The above image is on the “Collections” page of my Patreon to show how content is organized by topic. I started this Patreon account last summer, without having a clear idea of my goals for it. At the time, I was looking for a way to support community projects, a mentorship program, and thinking forward to when I inevitably have to pare down and shift into a more sustainable approach to my work. Soon, I realized that this can be a great way to share instruction, so I now have different subscription levels that correspond with different levels of instruction. Now that I’m recovering from all that has happened in the past 6 months, I’m able to turn my attention back to building this into a library of resources for aspiring mosaic artists. And for those who are more interested in just following along and supporting my practice, I’m sharing personal anecdotes and travel information.
Finally, I’m coming out the other side of a nasty lung infection that started on Dec. 30 and knocked me down for over 3 weeks. My hand is still weak, but I can do a lot now and I’m excited to get back in the studio. Last week, I cleared work space in the garage because I’m still between studios, and I started filming an introductory tutorial; mosaic coasters. I hope to finish it today, then edit and upload it in segments for $10 and $30-level subscribers.
I want to send a shout-out to everyone who responded to my recent newsletter. I’ve been in a serious funk and I didn’t know how to pull myself out of it. All of the people who reached out to share their own stories and offer advice gave me a much-needed boost. And then the esteemed Kate Kerrigan gave me a call and we talked for an hour and 20 minutes about all of the challenges we face, personally and globally. We shared strategies for moving forward, including self-care, volunteering and supporting causes we care about (especially at the local level), and ideas for community projects. By the time we hung up, I felt lighter and more grounded at the same time, and ready to get to work.
So, if any of you are in need of a boost, please reach out. If you want to infuse more creative practice into your life, mosaic is amazing therapy. Together we can turn fractured and broken things into something beautiful, and I mean that in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
If you are curious about the Patreon movement, the link to my page is here: patreon.com/jkmosaic It’s free to join. And if you decide to check out paid levels, you can always change your mind. *If you use an Apple device, they add 30% to everything, which seems super unethical to me. So if you have any non-Apple devices, I recommend using those for Patreon purchases.
