Semi-Weekly Update: Work, Art, Food, and more thoughts on Patreon
It has been a busy week for me between having some writing work to do and working on my Patreon page banner image. DIY is how I roll. I downloaded some free software that was hypothetically beyond my skills and knowledge, but that is why the internet exists, right? Someone somewhere has already answered my question before I thought of it. I just had to google. Plus, I learned how to use Paint back in 1985ish so the grad students at Columbia (where my dad was on sabbatical) did not have to babysit me too much that week I spent in NYC for my birthday. What kid does not like mandarin orange spice tea and black and white computer art. (I still have the panda bear mug I got in the grab bag exchange, and I can still remember the picture I drew in paint of one of the grad students.) Same basic concept, right?
My process was not completely digital. Some parts were started in a sketchbook for a different purpose, which I scrapped when that purpose became moot. However, I was able to finish rendering the concept better as a digital image.
I have also spent some time the last few weeks developing the concept for what I will do on Patreon including what content will be exclusive there or cross-published here. Please take a look and let me know what you think. I can take any possible tweaks into consideration. My sister has already taken the first look at it, but more input is always helpful especially since my audience is small right now. Before I get to more thoughts on Patreon - please let me know if you have interest by voting in the poll at the bottom of the page or in the top of the menu bar to the left - here are some of the foodie events in the personal chef life since my last update.
First up: spicy ham and potato hash with blackened cabbage. This cabbage is amazing even without the fresh basil or kelp.
We got some free chimichurri spice rub so I roasted the chicken with it under the skin and paprika on top. I also made a lightly creamed spinach and oven roasted potato wedges.
The next night I made a small pork loin roast that had been marinated in soy sauce, white wine vinegar, fresh garlic and ginger, and some dried red chili. I reheated the leftover potatoes and made spicy garlic eggplant. In the absence of black vinegar, I used a bit of balsamic, which worked well.
I took some of the dried red chili and made an extra spicy salsa. It was so good my face was sweating from just a little bit. I made some of the roast chicken into quesadillas and a side tomato and spinach salad dressed with lime juice, salt, and a drizzle of oil.
More of that chicken plus the remainder of the pork roast became a salad with celery, tomato, and onion flavored macadamia nuts. I did a hasselback style spaghetti squash with a spicy sweet and sour glaze and bay leaves tucked in like this recipe for butternut squash. I made the glaze with some honey, olive oil, a generous scoop of hot chili salsa, salt, and lime juice. I kept the pan loosely covered with foil for the first 40 minutes of baking and then took it off for the last 15 minutes. I did not want the glaze burning in the oven before it was cooked. The glaze was excellent for dipping apple slices after dinner.
Finally, my lacto-fermented watermelon tasted good and hit the two week and a couple days mark yesterday. It is now in the fridge and I used it to garnish the cucumber salad for dinner. It is slightly chewy by where I peeled off the skin, but all the colors are still vibrant with a little yellowing from the brine fermentation process. It tastes of the spices used and is just slightly sour in a buttery way.
Why Patreon? Because why not. I have been wanting to develop my own writing career for a while, but my time has been occupied with other work not directly related to writing. Getting the sustained time that I need to be immersed in the creation process is difficult. Patreon provides me with a platform where I can have a patron base interested in seeing what I develop and being a part of the process.
Some of what gets developed on Patreon first for patrons will also get published on this blog.
This is the Project:
I am diving right in and starting a writing career from the ground up. Right now I am doing freelance writing and this blog, but I want to be able to devote more time to my own creative writing. Using Patreon will help me do that by connecting me with an interested audience from the beginning. Every patron has the opportunity to see me working on projects from the ground up and can give me input on what I am doing.
Short Term Projects: I will be starting small with 600 word short stories posted on Patreon weekly. These will be vignettes created based on randomly generated plot prompts that Director level and up patrons vote on. I will do four a month and start getting votes from Producer level and up patrons on which vignette should be developed into a blog publishable short story. When we reach the first goal, I will start publishing one expanded short a month on my blog.
