When our worlds got tossed upside down this past March, our careers were in jeopardy. Myself and my husband, Steve, offered outdoor adventures and classes for the public, my sister Lacey and her husband were bartenders, a musician and an artist. As you can imagine, with all of our jobs serving the public…work stopped immediately for all of us. Luckily in our family, Steve does get a small pension from his time in the ARMY, but for the rest of us, unemployment was a saving grace. Of course issues with that didn’t help. Late paychecks, missing bank cards, and no one answering the help line added to our stress.
Fast forward to May. Steve and I decided to change our life course by renting our house, selling our belongings and pursuing a family liveaboard (tinyhome) lifestyle on a catamaran. I am out of work, so we are living off Steve’s pension. Lacey and her husband are still waiting to get back to work full time and are still on unemployment while still searching for extra income. They live in New York City and outside dining is still in effect, and only 25% capacity of indoor dining will start on September 30th.
Along came Patreon. I came across it while researching ways to make money with a nomadic lifestyle. I started documenting our journey on this platform and Lacey also jumped at the chance to offer her skills and knowledge as a bartender. We are now using what skills we had in our previous careers to become “content creators” and hope to offer a fun and rewarding service to our Patrons that support us.
My sister Lacey runs At Home Happy Hour (Ahhh) and Women Supporting Women. Steve, Cody and I run Destination Adrift.
Why Patreon? We are excited at the opportunities it gives us, not just as a user and content creator, but also the options it gives our potential members, or “Patrons”. You have a choice of what level to support us at, usually starting at only $1/month. As content creators, we are able to set levels or “rewards” that we give back to our supporters. This might be something like early access to posts, Patron-only content, behind-the-scenes footage, even a “thank-you” gift. Think of it as a monthly “Gofundme” if you will…but with benefits to donors. Not only do you know your money is going to a family member or friend, but that also you’ll get some really cool things in return!
Who makes a good Patron? Really anyone, but here are some typical Patron personalities:
-Individuals who support independent content creators from artists to musicians, educators to entertainers, and everything in between.
-Folks who feel alone or stressed during isolation
-Friends or family members
-Individuals with disposable incomes that want to see their financial contributions foster growth and support for others.
-Retirees who want something to check in on every other day…besides the news.
-“Cord-cutters” or folks who don’t watch TV anymore
-Folks looking to learn a new skill or fine-tune something they’ve been working on
We know times are tough right now. Believe me, we know. That’s why we would still appreciate your support, even if you are not able to help financially.
Can’t afford a monthly contribution? Here are some things you can do to still support us:
-Tell your friends! Share our Patreon posts on social media, it’s quick and easy!
-Share the public content! Many times we will add content that is public, FREE and visible to everyone.
-Consider a one-time purchase! Sometimes we will add “swag” or products you can buy from Etsy and other sites that support our work.
Thank you for listening, and supporting. We wish you the best during these tough and stressful times and hope that our content can be a source of joy and happiness for you!
Randi and Lacey
Destination Adrift 