A few months back I came across the platform Patreon and quickly discovered that many creators use this platform as a space to receive money for the work they do.

Content creators of all kind often go unpaid, whether it’s bloggers counting on “x” amount of clicks and proper ad placements and crazy pinterest interaction groups, YouTube creators who don’t have large enough followings to make a profit, or advocates and artists who want to feel as if what they have to offer the world is truly worth while.

I opened up my Patreon account last month to get a feel for the space and decide how a platform like this could be beneficial to myself and my supporters.

Patreon has a few features, there are various tiers to offer various levels of financial support in return for exclusive content and updates along with a space where I share my goals regarding my blog, my future, and some based on the support of patrons.

My Patreon Tiers:

I initially had a few more tiers, but after deciding how to make this an extension to my blog for my biggest supporters, I narrowed in on 3 tiers.

Coffee Change Jar ~ $1 a month: This tier exists as a way to say thank you for creating the content you do. It’s essentially a tip jar that shows me that you appreciate me and want me to continue pursuing my goals and writing about my journey and educating others. This tier doesn’t provide access to regular exclusive content but allows you to support me without any financial burden.

Exclusive Blog Content ~ $5 a month: This is the primary tier offering you exclusive access to weekly vlogs and updates you don’t get anywhere else. Each weekly vlog dives into the personal ups and downs I’ve had in my week, what’s on my mind, and any fun and exciting news that pertains to my life.

To give you a taste of what this $5 tier comes with you can gain access to last week’s vlog below using the password: june

This weekly vlog is intended to really be a more personal side to my blog. So much life happens outside of the words you come across on your screen and some things never make it front and center. This space exists to bridge that gap between my actual life and what you see here, while providing a private space to connect.

Blog Sugar ~ $50 a month: Three tiers are suggested and as I’m still healing and understanding how I can use my time, I created a “dream tier” at $50 with the idea that this will probably never happen – but hey, if you wanted to be that incredible human being who did more than skip out on buying an iced coffee for yourself one day out of the week, I’d be eternally grateful to you. You’ll also get an entire blog dedicated to how absolutely awesome you are in addition to the weekly vlogs.

My Patreon Goals

As most of you know, I currently am not in a place to start working again. I still have a ways to go on my healing journey and working to understand what my body needs to feel it’s absolute best.

In the mean time I am really working to create content to share my journey, help others who either have migraine or live/know with someone who does, and create an educational space that can serve as an abundant resource for people across the globe.

I took a huge step and made my blog a .com after realizing how many ads were popping up and interrupting my posts. I hate ads. You hate ads. I don’t want money from ads being placed. So, I invested in a platform that could get rid of the ads (being a $1 patron is a great way to say thank you for not making me look at weird targeted ads based on my google search history).

So what are these goals I speak of?

• I want to create a space for individuals who want to publicly or privately share their story and give them a platform where they can be heard. I have had the honor of sharing a few of y’all’s stories on my blog already and I hope to continue doing so in the future. We all have a story, and even if you aren’t ready to put your face to your journey, there is always space for you.
• I want you to feel as if the investment you make in me is returned. I want to support you and be a source of encouragement, inspiration, and a safe space for you to vent or seek advice whenever you need.
• I want to continue sharing my experience with migraines and disability while working to educate on areas of change within health care, accessible AND affordable housing, and break down damaging stigmas within our society.
• I want to develop a new ADA standard that can be presented to our government officials because the current standards are outdated and do not meet most of our needs. This goal is a bit more lofty than the others, but based on my time spent in architecture and interior design programs it is incredibly necessary and I know that I want to be apart of creating this change.
• I want to continue making progress on my current novel along with the two collaborative coloring books I’m creating with a good friend of mine.
• I want to find a job that allows me to implement my goals and make a difference with my writing.
• Most importantly I want to regain my independence by moving out of my parents home and supporting myself financially.

Some of these goals are already in motion and I am working towards all of them every single day.

That last goal is pretty important though, and I wanted y’all to hear it here first:

I am moving out of my parents and into an apartment this July! The incredible support we have from Social Security allows us to slowly transition to a temporary apartment and within a year a more permanent apartment. This is the first step in achieving that goal, I will once again be independent and reliant on myself for cooking, cleaning, and generally caring for myself and it will be a true test of the improvement I’ve experienced so far this year.

So, why should YOU choose to be my Patron?

For the most obvious reason: you love me and want to say how much you love that I’m taking the time to do what I love without compromising my health.

But for some other really great reasons to consider extending your support:

• You want to say that “hey I’m proud of you”
• You want to help contribute to regaining my financial independence from my parents and social security.
• You want to see exclusive video content and life updates.
• You think the information I share has value that is worth being backed by money.
• You want to treat me to a coffee once a month but unfortunately don’t live close to me.
• You want to be part of my support system.
• You want to ensure that whatever weird medical treatment or therapy I want to try is within reach and doesn’t get postponed because it’s a financial stretch.
• You want me to have a dog and be able to afford caring for said fluff ball.
• Or, maybe you’ve just got an extra couple of dollars laying around.

Whatever the reason may be, I’m thankful to my existing patrons for having faith in me and investing in me and would love for you to join them!

You can sign up HERE to be my Patron today! You won’t be charged until the first of next month, so you can enjoy the next 3 vlogs for free.

Don’t care about exclusive videos or a monthly subscription to supporting your favorite migraine blogger but still want to offer support? Or contribute to the “Alex is moving again and needs to buy a mattress” fund? You can PayPal me too!

A.