PatreCon, Day 1

Yeah I know, I look waaaaaaaaaay too happy about seeing my name on a wall here. (and nowhere near as cool and intimidating as I do in my self-portrait, hehe ^_^)

I'm at PatreCon in LA right now, and I'm learning so much about Patreon and how to be a better creator, and I'm meeting lots of other awesome creators and it's just been really great. :D

I arrived at PatreCon with my battery empty, and it feels like it's been recharged with each event and each conversation I have.  You guys probably know that things have been a bit of a struggle lately, but talking to other creators dealing with the exact same problems I'm having—and the ways that they've overcome it—makes the journey that much easier.

So, about that wall - it was a really cool thing the Patreon team put together to show how the creators at Patreon were connected to each other by shared patrons.  The map is also color-coded by how long each creator has been with Patreon:

During the first part of the day, Jack Conte (the creator and CEO of Patreon) gave an incredibly inspirational talk about being a creator and dealing with the idea that "nothing works."  He talked about creating failure after failure after failure until something sticks, followed by yet more failures.  I don't think I've ever felt a talk stronger than I felt this one.

Jack talked about "grit" - the ability to steel yourself and get through the negative adrenaline rush that comes with setbacks, to be able to mentally smooth the jagged ups and downs of the daily creative process and translate it into an easy curve so you can see your overall path of growth instead of a momentary crisis.  It was somehow comforting to be reminded that just about every successful creator has a mountain of misses under their belt.

Next was a talk between Jack Conte and Chris Paik, a partner at Thrive Capital, which is one of Patreon's investors.  It was so refreshing to hear about the care that Jack and Patreon take in selecting investors - the way they all but obsess over making sure that nothing jeopardizes Patreon's creator-first vision.  In talking about different methods of paying creators (for example, advertising sponsors), Chris had this to say: "Money can be a liberating thing, but it can also be a controlling thing, depending on how it's doled out."  When your financial future is tied to a sponsor who wants control over your creative vision, you're treading into dangerous territory.  That's why having YOU GUYS supporting my comic is especially liberating! (how many publishers or sponsors out there would let me write about telekinetic junk? ^_^)

Patreon is growing like crazy right now, and it's so reassuring to be able to see and hear just how much the people at the helm care about their core mission of getting creators paid and forging the bonds between creator and patron—with as little interference from middlemen as possible.

Following that was a great talk by Hank Green, then after lunch my group dove into the nitty-gritty world of data analytics with Maura Church.  (I LOVE THAT STUFF.)  Then we had a round-table discussion with other creators about common problems.

I know I'm getting pretty verbose here.  But to me, the most important take-away from day 1 was just being reminded of how lucky I am to be doing what I do, and to have the support of YOU GUYS all the way!  This meeting could not have come at a better time.  (Okay, maybe I could have used this pep talk like a month ago, but still. ^_^)

This past month, I've been so wrapped up in trying to make my finances work that I lost sight of how important this comic was to me.  It feels good to be reminded.

Here's another wall for you:

And here was my answer:

You guys have been awesome for sticking with me all this time!  And I promise I will stick with you too. <3