the quality you'd like to share, the more money it costs to create, and people need to be paid what they're worth. My life partner and I started our own project this past year and we've been doing everything ourselves so far (which is impossible, lol, but finances have definitely been a consideration) so it's become so very clear to us just HOW MUCH WORK goes into every little post/video/you name it. This is the way. Doing pretty good here. Just got back to NYC this morning for 24 hours before heading up to Bard College and the Bard Music Festival, and then I'm preparing for my own shows at the Rochester Fringe Festival in September, so I'm stoked! Also, the city is breathing life into me as I type this. Much love to you and yours, and everyone else in this community and beyond.

Anonymous

I get very confused by the thing thing and would vote to switch to a monthly pledge format.

DebbieG

I used to pay for each Thing until you started the Asking podcast, then I capped my pledge. So I also think that those who have not yet capped should weigh in.

Anonymous

What does capping ones pledge mean please? 🙏🏾 Although long time supporter of the gorgeous and spirit queen Amanda, I'm new to apps and finding my way around. Love to you all and thank you in advance 💜

T Nonya

I've capped my pledge a while back. I worry that with monthly the monies would be less overall to the team and about their ability to sustain livelihoods. Presently laid off in Michigan, awaiting my next job and watching the Delta variant uptick in my county... What a long haul it has been. Glad you and Ash are in NZ, and though you may miss family and friends I do think it's the best place to be right now.

Alex

Hey Diana! Alex from Team AFP here - Amanda uses Patreon on a 'per Thing' basis - this means that whatever tier you're supporting at is the amount you'll pay per Thing she releases, which varies between 1 and sometimes up to 5. Capping your pledge means that you can set a maximum number of Things you are able to financially support each month (for example, if you're in the $3 but can only commit to giving $6 a month, you can cap your pledge at 2 Things per month, and regardless of how many Things Amanda releases in a month, you'll never be charged more than $6. This doesn't affect any of your access to Patreon - you'll still be able to access all the posts and Things that are released, but you'll only be charged as much as you can handle. Patreon has a great article to explain more and show you how to do this here - https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002984506-How-do-I-set-a-monthly-max-for-my-membership- If you have any more questions, you're always welcome to reach out to patronhelp@amandapalmer.net and we will endeavour to help you out! -Alex, Team AFP

Timothy Kreuter

I’m doing well. I’ve been on a journey through the American Healthcare Complex trying to get coverage for a bariatric procedure, and I just finalized it for September 14th. I’m in the “omfg wtf am I getting into holy shitballs” portion now, but I’m doing this for my own good. I’m also signed up for my first public drag performance/pageant in October. That will be exciting.

AmosRambles

I’m capped, but if you are concerned, and have other things you also want to charge for during this time, you could release these two every two weeks, rather than weekly to spread the cost over a few months.

Anonymous

What glorious human beings on the couch