We our doing the thing…
There aren’t many ideas that feel as simple and solid as this one. We know the subscription or membership model has been around for a while, and maybe some folks are even burnt out on it. But we’ve finally cracked our own code for what we offer, how to offer it, and for how much. We wanted simple. We wanted easy. We wanted something that felt good to us.
For years, John and I questioned our worth and value in the world. We’ve both played the “broke artist” role. The truth is, we have all the resources we need right now to do the thing we most want to do: make music and support other artists doing the same.
We’ve let stress and existential angst block our creative flow for far too long. Looking back, we can see we were on a path — but we often questioned the point of it all. We kept hearing “if it has value” in all the marketing advice, but got lost in how you define value. If one person is entertained, is that enough? Is entertainment even valuable?
Of course, many cultures have valued entertainment for as long as people have told stories — and yet it doesn’t always feel valuable when life feels challenging. It took us a long time to see that our own suffering was keeping us from simply living. Living, for us, meant entertaining myself in all parts of the journey. We need joy. Creating brings us joy.
And you’ve probably felt this too — creative energy is pleasurable energy. Maybe that’s even part of the stigma artists face: who are we to seek pleasure in every aspect of life? But I’ve come to believe it’s inevitable if you want to end suffering: make art. Turn what you’d rather not feel into something beautiful or funny or moving. It’s human. It’s divine. And it’s the space we want to offer ourselves — and you — to live in fully.
Our membership/sponsorship is $3/month because we want it to be easy to say yes. We want to connect with people who want to ride this wave with us. We’ve always dreamed of cutting out the middleman and connecting directly, and social media made that possible for us all.
For us, the next step was removing the need for ads on my videos or hawking products we don’t use. That’s just not us. We don’t even push the grocery carts with ads on them. It’s not that marketing or capitalism is inherently wrong — it’s just not the type of consumer we are, so we can’t pretend otherwise.
We believe in the power of the people. Maybe that’s cliché, maybe it’s old-school, but it’s true: many hands make everything easier. Supporting an artist is a big job, but together it’s possible. Your support gets us out of bed on the mornings when the existential dread sets in. Your support gives us hope. We’re generally optimistic people, but that optimism can waver. You help steady it.
After years of being hyper-independent, we’ve learned it’s not the best way to live. There’s almost nothing we truly do alone. We can make art all day long, but the meaning deepens when we share it and connect with other human beings. That’s you. Let’s connect.
Photo by Madeline Earth