Long Term Projects: At the same time, I will start developing the projects I have had in mind. The momentum on my monthly updates will build the more goals are reached. The preliminary personal goal for me is to have the first short story ready for submission to a literary journal within six months of launching on Patreon. I would also be working on longer manuscripts and weighing the publishing options and opportunities. I want to keep this somewhat flexible and fluid because I do not know what kind of opportunities will present themselves and when.
Future Goals? As we reach the 5th goal, I will see what is happening will all projects and update the goals with more levels for additional special projects.
[[END PROPOSAL]]
Patreon lets me name the pledge levels, set the amount, and define the rewards. I am keeping it simple to start out. The level of participation available accumulates going up the first three levels. The basic level is $3/month: Audience Member - you get access to all exclusive content // $5/month is Director - you also get to vote on story prompts // $10/month is Producer - you get to vote on what shorts get expanded // Executive Producer is $50/month. I really do not expect that one to take off right away, but I have an additional reward in mind for that one. As things get rolling, I have plans to get input on revising rewards and adding more in between. However, I definitely would welcome comments right now.
If you read all the way to the end, you are my superstar. If you are interested and have feedback or ideas please comment below or PM me on Facebook. Thank you!
My process was not completely digital. Some parts were started in a sketchbook for a different purpose, which I scrapped when that purpose became moot. However, I was able to finish rendering the concept better as a digital image.
 |
| Peak Edit - I shall edit no further! |
I have also spent some time the last few weeks developing the concept for what I will do on Patreon including what content will be exclusive there or cross-published here. Please take a look and let me know what you think. I can take any possible tweaks into consideration. My sister has already taken the first look at it, but more input is always helpful especially since my audience is small right now. Before I get to more thoughts on Patreon - please let me know if you have interest by voting in the poll at the bottom of the page or in the top of the menu bar to the left - here are some of the foodie events in the personal chef life since my last update.
Personal Chef Life Highlights
First up: spicy ham and potato hash with blackened cabbage. This cabbage is amazing even without the fresh basil or kelp.
We got some free chimichurri spice rub so I roasted the chicken with it under the skin and paprika on top. I also made a lightly creamed spinach and oven roasted potato wedges.
The next night I made a small pork loin roast that had been marinated in soy sauce, white wine vinegar, fresh garlic and ginger, and some dried red chili. I reheated the leftover potatoes and made spicy garlic eggplant. In the absence of black vinegar, I used a bit of balsamic, which worked well.
I took some of the dried red chili and made an extra spicy salsa. It was so good my face was sweating from just a little bit. I made some of the roast chicken into quesadillas and a side tomato and spinach salad dressed with lime juice, salt, and a drizzle of oil.
More of that chicken plus the remainder of the pork roast became a salad with celery, tomato, and onion flavored macadamia nuts. I did a hasselback style spaghetti squash with a spicy sweet and sour glaze and bay leaves tucked in like this recipe for butternut squash. I made the glaze with some honey, olive oil, a generous scoop of hot chili salsa, salt, and lime juice. I kept the pan loosely covered with foil for the first 40 minutes of baking and then took it off for the last 15 minutes. I did not want the glaze burning in the oven before it was cooked. The glaze was excellent for dipping apple slices after dinner.
Finally, my lacto-fermented watermelon tasted good and hit the two week and a couple days mark yesterday. It is now in the fridge and I used it to garnish the cucumber salad for dinner. It is slightly chewy by where I peeled off the skin, but all the colors are still vibrant with a little yellowing from the brine fermentation process. It tastes of the spices used and is just slightly sour in a buttery way.
