During my mini break so far (more about that in another blog coming soon), I've been thinking about how Hannah Kate Makes needs to move forward when I return fully in September.
Being completely transparent here, the past couple of years have been hard (for a lot of people) and I've realised I need to streamline the business to try and maintain what remains of my sanity.
This means I have to focus on the things that make money - sounds vulgar to say it out loud but rent has to be paid - so that I can attempt to actually take time off more regularly before I hit burnout and without the wheels falling off everything.
Sadly, The Library (my Patreon page) doesn’t fall into that category anymore.
I'm pretty gutted as it had been a safe space for me to share my thoughts, processes and what’s really going on behind-the-scenes with my biggest supporters over the past four years. I'm incredibly proud of everything I created and added to that space in that time and looking back I'm astonished at what we achieved together.
There was so much enjoyment and freedom for me to have a safe space where I could play and experiment with new work and research, but the amount of time and effort I put into creating exclusive content for the page wasn’t reflected in the money I received back from it.
I loved creating the casefiles and podcasts, chatting openly with members and sharing what I was getting up to in the studio. However, lately very few people regularly read these posts and updates and, while shouting into the void and lack of engagement is something I'm used to on social media, it did feel quite strange in a place where people actually pay for access to what I'm sharing.
On top of this, the Patreon platform insisted that my page be listed as 18+ (they can't tell the difference between figurative art and porn) which made the page unsearchable within the Patreon Creator search function. Driving traffic is tough and being kneecapped by the platform certainly didn’t help with tempting new Patrons into the fold.
Sadly, after four fun years The Library has now closed. I might bring it back in the future in some guise, but for the time being I can't keep it going.
My plan is to still share a lot of what I used to create for The Library, but without a monthly schedule and it will no longer be behind a paywall.
Read on for details...
Everything will be shared within, or linked to, in my weekly emails.
Behind-the-Scenes, sneak peeks and process photos. I'll go back to sharing more of this on Instagram and Facebook. There will be occasional YouTube videos as I get back into the swing of things. Shorter versions of these may also be found on TikTok or as IG Reels.
Mini Blogs / View From The Studio These will now be shared on my main Blog, here on my website. I really enjoy writing and I've let the blog fall over a bit over the past couple of years. My plan is to resurrect it and bring more of myself and my process to the articles I share. I'd always been wary in the past of making those blog posts niche relevant and more efforts-in-marketing than expressions of what I'm thinking or feeling. Years of traditional business coaching stopped me from being completely open and I think it's time to knock that on the head. If people don't like it, they're not being forced to read it. This space will become more of a regular journal, keeping a history of my art journey. It won't (at least at first) be as completely open as I've been with Patrons, but I'll be more chatty and less: This blog is about XYZ.
The Podcast / Musings of a Chaos Pixie These will likely be shared on YouTube, unless I can figure how to host them on the website. Both Phil and I enjoy making them together so they will return! The content is, as yet, undecided as I will need to pitch them to a wider audience than I have previously. Again, they probably won't be as open as I've been with Patrons in the past. The wider internet is not the safe space that I built there, and I need to protect myself.
Wallpapers I may offer freebie wallpapers to download every now and then as a perk of being on my mailing list. You can find a sign-up format the bottom of this page.
Discount Codes Everyone who signs up to the mailing list receives a Welcome Discount on initial sign up. All my new artwork and sales are opened to subscribers of The Spooky List before anyone else. I regularly share subscriber-only discount codes and exclusive offers throughout the year.
Art Hauls These are ending. It's possible I may restart Patreon in the future, or potentially offer themed bundles or subscription-style boxes one day. But there are no solid plans for that at the moment.
Polls These are ending. I may, from time to time, offer polls on my social media stories but they will be for fun things only, or used for quick customer feedback. Over the years I've learnt that I create my best work when I follow my heart, rather than trying to fit into a box created by other's expectations or desires.
Folklore Case Files These are ending. I'm sad about this as we've had a great time researching stories, learning all sorts of new things, and putting the files together. My research will continue as it informs the artwork that I create based on folklore and I may, occasionally, write a blog sharing some of the folklore that new artwork is based on, but they won’t be the same as the case files put together for The Library.
Community Chats I've not found a good way to replace the Chats function from the Patreon App. You can still message me on social media or via email: information@hannahkatemakes.com
The best way to keep up with what's going on with us here at Hannah Kate Makes HQ is to join the mailing list. During July and August I only plan one monthly newsletter, but from September I'll return to weekly messages straight into your inbox. You can sign up to The Spooky List here.
Please remember to confirm your sign up by clicking the link in the first email sent to you. Check your Spam Folder if you can't find it!
Just a heads up - I tidy up my list periodically and remove all subscribers who've not opened any emails from me for 12 months. If that's you, you may need to rejoin.
Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all my Patrons over the past four years for your support.
The Library kept me going through some incredibly tough times and I will miss it dearly. Your messages over the past few weeks as I reached this decision have been heartwarming and I hope you’ll continue this wild ride with me as the next chapters unfold.
Big love, HK x
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