January is usually a stressful month for me. The holidays are over, UK taxes are due, and for me, work has usually dried up. For the past few years January has been a month where I have almost zero income. Blog work and social media work has seasons, so it's not unusual for people to be very busy from September-December and work to be much quieter at the start of the year. But since I moved to Northern Ireland five years ago I went from quiet months to completely dead months and months I was typically busy during previously went quiet as well. It might not have been obvious because I kept shooting photographs and blogging even when it wasn't earning me enough to live off of. Things finally started to turn around last January when I decided to take back some control and launched my Patreon. Instead of waiting for fickle brands to come to me or getting endlessly rejected by agencies and brands that felt I was too niche I decided to create a platform for those who love my work as it is and want to help me to continue to create it without compromise. If I haven't been posting as much here it's because I've been sharing on Patreon; exclusive behind-the-scenes posts on the process of different photographs, tutorials, and even the occasional video into my home. If you're missing frequent posts here, consider becoming a patron where I share at least two new posts every week.
Little Women Atelier dress, vintage boots, old Voriagh mittens
It's been one year since I first launched Patreon and it's been slow growing, but it's already relieved so much stress and brought new joy into my life. I don't have any work lined up for January right now; as it stands in collaborations and brand work this is a zero earning month for me and normally I'd be spiraling in a panic of worry that these early months are a reflection of my whole year. But with Patreon now I'm not so dependent on outside forces, I know I'll earn enough to cover my bills on that platform and maybe one day it will be enough to completely sustain me without ever having to work with brands again. For now it's fueling my creativity and instead of a month of stress January feels like a month of opportunity and creativity. I'm making posts with joy and spending my evenings crafting with my hands. Instead of being consumed with worry, I feel at peace.
I haven't completely abandoned this blog and will continue to update it from time to time with my adventures, but if you miss the "good old days" of blogging when people were creative and posted frequently, then I think you'll really enjoy my Patreon. None of the posts there are advertisements or done in collaborations with brands, so you never have to worry that you're getting a biased review and I have a lot of fun content up my sleeve for the future. I want to dip my toes in more video work and have the courage to create "bad art" (i.e. try new things and experiment!). You can become a patron for as little as $2 and if you sign up now for annual membership you'll also get 10% off whatever tier you choose for the whole year. Click here to become a patron.
Little Women Atelier dress, vintage boots, old Voriagh mittens
CONVERSATION