Become One of My Patrons and Join My Journey!

I have a personal Patreon page now, as do so many independent artists and creatives in today's world. It is a platform through which anyone in the public can choose to become a patron of an artist, musician, writer, filmmaker, or a company engaged in those kinds of activities.

For myself, this is something that can be of tremendous help in advancing and growing in my content creation and activities. At the moment, in addition to being a writer, I am also developing a TV show, co-hosting a weekly podcast, co-hosting a weekly V-log, engaging in weekly blogging, hosting original content on my own YouTube channel weekly, while also tending to all the tasks involved in running a press (Seventh Star Press) and convention (Imaginarium Convention).

The workload is seven days a week, with most days being long, whether twelve hours, fourteen, or even more (and sometimes overnight). It doesn't come with any guarantees. No benefits of any sort, like healthcare or paid vacation or sick days. When I'm dealing with an illness, I have to still meet deadlines and make things work on a regular basis.

I'm not complaining.  This is what I do.  I love the areas of activity I am involved in and have always maintained I'll work 80 hours a week at something I like versus 30 in something I have no interest or passion for.

At this stage of my journey, I have seen that the work I do does help and benefit a great many others, in many ways. 
 
Seventh Star Press has enabled a great many authors to have their work published, with quality presentations that involve great care in regard to cover art and layouts. It has also provided lots of opportunities for editors and artists, and serviced many thousands of readers with quality content. 

The Imaginarium Convention has delivered a wealth of opportunities in learning, networking and empowerment to all kinds of independent creatives, whether authors, editors, publishers, filmmakers and artists. 

The Vlogs, blogs and podcasts all serve to regularly provide insights, education, and inspiration to all kinds of independent creatives on their own paths.

My own creative work, whether in writing or filmmaking, strives to encourage and inspire, with affirmations of positive values and outlooks in the protagonists I embrace. The Rayden Valkyrie character is a prime example of this, and I have gotten many messages from readers who have been inspired and encouraged in the ways I had hoped to see.

Ultimately, it is up to others to recognize the value in what someone does, but I believe strongly in the work that I do, what is has been for others, and what it can be for many more. 

The realities are that the landscape for creatives is unpredictable and constantly shifting.  It is a very difficult road to travel.  The book publishing world alone sees regular, profound changes in the way books are marketed and sold, and these changes are rarely, if ever, truly helpful to smaller press and independent writers.  Similarly, ad revenue streams on things like Google Ads or YouTube monetization sees sudden and unhelpful changes, such as the famous "adpocalypse" last fall.

A little help is needed and this is where a group of Patrons can make a huge difference. 

Having a little more surety in what I can look to each month can enable me to develop even stronger content and participate in more activities like workshops and events.  I can upgrade the equipment I use regularly, take advantage of more marketing opportunities to raise awareness of my work and all the things I am involved in.  From growth to production value, Patrons would help me develop and keep improving in all my spheres of activity. 

I can assure potential Patrons that the result will be increased content with stronger presentation, which will, in turn, benefit a much greater number of independent creatives.  There is a real synergy that can happen with a solid base of support at Patreon.  I look forward to engaging regularly with my Patrons, no matter what level each chooses to participate at. 

If you are interested in supporting my work in any area, whether my writing, my broadcasting/Vlogging, my filmmaking, blogging, or the work I do for Seventh Star Press and the Imaginarium Convention, please consider becoming one of  my Patrons. 

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.  It means a lot to me. more than you might realize.

You can visit my Patreon page at the link below to learn more:

https://www.patreon.com/stephenzimmer

The Multi-Faceted World of Today's Creative

This past week on The Creative's Cauldron, in our latest episode, Holly and I explored how today's independent creative is a "renaissance person", in terms of being active in different spheres of creativity. I relate to that dynamic myself in the areas of writing, filmmaking, music, martial arts, and broadcasting. I've found that engaging in multiple areas of creative activity, I bring myself lots of experiences and new perspectives that expand my horizons in each of the various spheres. My adventures in filmmaking, training in martial arts, exploring music, and broadcasting both in radio and visually have helped me grow further as a writer, for example. Every sphere of activity involves different experiences, disciplines, interactions, and so much more, which all lend to growing the pool of ideas, knowledge, and references that I draw from when engaging in a writing project. This results in more realism, better-developed characters, and many other things that help me develop my writing further. The different spheres also serve to inspire, in their own way. They involve different kinds of goals and milestones, the development of different skill sets, and each of these paths brings different kinds of inspiration. This is not a small area of contribution, as it is incredibly difficult to pursue the independent creative road and inspiration can make all the difference in the world when enduring some of the tougher stretches of the indie road. The multiple spheres of activity also introduce me to new audiences, who in turn discover the other things that I do. Reading audiences become aware of my independent film work, fans of independent film become aware of my novels, and all kinds of other examples of cross-pollination derive from my activity in several areas. It really is a good thing that today's climate for independent creatives fosters an openness to being active in different kinds of artistic expressions and pursuits. It has both practical and creative benefits, and I also think it helps contribute to attaining a more well-rounded approach to living life.

Started a Series of Videos on My Own YouTube Channel

It's been a very active week working with all the spheres of activity that Seventh Star Press is involved in.  I've had a little extra burden as I've been going through lots of tutorials as I get back up to speed on Adobe Premiere Pro cc 2018, since I'm doing all the post-production on The Creative's Cauldron and other YouTube activities we will have going on.

On that note, I just started a new series of videos on my own channel called Tip Trifecta.  Each video is designed to be a short-format presentation, no more than about 2 1/2 minutes in length, featuring 3 tips or insights relating to a topic relevant to creatives of today.

Sometimes the topic will be something close in relation to the theme explored in a given week on The Creative's Cauldron, as all of those topics involve things near and dear to both myself and Holly.  Sometimes it may be another topic, though no less near and dear.

I hope these are helpful to creatives of all kinds, if only to suggest some things to think about while journeying along the creative path.

The first one I did gives three reasons why creatives should avoid being overly influenced or consumed by trends.  These reasons come from observations I've had over years of experience in multiple creative areas, so I am confident they are well-founded.

I am always learning new things myself as I travel my own road, but I always want to share what I've gleaned along the way so that others can avoid some of the snares and pitfalls out there.  It is tough enough being an independent creative!

Here's the first Tip Trifecta for you to check out!  Leave a comment here and let me know what you think, and if you enjoy it go over to my YouTube Channel and subscribe!