What I have in mind for Patreon
If this is the first you have heard of Patreon, you can check out this video. If you are already familiar, please skip down to the proposal below.My Patreon Proposal
[[What follows is an slightly edited version of my current draft of the about page for my Patreon page, which is not live yet.]]Why Patreon? Because why not. I have been wanting to develop my own writing career for a while, but my time has been occupied with other work not directly related to writing. Getting the sustained time that I need to be immersed in the creation process is difficult. Patreon provides me with a platform where I can have a patron base interested in seeing what I develop and being a part of the process.
Some of what gets developed on Patreon first for patrons will also get published on this blog.
This is the Project:
I am diving right in and starting a writing career from the ground up. Right now I am doing freelance writing and this blog, but I want to be able to devote more time to my own creative writing. Using Patreon will help me do that by connecting me with an interested audience from the beginning. Every patron has the opportunity to see me working on projects from the ground up and can give me input on what I am doing.
Short Term Projects: I will be starting small with 600 word short stories posted on Patreon weekly. These will be vignettes created based on randomly generated plot prompts that Director level and up
Long Term Projects: At the same time, I will start developing the projects I have had in mind. The momentum on my monthly updates will build the more goals are reached. The preliminary personal goal for me is to have the first short story ready for submission to a literary journal within six months of launching on Patreon. I would also be working on longer manuscripts and weighing the publishing options and opportunities. I want to keep this somewhat flexible and fluid because I do not know what kind of opportunities will present themselves and when.
Funding Goals Summary of what I will do as each goal is reached
Goal 1: I will post one bonus 600 word short story a month, and I will start posting one expanded short story on my blog monthly.
Goal 2: I will post a monthly draft or update for whatever longer piece(s) that I am working on for submission to a literary journal. I will also take input on adding more tiers and/or more rewards when we reach this goal.
Goal 3: I will start sharing one exclusive extended story per month on Patreon that is only for patrons. This will be in addition to the one I post monthly on the blog.
Goal 4: (First reach goal) I will be able to devote significantly more time a month on writing and provide more significant rewards like downloadable e-book collections of what I have developed and published with the help of patrons. When we reach this goal I will find out from patrons what sorts of rewards they are interested in that I can practically do.
Goal 5: (Second Reach Goal) I will hold a poll on what will be created for reaching this goal when the fourth goal is reached and I have a better idea of the publishing route I am going to choose. At this goal level I would seriously consider self-publishing novels and on-line discounts for all tiers if I am not otherwise already engaged.
Goal 1: I will post one bonus 600 word short story a month, and I will start posting one expanded short story on my blog monthly.
Goal 2: I will post a monthly draft or update for whatever longer piece(s) that I am working on for submission to a literary journal. I will also take input on adding more tiers and/or more rewards when we reach this goal.
Goal 3: I will start sharing one exclusive extended story per month on Patreon that is only for patrons. This will be in addition to the one I post monthly on the blog.
Goal 4: (First reach goal) I will be able to devote significantly more time a month on writing and provide more significant rewards like downloadable e-book collections of what I have developed and published with the help of patrons. When we reach this goal I will find out from patrons what sorts of rewards they are interested in that I can practically do.
Goal 5: (Second Reach Goal) I will hold a poll on what will be created for reaching this goal when the fourth goal is reached and I have a better idea of the publishing route I am going to choose. At this goal level I would seriously consider self-publishing novels and on-line discounts for all tiers if I am not otherwise already engaged.
Future Goals? As we reach the 5th goal, I will see what is happening will all projects and update the goals with more levels for additional special projects.
[[END PROPOSAL]]
Patreon lets me name the pledge levels, set the amount, and define the rewards. I am keeping it simple to start out. The level of participation available accumulates going up the first three levels. The basic level is $3/month: Audience Member - you get access to all exclusive content // $5/month is Director - you also get to vote on story prompts // $10/month is Producer - you get to vote on what shorts get expanded // Executive Producer is $50/month. I really do not expect that one to take off right away, but I have an additional reward in mind for that one. As things get rolling, I have plans to get input on revising rewards and adding more in between. However, I definitely would welcome comments right now.
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